Good morning, how are you? Could you introduce yourself to the readers?
Hey! I am Justin Alan Payne! I am a singer/songwriter/guitarist from Ohio, that has been based in East Nashville for 1 1/2 years. I have been making and self-releasing my own music since 2014 under the Justin Payne & Co. moniker.
Could you describe your musical journey up to this point?
It has been a long, wild, and crazy ride! I started out professionally as a solo, acoustic, singer-songwriter writing mostly in the folk-rock/Americana wheelhouse. My initial solo EP "Interstellar Vagabond" was self-released in 2014 and led to a great relationship with a high-tier booking agency, which then led to three regional solo tours, as well as two huge national routes around most of the continental US. Eventually, though, I wanted to expand and create different sounds, and play different types of crowds. My next EP, "High Water" from 2016, was my first self-released project with a band under the name Justin Payne & Co. This recording led to a regional co-tour with my buddy and fellow songwriter Zach Wilson (check him out, he's a real one). Shortly thereafter, I assembled my first electric band under the same moniker, played around our area of NW Ohio, and developed a following that led to our playing the headlining stage at the 2019 Black Swamp Arts Festival, in Bowling Green, OH. This led to a big-city tour around the Eastern and Southeastern US, as well as studio time to record the LP "Season of Loss", fresh and hot off of the road. This LP was self-released in 2021, after a long period of inactively coinciding with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent venue closures. We moved camp to Nashville in the Summer of 2021, after years of coming here for gigs and opportunities. This year in Nashville has been the most insane of the entire experience!
Since the beginning of the year, I have written, recorded, and have been releasing singles from, our newest forthcoming LP, "underrated/overstimulated". Lots of great shows and connections have been following these efforts, including awesome music videos for two of the singles, "you're so subversive" and "together as one", with a third music video currently in the works for an LP-only song, "bad vibes".
How would you describe your sound to new listeners?
I bridge the gap between older styles of rock roll, punk rock music, and classic singer-songwriters. Our sound is a little bit Killers, a little bit Guided by Voices, with some Clash, Replacements, and Sonic Youth sprinkled in for good measure. Loud, raucous, garage rock, with a bit of a 90s/grunge vibe, but still capable of making you cry with a tender and intimate ballad.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Patti Smith, Neil Young, Robert Pollard, Townes Van Zandt, to name a few.
You have recently released ‘Together as One', What can you tell me about the track and the meaning behind the song?
"Together as one" is a song about my undying devotion and love for my fiancée, Miranda. At the root, it's a love ballad, but it is more realistic than most love songs, as it definitely doesn't shy away from portraying real love as a series of struggles and compromises. No rose-colored glasses on this tune, but I think that makes it all the more relatable.
I understand there have been several incarnations of Justin Payne and Co, what can you tell me about the current line-up?
There have been quite a few! The current lineup consists of two of my favorite players from my Ohio days, Eli Simon on the drums and David Cerelli on the bass. They make an absolutely crushing rhythm section, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have had to create and work with them. On the second guitar is Marshall Fassino, check him out because he is a stellar Nashville-based songwriter in his own right. All of them are top-tier players, three of us are conservatory-trained musicians after all, but most importantly, the hang is top-notch. Great friends, insights, and musical minds all rolled up into three folks I am proud to call my friends.
This is the band I like to bring into the studio. For live dates, I also have the pleasure of working with Lauren Scheff and Joseph Jones, as an alternate Nashville-based rhythm section, and as I get to know them, they keep blowing my mind with how good they are at what they do. It has truly been a privilege to have these folks in my corner this past year, and I am excited about what the future holds for all of our collective endeavors.
What type of input do the other musicians in the band have on the overall music?
As the principal songwriter, I usually come to them with some vague ideas about arrangements for the band, and I am often surprised at how they understand even better than I do what the song needs to shine in a band setting. This collaboration has led to some sonically amazing results!
Your first release came out in 2014 called ‘Interstellar Vagabond’, do you see much difference between the music, you wrote for that album in contrast to your latest single?
