Blue October Embark On A New Musical Journey

Blue October is one of those bands who come along and change your life. Lead singer Justin Furstenfeld is one of the most passionate artists to ever grace a stage. I had the pleasure of talking to him as the band was about to embark on their latest tour to promote their new album Sway. As always, when you talk to Justin, he puts it all out there and doesn't hold back; just like with his music.

http://rockrevoltmagazine.com/Magazine/September2013/RockRevoltIssue6.html#p=2

Blue October Shares An Emotional Night With Charlotte, NC

Blue October’s Quiet Mind Tour made a stop at the Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina on October 2. The band has been including this venue of many of its tours thus building a loyal and dedicated following in the area. This was the third stop on the young tour and they brought out two new rising bands in support: empires and Stars in Stereo. As the line outside the venue grew as the fans waited for the doors to open, you could feel the anticipation growing.

The night began with Stars in Stereo taking the stage. The five piece band from Los Angeles went into battle as the underdog. It has to be tough being a new band opening the show in front of a large crowd who are there to see the headliner. This group is made up of fighters and they took the stage and commanded it. They were energetic and sounded tight. They played selections from their upcoming album including their debut single “The Broken” as well as a surprising cover of Nine Inch Nails “Animal”. 

Their melodic and catchy style of rock quickly made believers out of this audience.

Lead singer Bec Hollcraft soon proved that her beauty was not the only reason that she was the lead singer of this band. Her looks are backed by a very pure and powerful voice. She also plays a pretty mean guitar up there as well. Guitarist Jordan McGraw was very animated and even took it upon himself to get to know the crowd a little better as he went crowd surfing towards the end of their set. The band definitely won the crowd over and made quite a few new fans on this particular night.

Up next was Empires. The Chicago based indie rock band may have came out of the gate a little slow, but they seemed to pick up momentum going into their second number. Lead singer Sean Van Vleet had a good stage presence and really seemed to command the crowd’s attention. They featured a few songs off of their latest album Garage Hymns. They combine a type of grunge influenced, alternative rock but have jacked it up on steroids to give it a fresher sound for today.

Then, the waiting was finally over. Justin Furstenfeld and his band of brothers, which includes his own brother Jeremy on drums, took the stage and the crowd erupted in approval. The opening chords of “What If We Could” began to ring out and the emotional ride that’s known as a Blue October show was underway. Justin looked as if he was dressed more for church than a concert in his suit and tie and hat. Then again, by nights end, it definitely felt as if we all had gone to church on this evening.

Justin informed the audience that the show was a celebration and that the band was going to be playing songs from every album that they had released. What a great treat for the fans as many bands who have been around for almost twenty years tend to stray away from certain albums. That didn’t happen on this evening as the band dusted off many fan favorites and played them again.

Songs ranged from “Italian Radio” from their first album The Answers to “The Chills” from their latest album Any Man in America. There were so many highly emotional points throughout the night. “The Worry List” was so strong and powerful, yet deeply delicate and touching.  “Let it Go” was moving as well as, my personal favorite and highlight of the night, “18^th Floor Balcony”.

The band sounded amazing, even better than on the album. I was really blown away by Ryan Delahoussaye who plays keyboards, mandolin and violin. There’s something really pure and very profound about his accompanying mandolin and violin on many of the band’s songs. At times, I felt myself closing my eyes as he was playing and truly connecting with the song that was being performed.

Justin is a rare breed in an industry of flavors of the week and manufactured stars. He is as real and as genuine as you can get. He’s an artist who feels things deeply and opens his heart and unleashes his feelings on stage. If you have ever left a concert and felt like you did not get your money’s worth, I guarantee you that will not happen at a Blue October show. It’s a treat and a priviledge to see such artistry in action.

