Hunter Valentine takes the stage with Pop Legend Cyndi Lauper

No one can deny the momentum behind the rockers, Hunter Valentine, who will be touring with Cyndi Lauper this year. Coming straight out of starring in Season 3 of Showtime‘s hit reality series The Real L Word, Kiyomi McCloskey said that the show helped increase their fans outside of the United States. “We just came back from 3 weeks in Europe and we hadn’t been to a lot of these places and we would arrive in a city and country we’ve never been to and we already had a fan base. It gave us that leverage to reach people on an [international] level.”

The in-your-face rock duo is comprised of McCloskey (lead vocals/guitarist) and Laura Petracca (drummer). They met each other in a crowded bar in their hometown of Toronto in 2004 and quickly bonded. They have been making music together ever since. Their first single, “Liar, Liar” has been burning up airwaves everywhere from Portland to Chicago to DC. The video for the single is currently being played on over 100 video outlets including college network, MTV U. The band signed a major record deal with Megaforce Records distributed by Sony Music Entertainment/RED after producing their first two records.

Greig Nori who is best known for his hit-making influence on SUM 41 and Iggy Pop produced their third studio album, Collide & Conquer. The 11 tracks on this album represent an eclectic mix of hard-hitting punk rock, indie-pop and love ballads. “This album has a lot more pop to it, it’s not just rock and roll. There’s a wide variety, the last one was a little more rock. Everyone’s personality is represented more on this album,” said McCloskey.

The bands latest release “The Pulse” is not a personal experience from McCloskey’s life but it’s a common story for many. “It’s more of an observational song. It’s basically about when marriage goes wrong and people stay in a marriage for 20 or 30 years and they’re unhappy. And it’s about the one person not being able to leave it just because they’re so used to [it] and the other person being like, what the f*** are we doing?”

With over 200 touring dates a year and multiple media appearances such as the cover of Curve Magazine, Huffington Post’s A-Sides, Revolver Magazine’s Hottest Chicks in Metal issue, a live TV appearance on Fox 5 in Las Vegas, and Time Warner’s “SoCal Sound“, it’s no surprise that they are going to be the opening act for Cyndi Lauper’s highly anticipated “She’s So Unusual” US Summer tour, which commemorates three decades of the music icon’s music career. When asked by Lily Rothman in an interview with Time Entertainment about which young artists today Lauper thought had the same integrity she had when she started, she mentioned Matt & Kim and Hunter Valentine. “She really took a liking to this record and is really into the music. It’s definitely an honor and a privilege to share a stage with her” said McCloskey.

When asked what is the best advice you ever received McCloskey said, “Focus on the positive and ignore the negative” and the worst advice “I don’t know because I didn’t focus on the negative”. That advice seems to be working well.

The tour kicks-off in the city of San Diego at on June 12, 2013. To purchase tickets go to: http://www.huntervalentine.com/tour

The Pulse