homeless J. began in 1993 when the Muse struck vocalist Chad Van Meter with a melody. The contagious song led the young 4-piece into the studio to make a demo. Something about layered guitars, airy melodies and lots of space gave them their first taste of the magic.
After college and a few other necessary distractions the band re-assembled minus one and managed to record a full-length independent album on their own. The album attracted an amazing bass player and made for a
great launching point.
Within a year the new line-up had secured a production deal and within two a major label contract with
MCA/Uninhibited. Two months before the album was to release MCA closed their New York offices and the album went into limbo.
The slap from fate turned out to be great for inspiration. The band in survival mode wrote enough material for
a new album. Now the layered guitars and airy melodies were matched with a strong sense of rhythm and accuracy. The songs grew more poignant, the writing cathartic.
Soon the production company that originally signed the band started a label (Selectric Records). Homeless J.
was the first act signed. With distribution from Sony RED it was time to release the album recorded originally for MCA. On May 2 of 2006 the album was released nationally. Only hours before the release, unfortunately, the financial bottom had dropped out of the new label.
Once again new material and this time a new drummer would lead to a creative boom. The band is currently
recording their next album.
Some 13 years later it continues to be about the magic and alchemy of layered guitars, soaring vocals, and serious groove. Despite the frustrations of the music business, the art of music flourishes. homeless J. has recently been focused on building a Midwest cult following. Richard Reprogle (booking agent from a homeless J. favorite local club Columbia Street West) said:
“I’m always amazed to see a band doing all originals on the weekend packing this place out. They even get mistaken for cover bands the crowd is so into them, singing along and dancing. Not only do they continue to get better live but they continue to hone in on the X-factor and the magic on stage. I’ve seen some amazing moments with this band.”
The band was in the studio at the beginning of this year working on brand new material. Brad Amstutz guitar player commented: “This batch of songs represents recapturing what it was that brought us all together initially, an old magic of friendship that somehow keeps us together creating new music.”
Six brand new songs. “The Squeeze EP” is slated for release in the summer of 2007. |
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