Below is an interview and article written on my husband’s band and posted on Clearchannel Communication’s “New!” music section. My husband is the very talented drummer and it’s about time he is getting the recognition he deserves đ
Just off Turner
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One Million John Mayer Fans Canât Be Wrong
Formed in Arkansas around the millennium by a couple of high school friends, Just Off Turner moved west to Los Angeles in 2001. Since then, both their line-up and sound have continued to evolve.
These days, the band features original members Bryan Mounce (leadvocals, guitar) and Eric Gustafson (drums, vocals), along with new additions Phil Metzler (keyboards, vocals) and Stephen Andrews (bass, vocals).
Just Off Turner has self-released one E.P. and two full-length albums, including 2007âs âThe Long Way Backâ. Their music has been featured on the ABC sitcom âHelp Me Help Youâ and the E! reality show âKeeping Up With The Kardashiansâ. In June of last year the band was a New! Featured Artist after reaching #3 on the New! Adult [Contemporary] chart and #5 on the New! Hit chart.
A big break came in 2007 when singer/songwriter John Mayer posted their song âHow Much It Hurtsâ on his MySpace page. (Click here to listen!) That blessing attracted a lot of attention and garnered Just Off Turner more than 1 million plays on Mayerâs MySpace page. A nationwide tour followed, with plans in the works for a West Coast tour this spring.
We caught up with Mounce as he and the band were heading back into the studio to work on new material and get ready for their fifteen minutes.
24/7: How did the current line-up of Just Off Turner get together?
Mounce: It all happened coincidentally. Stephen was invited by a friend of a friend to a party at my place just a couple of weeks after we lost our original bass player. And we met Phil when he was working as a guitar player one night at the Saddle Ranch. We got to talking and found out he was a keyboard player as well, and thatâs exactly what we were looking for. It all happened in about a monthâŠbut if you look at it another way it took about six years to establish the final line up.
24/7: Have you guys always been called Just Off Turner?
Mounce: I guess we have. I formed the band right after high school and we used to rehearse in the garage of my parentâs house all the time. The guys would ask where I lived and I would say âItâs just off Turner Street.â It just kind of stuck.
24/7: How has your sound developed over the years?
Mounce: Weâve all really grown as musicians in the last few years. I have a hard time going back and listening to things we did even a few years ago because I think weâve gotten so much better at what we do. Steven, Phil and Eric are all really just amazing musicians so Iâve had to really step up and practice on my own more just to keep up with them. We all really like to work together, explore the songs and make them what they are.
24/7: Some of the attention you have gotten recently came from John Mayer. How did that come about?
Mounce: In January of this year, Mayer wrote a blog on his MySpace page saying that he wanted to use his four song slot to give attention to an unsigned band to help give them a break. We
got an email from him and we were like âYeah right, John Mayer is emailing usâ, but we sent him what he needed and about an hour later our song was up on his site. Just last month we reached one million plays on his page. Because of that we were able to do a nationwide tour from here to New York and back. We had a fantastic time and just met people. We got to New York and found out we had fans there all thanks to the attention (Mayer) gave us. Eric and I got a chance to meet him last month and he was really nice. Heâs a really cool guy.
24/7: What are your plans for the new year? Is there a record deal in the works?
Mounce: The (music) industry is changing so much. Iâm not even sure if a record deal is necessary these days, but if somebody offered us a record a deal and it was a good opportunity of course we would take it. For now, weâre able to play and make fans and weâre slowly starting to be able to branch out and tour to different places. Weâre kind of just waiting to see how things are going right now, and trying to keep our options open.
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