Two Dads Hanging Out and Talking: My Interview With Justin Furstenfeld Of Blue October

I have to admit that I did feel, as Homer Simpson would say, “giddy like a little school girl” when I found out that I was going to have the opportunity to interview Justin Furstenfeld of Blue October. I think he is an amazing songwriter. There are layers upon layers of depth to his songs that run the gauntlet of emotional exploration. At times they are happy, at times they are sad, but they never lack for the ability to connect with their fans.

The band was about to play the third show in their Quiet Mind Tour at the Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina. I was able to catch up with Justin before their meet and greet with their fans at the venue. Our talk proved to be an emotional one as Justin opened up and shared quite a lot with me. This was definitely one of the most emotional and personal interviews that I think I have ever done.

Johnny: Hey Justin! Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. I will try my best to be professional and not go into fan boy mode as I am a big fan of yours and of Blue October. I have mad respect for you and your songwriting skills.

Justin/BO: It’s no problem at all and thank you so much. I appreciate that a lot.

Johnny: Let’s jump right into business here. Your latest album Any Man in America has been out for a while now. It’s a very raw and emotional album. Was there ever a point in the writing process where you thought to yourself, ‘maybe I need to pull back a little’? You really seemed to open up about your divorce and custody battle and didn’t hold anything back.

Justin/BO: Yeah, there were plenty of points like that when I was writing the album. This album is definitely not made for little kids to listen to. I think there are other fathers out there who may have been through a similar situation. If there are kids involved when you go through a divorce, then you shouldn’t play games and use them in the games. There’s anger in my writings and I wanted people and especially other fathers to hear it as well. This album is the closest thing to a documentary about what I was going through that I could make. If I held back, I felt like it would be an injustice.

Johnny: I totally understand where you are coming from. You see it way too many times when it becomes a game and the child, who usually has no clue as to what is going on, becomes a pawn in the game.

Justin/BO: You’re absolutely right, they become a pawn and it’s sad. This has been really hard on my daughter. The last time that I saw her, she asked me why people were so mean to me. She’s so young; she doesn’t even have a clue as to what’s truly going on.

Johnny: Let’s switch gears and talk about your label situation. You signed with Universal back in 2000, then you were dropped, then re-signed in 2004 and then they offer you a 360 deal. I was shocked! You guys have been around for over 15 years and they offered you that deal. Can you tell us what happened?

Justin/BO: Yeah, we were not going to say yes to a 360 deal. Basically, that gives the company 20-25% of everything you make. That includes merchandise sales, album sales, and the whole nine yards. We said no to that and started our own label called Up/Down and we got a distribution deal through Sony.

Johnny: You worked with Tim Palmer on the latest album and he’s worked with the likes of The Cure, Concrete Blonde and Pearl Jam. What made you go with him?

Justin/BO: I had met him before and had really wanted to work with him. When I found out he had moved to Austin (Texas), then I knew it would be easy for us to do. It was great working with him. He was the person who kept telling me to not stop and to just say what I was feeling.

Johnny: Speaking of which, when you are writing, is there a method to the madness? Do you have a writing process?

Justin/BO: I tend to write alot and sometimes it just happens. It’s taken me two years to write a song before and sometimes it takes five minutes. If I find myself needing to finish a song because of a deadline, then I lock myself in the house for two or three days and shut myself off from everything until it’s finished. I love writing. I love placing syllables and trying to figure out how to disturb grammar and still make it sound interesting. I guess there is a method once it starts to flow out. Then, I have to tell everyone to shut up so that I can get it down.

Johnny: Being the type of deeply connected songwriter that you are, do you find it difficult to make music videos? Do they come out they way that you want them to?

Justin/BO: I love making music videos. I’ve really liked all of our videos, well except for”Calling You”. Have you seen that one? It’s the one with the baby. If you don’t remember it, that’s a good thing (laughs). That’s the only one that I wish we could have a do-over on.

Johnny: So this tour runs into December. What’s after that for you guys?

Justin/BO: We will hit the studio and start recording our new album. It’s almost 100% written already. We’re going to bring in David Castell, who worked with us on Foiled. The album should be out by next summer and there should be new songs available in February on iTunes.

