Just Off Turner

By: Mut Asheru

Thanks to OurStage.Com we have found another shiny new musical yummy!  Just Off Turner boasts a sound that is passionately soulful pop/rock.  This LA band has been endorsed by John Mayer but most importantly they are now endorsed by us.  Pinch yourselves fellas, you're not dreaming.

 

UTM: Tell us about how you all came together...was it love at first sight?

Phil: HA!  Well, Eric & Bryan played together in the Fayetteville, AR area before moving out to LA with their friend and bass player, Derek Champagne.  Once the previous incarnation of the band broke up, Eric & Bryan started looking for a new sound and found me playing guitar at The  Saddle Ranch on Sunset Boulevard.  The problem was, they were looking for a keyboardist.

Eventually, they found out that that was my main axe and I (hesitantly) joined them for a rehearsal.  After which I immediately asked the next time we could get together.  They met Stephen a few months later at a party, played him some of our tunes and he started to come to our rehearsals on a regular basis. 

Now we're inseparable ;D

UTM: What do you think helps you stand out from other bands out there?

Phil: I think that Just Off Turner is a band with solid songwriting and artistic integrity that cultivates the best, individual contributions of each member into memorable songs with meaningful lyrics.  Our music has been described as 'musician's music' but accessible to the mainstream — Which I take as 'songs that stand out, musically, but are ready for the radio'.  I'm okay with that.

UTM: I can hear many different musical influences in your music.  Please tell us who inspires you musically past and present?

Phil:  Bryan (our lead singer) and our drummer, Eric, both grew up in Arkansas.  So, in addition to a lot of southern rock influence (at least initially) you'll hear shades of Jeff Buckley and Adam Duritz in Bryan's approach to songwriting.  Stephen and I both studied jazz so you'll hear us stretching the sonic pop boundaries here and there.  I think that you can safely assume, though, that we all have The Beatles and Radiohead on constant rotation in our CD players.

UTM:  Who in the band is responsible for your lyrics?

Phil:  Bryan writes all of the lyrics.  I think he's the type of singer who can't truly put his heart and soul into a song if he doesn't believe it.  The music, however, is a 100% collaborative effort.

UTM:  If you could wave a magic wand over your music career what would like to see happen?

Phil:  We strive to get our music to as many ears as possible — We think we have something worthwhile to say and would love to tour the world. It wouldn't be the worst thing to be on par with bands like U2, Dave Matthews Band or Radiohead but we'll settle for the notariety of someone, oh say, like Coldplay…

UTM:  How did you score the placement of your songs in the various TV shows so far?

Phil:  For the reality shows, we were put in touch with a music supervisor at Bunim/Murray Productions that really dug our stuff.  The songs that were placed are, generally, more emotional songs that fit quite well with a season premiere or season finale, I guess.  The ABC show was more of a 'right time, right place' sort of thing...  We should have more placements coming in 2009 — Especially with all the new material off of our upcoming album.

Instrumentation
Bryan Mounce - Lead Vocals & Guitar
Eric Gustafson - Drums & Vocals
Stephen Andrews - Bass & Vocals
Phil Metzler - Keyboards  & Vocals

For more info visit:

www.justoffturner.com
www.myspace.com/justoffturner