Bass
Primarily a bass player, Justin has been playing and performing for nearly 20 years in over 20 different original indie-rock bands all over North America and Europe.
Justin’s main bass projects are currently SLOW TEETH - a dark post-rock trio from Carrboro that blends electronic and organic influences into a power trio format and Atlanta shoegaze group EASTER ISLAND (member since 2018). You can also catch Justin impersonate Rick Danko in CRAZY CHESTER, an all-star regional tribute to The Band that performs most of The Last Waltz on Black Friday, annually at the Cat’s Cradle, complete with horns and guests. Justin also plays with BLACK ZWAN, a local Smashing Pumpkins tribute act.
Justin primarily plays Fender Jazz Basses and uses effects pedals from Fender, Boss, Electro-Harmonix, Earthquaker Devices, and TC Electronic. He also uses Fender and H&H bass amps. Other instruments Justin plays include a Palatino VE-500 Electric Upright Bass, an 80’s Yamaha Fretless Precision Bass, a Douglas Violin Bass, and his father’s 1976 Gibson Ripper. His favorite players are John Entwistle, Roger Waters, Robert Sledge, Colin Greenwood, Ira Wof Tutton, and of course Paul McCartney.
Easter Island
Though Easter Island formed in 2010, Justin didn’t join until 2018, happening to be visiting friends in Atlanta the same weekend the band had a show there. A sudden lineup change required a sub, and Justin was friends with the band from touring through NC years before. Two months later he was in a van with the band en route to SXSW.
In the two years since, Easter Island has toured all over the United States as a headlining act and as touring support for Cindy Wilson of the B-52’s, and have appeared at such notable festivals as SXSW 2018, Treefort Music Festival 2018 in Boise, the Underground Music Showcase 2019 in Denver, Athfest 2018 in Athens, GA, Hopscotch Music Festival 2019 in Raleigh, and Secret Stages Festival 2019 in Birmingham, AL. Easter Island have also appeared as themselves on an episode of the CW drama “Dynasty” in early 2019. The band has also shared stages with Bully, Valley Maker, David Bazan, White Rabbits, Wild Nothing, The Low Anthem, and more.
Though its five members are currently split between North Carolina, Georgia, Colorado, and Texas, Easter Island still reconvenes regularly for shows, tours, and music videos, and most recently finished a successful Kickstarter campaign to independently release their second record, “Take All The Time You Think You Need” - which came out in December 2020. The band made unique videos featuring different band members in their respective cities for different songs on the album - Justin is featured in the band’s video for their single “Great Big World”.
Happy Abandon
Justin and the rest of Happy Abandon first met as undergraduates at UNC Chapel Hill, and formed the band well after graduating and the end of their respective college bands. Though the band hasn’t been active as of late, Happy Abandon was Justin’s main project from late 2015 to 2017. In those two years, the band independently toured nearly every corner of the United States and Ireland with a handful of shows in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Many of these shows were put together to help support their 2017 LP “Facepaint”, which was released on Triangle label Schoolkids Records and was promoted by an all-star team including Redeye Distribution, BIg Hassle PR, and Tiger Bomb Radio.
Happy Abandon have sold out midsize venues all over the Triangle (central NC) as well as sellout dates in Washington DC and parts of Ireland. They appeared at three separate concerts in the NC Stand Against HB2 benefit series and have appeared at SXSW 2016, the 2016 North Carolina State Fair, the 2016 Carrboro Music Festival, and the 2017 editions of the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh, Athens Popfest in Athens, and Into The Wild Festival in Milton Keynes, UK. They’ve also shared stages with Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Rubblebucket, Saintseneca, Mutual Benefit, Mundy, The Love Language, and many more.