Absolutely. Not only have I grown as a writer and musician between then and now, but my songwriting has become more focused and concise. I have become more open to experimentation with my songs and arrangements, shifting from acoustic folky sounds to driving garage rock. However, the same socially conscious narrative can be traced through all of my work, from beginning to present, as I attempt to cast different points of view upon the values that matter most to me. A lot of the tunes boil down to themes of love and empathy for other folks who could use some help they aren't getting, as well as anger at the corrupt institutions that have turned our society into a fascist oligarchy that couldn't care less about anyone who isn't rich or white.
I see amongst your many successes you featured in American Songwriter Magazine and secured a regional major city band tour? They sound like huge achievements. How much of an impact do you feel it had on you as a songwriter and musician breaking into the industry?
These developments only really served to show me the things that are working and the things that aren't, in a gatekeeping industry that isn't really about musicians and their art anymore. If anything, aside from the honor and privilege of being able to do these things at all, they turned my focus toward live shows, and how I believe they are one of the last remaining vestiges of real, authentic, experiences that can actually connect people. In my opinion and experience, so much of this gig has become about appearances and fakery.
Give me something real! And the tour especially radicalized me and helped me see more clearly what aspects of the gig matter to me as an artist. Social media, music press, promo, and marketing are all tools that are important to utilize in that process, but never forget they are only that. The real-world connections at the shows are the engine that drives every other part of a career in music. It is the bottom line, and there are so many artists that seem to have that twisted, being more concerned with their socials and how they appear to the world than what they are actually offering up as part of the cultural conversation. We function best as artists as a community, not a million independent and self-centered mercenaries.
Do you have any tips for budding songwriters out there?
It is important to remember that you need to be listening and discovering as much, if not more than you are writing. Expect struggle and empty shows. This is a difficult job, with far more intangible things to maintain than a regular 9-5 job. A lot of the time you will not notice your growth and success, but that's okay. That's not our job. Our job is to make the stuff, put it out, and if we're lucky, people will connect with it. Also, don't be afraid to go your own way and do your own thing the way you want to. The industry does not serve us. You are not beholden to trends, chasing virality, or appeasing expectations of an indifferent industry more concerned with profits and TikTok numbers than the art itself. Be authentic in everything you make, and that is enough to shine through all of the fakeries in this job. Be stubborn about your values, and don't bend for money, bend for something that aligns with your values. And, don't judge and compare your journey to other artists. Comparison is the heart of misery.
Justin Payne and Co. have a new album ‘underrated/overstimulated’ in the works, what can you tell me about it, and what listeners can expect?
I don't want to give too much away, but this record is 30ish minutes of in-your-face rock n roll. No frills, no guitar solos, no studio tricks, and barely any time to come up for air. Just badass rock n roll recorded straight to analog tape. In my opinion, it's our best work yet, and concisely says the things I want to say with my unique perspective and voice.
The band has done a few tours around the States, do you plan on going on tour again? And do you have any particular venue you would love to play at?
I have no plans on touring anytime soon. Although I have had great experiences in the past that tangibly helped my career and development, the landscape has drastically changed the more our society collapses into late-stage Capitalist decay. Established, and signed to a record label, artists are coming back from routes in debt these days. Another sign that the times and the industry do not serve us or our intentions. If conditions were ideal, though, I would love the opportunity to play Space in Evanston IL, on the Sunset Strip in LA, and the Blue Room at Third Man Records, in Nashville.
And finally, what are the future aspirations for Justin Payne and Co?
My partner and I need a vacation. We have both been working extra hard on our goals throughout 2022, and it's been years since we got away. Planning on writing a new record on the beach while I am in Puerto Rico with Miranda. Outside of that, I just want to grow, meet and collaborate with more like-minded artists, and continue to strengthen and build our badass musical community here in East Nashville.
Interview conducted by Anselm Anderson©
SOCIAL MEDIA
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'Together as One'