Johnny: That’s awesome news! I know the fans will be excited to read about that. Speaking of David Costello, you guys scored a major hit on the Foiled album with “Hate Me”, but it came with a price. Are you sure you want that to happen again?

Justin/BO: A hit single is great, but I pray that we don’t get another one. It brings you to a level to where you have to answer to alot of people. “Hate Me” blew up huge and we ended up touring for three straight years because of that one song. None of us had any time for our families. A hit single just pumps your ego up and none of us need that as this point. We’re just focused on making great art, kind of like the Cowboy Junkies.

Johnny: You know, you guys have been doing this for almost twenty years. Did you ever think that it would last this long?

Justin/BO: Oh yeah, I knew that this was what I would be doing. I told myself that I had a backpack full of songs and that if I had to, I would travel the world so that they could be heard. You really have to separate yourself from the people who tell you that it’s not going to happen. Those people will bring you down and they get in the way of the creative, writing process.

Johnny: I know it must be hard sometimes relaxing and being able to sleep because even though the body is exhausted, the creative mind that you have is still hard at work. What do you do to relax and unwind?

Justin/BO: You’re right; it’s like two different beasts. I meditate a lot and I also like to hang out with my daughter. I remarried and I have a beautiful wife who I love dearly and we have a new daughter Sadie Bell. She hasn’t met her older sister Blue yet, but she will soon.

Johnny: Hey, congrats on that man. I know that having such a caring person by your side really helps during those tough periods of your life. I forgot to ask you earlier during another question about negativity in your life. You definitely have to cut that negativity out and disassociate yourself from it. If you don’t, it can suck you right down with it. Life’s too short for that to happen. Justin, you are definitely a very genuine person. When it’s all said and done, how do you want people to look back and remember you?

Justin/BO: I want them to think of me as a guy who kept it real. I was the guy who told them what they might not necessarily want to hear, but needed to hear.

Johnny: That’s awesome man; I love that! Justin, this interview has been an honor. Thank you so much and I really am looking forward to the show tonight. Good luck with everything and stay strong my friend. Your time with your daughter is coming; just don’t give up on your fight.

Justin/BO: I really appreciate that, thanks so much. Thanks again for wanting to talk to me. This has been really good.

Stars In Stereo Make An Impressive Debut

It’s tough for a new band starting out these days in music. The industry is still trying to adjust to illegal downloading and how it’s effecting album sales. New bands are faced with even more challenges than before as they try to make a name for themselves. How do you make yourself stand out in a pond full of musical fish and become one of the bigger fish?

Exposure to the masses is always a big plus for a rising band. Stars In Stereo, hailing from Los Angeles, is creating a buzz for themselves. They captured a spot opening dates for The Used and now for Blue October. I caught up with lead vocalist Bec Hollcraft and guitarist Jordan McGraw before their show in Charlotte, North Carolina to get caught up to speed on the goings on with this rising band.

Music Is My Drug of Choice: You know, I tried to do a little research to prep for our interview, but there’s not much on you guys out there. You’re kind of a mystery. Can you start by giving me a little history n the band?

Jordan/SIS: It’s kind of funny because we just figured out the exact date that we started recording for the first time. It was 6-6-11.

Bec/SIS: Which is pretty awful! You know, just one more six in there (laughs).

Jordan/SIS: Before that date, the other four dudes in the band had been making music in another band and we decided to take that apart. It wasn’t exactly what we wanted, so we started to individually write. We were still friends and still hanging out and we started to hear each other’s stuff and it sounded similar. We decided to that everyone was a good fit to start on another project and we started to search for a voice, a front woman. We found Bec and she was absolutely perfect. Literally, two days after we met, we went into the studio and started writing music together and doing the whole thing.

MIMDOC: So, did you guys find Bec or did she find you?

