Justin Rock
Justin Rock
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About Justin Rock
After two releases in one year and a third on the way in 2012, Justin Rock continues to hone his own unique voice proving to be one of our times great multifaceted artists. On certain nights he takes the stage as a singer songwriter, leading the audience through unexplored fresh soundscapes under shadows of melancholia. On other nights he can be found in jazz bands improvising melodies over swinging ride cymbals and walking bass lines. Whatever the style, and whatever the setting, Justin's music manages to find a place in every type of music while consistently maintaining an honest and expressive sound. Justin's musical exposure began at a young age. Born into a musical household, he recollects hearing all kinds of music. Justin remembers the early sounds of everything from Chopin to Bill Evans to Spyro Gyra. These influences led to many early childhood instrumental experiences. Starting with the xylophone, then piano lessons, followed by the trumpet and choir, Justin eventually found his way to the instrument that would influence him the most, the guitar. Onwards and upwards though elementary/middle/high school, Justin dabbled with many other instruments, playing the bass and guitar in bands with older peers and the drums, bass, and guitar in his high school jazz band. After high school and a year in Chicago going to school at DePaul university and mostly compiling original music in his spare time, Justin returned to Detroit where he enrolled at Wayne State University for jazz studies and guitar performance. This is where Justin discovered his drive. "Every single morning I would roll into Detroit at 7am, take the elevator up to the top floor, and completely consume myself in practice. This would go on in between every class and into most of the night, with only some time to eat, and listen and play music with friends. That's where I developed a truly immovable foundation." After finishing school, Justin moved to Chicago to experiment in a new scene with new musicians. Most of the time he spent teaching privately during the daytime and performing at night and into the early morning hours where he found himself sharing the stage with artists like Roy Hargrove, Cory Wilkes, Kevin Nabors, and many others. "I'd be teaching a little but mostly playing during the strangest hours, meeting all sorts of people, and playing some really top notch music, mostly jazz, but the whole time I was still writing my own singer songwriter material and really trying to define what I wanted to sound like." After this brief stint in the windy city, a year long return to Detroit to play in bands, write, and find new artistic directions, Justin found himself newly situated in NY where, in addition to teaching jazz/rock band masterclasses and private lessons, he would go on to write, arrange, perform, and record two self released LPs ("Varna" 2011, and "The Kaleidoscope Kid" 2011). Today, Justin continues to teach, compose, perform solo, play in groups, and fine tune his craft. Continuing in his nomadic trends, he is now preparing for a cross country move to a new home in San Francisco where he has high hopes and goals for his music. On the verge of a third release in under two years, Justin is an artist to be recognized with an exciting and promising future. Keep an eye out for the new LP, "A Different Church Every Sunday", expected to be released by fall '12 and guaranteed to be another refreshing collection of original music for your ears and hearts.
Taken from Last.fm
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