The King of Positivity
By: Anjolie Towle
Tags: Articles, Music, Festivals, Interview

The King of Positivity

Here is where I feel alive, where I can be my true self. I take in the energy vibrating out from the stage and radiating from the close community. I am surrounded by free spirits, travelers, seekers, and ordinary people, all drawn to the Junebug Ranch campground in Tennessee every year to replenish their souls and disconnect from the world for a weekend. We are all here to experience the music and the community that has been created by the Muddy Roots Music Festival. For me and many others, the Muddy Roots Music Festival has become an annual quest to feel alive, commune with friends, and enjoy a musical escape from the stresses and worries of the outside world.

We come from all over, by plane, train, camper, packed in small cars and on foot, each with a unique story about what brought us to this place every year and why we keep coming. Over the years, I have become deeply curious to hear and share some of these stories. In 2018, I obtained a press pass and walked around the festival collecting stories from musicians, friends, campers, and staff.

I knew the first person I wanted to approach was James Hunnicutt, since he has been a performer and attendee of Muddy Roots from the very beginning.

James Hunnicutt is one of the most fiercely loyal, genuine people you will ever meet. He spreads unconditional love and positivity everywhere he goes and touches the lives of everyone around him. He is loved by nearly everyone at Muddy Roots. I caught up with him and asked him a few questions at Muddy Roots this year to learn more about his inner workings.

What ignited your journey into the world of music?

“Well, I started playing in 1986.” Hunnicutt told me he would constantly fiddle with his mom’s guitar when he was young, as she was a musician herself. When I asked him what inspired him to join the metal scene, he explained, “I had been listening to a lot of hard rock, heavy metal, and new wave. I heard ‘Master of Puppets’ by Metallica and it changed my life”. When James heard that record, he had a revelation. He thought to himself, “Holy shit, I want to do this.” The record inspired James to start taking guitar more seriously. It’s also when he delved into his incredible passion for music. He took this passion and ran with it. “I started my first band in ‘87. We were like a junior high thrash cover band, trying to do Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden…very much rebelling against a lot of the music I listened to as a kid.” Hunnicutt grew up listening to a lot of old country, rock and roll, and jazz. While these are all genres he loves now, in his teenage years, Hunnicutt was all about metal and punk. “When I got into the Misfits, they really bridged that gap back to the older music.” Hunnicutt realized how punk rock was influenced by old blues and rock n roll and began to see their similarities rather than the differences. Just like people in our culture — when we focus on the differences too much — we lose the commonalities we share.” Hunnicutt started playing solo 20 years ago, but didn’t become a full-time soloist until about 10 years ago. He’d pick up a guitar at the end his band’s performance and fans would always ask him to play some Elvis songs. He left his job in 2007 to pursue music full time and went on to perform 200–300 shows a year from 2008 to 2014. While he was doing something he loved, the sleepless nights filled with booming music and large crowds eventually caught up with him. After burning the candle at both ends for such a long time, Hunnicutt took a break from music.“I feel like I’m selling myself short, and like I’m selling everyone else short, if I don’t love what I’m doing.” Luckily, Hunnicutt is back to loving music, and he is better than ever. At Muddy Roots this year, he performed a solo set and helped form a new band, the Mudfits. Hopefully, there will be many more performances to enjoy!

One of the many reasons Hunnicutt is well-loved by so many is the positive mindset he carries with him everywhere he goes. I often wondered how he keeps this uplifting vibe through the chaos of the world surrounding him.

How do you stay so consistently positive?

“It’s tough. It’s just like anything, like riding a bike. The more you do, the better you get at it. It’s very much a practice.” Hunnicutt even promotes a movement called PMA (positive mental attitude). He gives out guitar picks with the message “PMA” to remind others about the importance of positivity. He does, however, emphasize that there will be times of darkness where being upset is perfectly okay. “With the PMA thing, I think some of people misunderstand. They think you just decide to be happy and you’re happy all the time. I get upset and there are many things that depress me. I get incredibly angry because there’s a lot going on in the world. It’s hard it because you think, ‘damn we are regressing as a species right now’. But for me, more than anything, doing what I love with music is huge because I can do something constructive that I enjoy. It helps me get through all those dark times.” He then went on to discuss the spiritual path he has chosen and how that affects his everyday life. “Even more important and more prominent than music is meditation. It’s my spiritual path, that’s the strongest thing in my life. I’m not a Buddhist per se but Buddhism really resonates with me.” Meditation inspired Hunnicutt to fall in love with the world, but more importantly, himself. Some wise words from Hunnicutt: “The most incredible person you will meet is yourself, and the most important relationship to have is with yourself.”

Hunnicutt has been to every Muddy Roots, so he has seen it all. He has a special connection with the festival, so I wanted him to hear some of his best experiences at Muddy Roots.

What is your favorite memory from Muddy Roots?

“I look at [Muddy Roots] as this beautiful experience that we get to revisit and add more memories to each time we’re here” Hunnicutt emphasized that he has no one favorite memory. He looks at Muddy Roots as one giant show, and he believes each year is a different song. “The music grows but the experience of being here is like this mountain of awesome, and each year we come back and put some more awesome on top of it. It’s this beautiful snowball effect.” One of Hunnicutt’s favorite moments is playing at Muddy Roots for the first time because it was “the beginning of something beautiful.” He related it to a first love because there’s “something special and endearing about the first time” His first year playing, the power went out and bands were delayed by a few hours. He was pissed and upset at first, but then he took the opportunity and ran with it. He thought, “Fuck that, I can play unplugged. I’ve done it before. It’ll be me and an acoustic guitar, and even though it’ll be quiet, I’m gonna do it.” Everyone huddled up in the mud and rain and began singing “Teardrops”, one of James’ most well-known songs. Now, it’s a tradition for the crowd to sing the chorus with James. He crowed, “It happens every year, but it never gets old.” Fans have even created movements to go along with the song. “Teardrops has become such a beautiful sing-along with everybody, and every time that happens, it blows me away.” The first time the crowd sang along to Teardrops, James “completely lost it” because hundreds of people were singing his song to him. James came full circle by explaining that “sometimes the difficult shit that happens is the greatest fuel for your happiness and growth.”