Bec/SIS: I was signed to Sony Japan before meeting these guys and my contract had just ended earlier that year. I had never been in a band before and I was open to just about anything. I was contacted by a friend who told me that they were looking for a singer, so I decided to go meet them and sing for them and see what happened. I was expecting this at all! We all ended up having the same vision and things just really worked out amazingly.

MIMDOC: So today, according to your Facebook page, is the official release date of your EP or album preview as you have called it. What can you tell me about that?

Bec/SIS: Yeah, we’re calling it an album preview because it’s four songs from the album that will be coming out early next year. That way you can get four now while we are finishing up the whole album. It should be out in February.

MIMDOC: You just released a video for one of those songs, “The Broken”. Did you pick that or were the suits involved on the choice? Also, was that the first video that you guys have worked on and what was that experience like for you?

Jordan/SIS: We’re actually doing this one on our own, so we didn’t have a label to answer to. Although, we do have people who do advise us and put in their own two cents worth. Ultimately, at the end of the day, we picked what we thought was out strongest song. We picked it because it’s kind of a mission statement for the whole album as well as for the band. We put together an image in our head as we were working on the song of how we wanted it to look. So, when we went to do it, it was kind of a no brainer for us.

Bec/SIS: The video was really interesting and definitely alot of hard work. It took a while before we found what we really wanted for the video. It was awesome, to be able to take your music and make it visual. It’s such a creative process.

MIMDOC: So, you guys did a few dates with the Used and now you’re opening for Blue October. What kind of plans do you have after this tour is over?

Jordan/SIS: We’re going to be playing some shows in LA. We’re actually from LA and we’ve only played one show there.

Bec/SIS: Yeah, it was our very first show! So, it was pretty nerve racking.

Jordan/SIS: We haven’t really had a chance to play for our local people, so we’re going to use the time after this tour to do so. The first date that we’re going to play will be at the Viper Room. That’ll be fun; I’m really excited for that one.

MIMDOC: Wow, the Viper Room is pretty awesome. There’s a lot of history inside those walls. There have been some pretty amazing bands that have played there. Speaking of history, who would you consider to be some of your influences?

Jordan/SIS: We all have really different influences. U2 is definitely a big influence, the Foo Fighters. I’m a huge Daft Punk and Blink 182 fan.

Bec/SIS: 30 Seconds to Mars. I also love the 80s.

MIMDOC: What about great road stories? I know you haven’t done a lot of dates, but I’m sure something fun or crazy has probably happened?

Bec/SIS: We had a day off in Montana and the venue we played at was also a movie theater. So, our bassist Justin and I walked up to this theater to watch a movie and there was this huge line of raver kids. There was a Renaissance them and they had on crazy outfits. So, there was actually a rave going on at the venue while he and I were watching this movie. We keep hearing this pounding bass throughout the entire movie. So, afterwards we decided to go check it out. It was pretty incredible. It was like an ambient rave and everyone was having the best time ever.

MIMDOC: I’m going to put you on the spot Jordan. What’s the first thing to come to mind when I ask you to describe Bec? Careful; I don’t want you to get smacked.

Jordan/SIS: She’s the most talented singer that I have ever seen or worked with.

MIMDOC: Now, it’s your turn to describe Jordan.

Bec/SIS: I would have to say thoughtful and passionate.

Jordan/SIS: Awwww……we’re gonna hug later (laughs).

MIMDOC: Last question for both of you and I always like to ask this one. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one CD, it has to be an official release and not a mix CD that you made, what would you want with you?

Jordan/SIS: Ray Charles “Hit The Road”.

Bec/SIS: The first thing that comes to mind would be Cyndi Lauper’s “Greatest Hits”. It’s so happy and she also has the amazing ballads in there to get you all emotional.

MIMDOC: Well, that’s about all I have for you guys. Thanks again for taking the time to talk to me and I am really looking forward to the show tonight.

Bec,Jordan/SIS: No, thank you. We really appreciate the opportunity and we hope you enjoy the show. Let us know what you think!