Ottawa-area musician Angelina Hunter has a sun-filled room in her home that’s devoted to listening to music — and it’s reserved for music on vinyl only, the cumbersome format of the last century that’s had a surprising resurgence in recent years.

For Hunter, a soulful singer and fiery guitarist, it’s a relaxing hobby that not only allows the busy mom and full-time government worker to unwind, but also lets her focus on the intricacies of the music in her collection, which ranges from old-school vinyl LPs from the 1970s to modern releases by the likes of Gary Clark Jr. and Adele.

“I really like being able to hold a full album in my hands and look at the artwork and follow the lyrics,” Hunter says, “and I’ve always been one who enjoys listening from beginning to end because I know how much thought and effort bands put into the order of their songs and the flow of the album. I like the hiss and crackle, too, and I find the sound is warmer.”

The problem is that none of her own music has ever been available on vinyl — until now. Let It Slide, this year’s second album by the Angelina Hunter Trio, is the first vinyl recording in a music career that started almost 20 years ago. The trio will celebrate the release Friday during a double bill with Jesse Greene, another female singer-guitarist from Ottawa with a knack for high-octane blues-rock.

“Vinyl is a big-time milestone for us,” Hunter said in a recent interview. “It’s something we’ve been tossing around the idea of doing but it was so difficult to get. We wanted to do it with our first album but there was a shortage of vinyl.”

With the vinyl supply replenished during the pandemic, Hunter and her bandmates — husband Sandy Hunter on drums and Adam Bell on bass — decided to take the plunge with the album they recorded at Dean Watson’s Buckingham studio last spring, which was released digitally on June 3.

It’s not exactly a pandemic project, although some of the writing happened around that time, and a few demos were recorded in the Hunters’ basement so the songs wouldn’t be forgotten. Songwriting is usually a collaborative process that involves all three band members.

One song, however, proved to be a challenge. It just didn’t feel right, Angelina says, no matter what they did with it.

“Then we had a crazy idea,” she says. “‘What if we turn it into two songs?’ So we took the chord progressions and turned it into a slow ballad called Sun Never Sets, and we took the riff and wrote a whole new song, Let It Slide, a really cool, driving tune. It came together and because it happened so last minute, it really made it feel fresh when we were recording it.”

Hunter has been playing guitar since she was a child. She remembers asking her parents for lessons as a gift for her 10th birthday, even though she’d never actually seen the instrument in person. Her first memory of watching someone play was when Marty McFly saved the day in the classic movie, Back to the Future.

Young Angie took lessons with Ottawa musician Dave Milliken at the now-closed Ottawa Folklore Centre and loved the experience, saying he taught her in a way that allowed her to learn quickly. “Then I found Stevie Ray Vaughan, and that changed everything,” she recalls. “It flipped my whole world. It was so awesome.”

Another experience that led to her love of blues and blues-rock was going to shows with her father at the now-closed club, Tucson’s. She was 11 when Dad, a blues fan, convinced the doorman to let her in, and the pair started a routine of catching the first set of the Friday night gigs.

Also part of her musical evolution was Bluesfest’s Blues in the Schools program, which led to the formation of a band with her brother, Ben Russell. As teenagers, their group won BITS’ band competition. The two siblings also played together for more than a decade in Bluestone, a professional recording and touring act. Hunter taught music for years, too, including several years as one of the BITS teachers.

About 10 years ago, Hunter and her husband decided they wanted to start a family, and Hunter — who now has two kids in elementary school — soon realized she needed to get away from working nights and weekends. She landed a day job but then wasn’t happy without music in her life. They formed the Angelina Hunter Trio in 2017 and won the Ottawa Blues Society’s best-band contest, earning a trip to Memphis in 2018 to compete in the International Blues Challenge. Their first album, Roll With It, came out later that year.

“I realized I can’t not play music. I always have to keep playing,” says Hunter. “I don’t feel right if I don’t.”

Angelina Hunter Trio, 8 p.m.

With the Jesse Greene Band, 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 29, Overflow Brewing Company, 2477 Kaladar Ave.
Tickets: $20 advance at overflowbeer.com, or $25 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.

lsaxberg@postmedia.com