In 2007, Just People produced 1,000 copies of its first album and distributed them for free.
It may seem futile to give away full-length records, but it’s really a fantastic marketing technique. Instead of fighting to make CD sales that bring in little money, a small band can use the appeal of free music to build a loyal fan base.
In this band’s situation, the motives seem to be more akin with altruism. Just People is not just a band – it’s a philosophy. The band’s slogan is “Peace, love and music is all we need.”
What’s going on
What: | Just People CD Release Party for “Rise of the Evolutionaries” |
Supporting bands: | Four Trees Families, Rare Monk and Muke |
When: | 9 p.m. Saturday |
Where: | Oak Street Speakeasy, 915 Oak Street |
Cover: | Free, 21+ |
Online: | justpeoplemusic.com |
What began as an acoustic solo project has evolved into a folk/rock quintet of two guitars, bass, flute and drums. The University students and alumni in Just People are preparing to release their third album, “Rise of the Evolutionaries.” Recorded at the Art Institute in Seattle, the new album is amazingly precise, considering it was finished in just a single day. The song “Rain” was not introduced to the band until they were in the studio, and it was only practiced twice before recording.
“It’s a lot more of a rock tone now. It started off with folk, and now it’s taken a stronger sound,” said singer and guitarist Scott Gilmore, who graduated from the University with a journalism degree.
With long hair and a beard hiding his face, Gilmore may at first appear to be a soft-spoken character, but on stage, Gilmore’s sound and message have a big voice. “The goal is not just to throw a party, but actually get a message out there,” he said. Described as a dreamer and an idealist, Gilmore bonds a positive outlook with diverse vocal abilities and inventive meter.
“As with everything here, we become but a droplet of rain,” sings Gilmore in his favorite track, “Rain.” The record’s more mellow numbers are balanced with a funky opening and a Hendrix-inspired “Are You All There Anymore?” Gilmore, who draws inspiration from favorites like Bob Dylan and The Beatles, said his band too often gets labeled as a jam band, when in fact everything is “extremely dialed and organized.”
The “Rise of the Evolutionaries” artwork contrasts a black silhouette of crows lifting into the blood red sky off a leafless tree. Gilmore said the art captures the idea of a new front and a new generation. The world around is beginning to crumble and the birds are rising up in search of a something new, he explained. “We’ve been stagnate as a society for a while ever onward. We need to get out of the past and take a step forward again,” he said.
The most challenging moment in Gilmore’s music career was one summer at the Cuthbert Amphitheatre, where he faced his largest audience. He said he thought it was either now or never, and if he couldn’t cope, then he might as well pick another profession. “After that I have no worries about being on stage in front of anyone. It’s where I feel most alive,” Gilmore said.
Soon after that concert, Just People was met by hundreds of enthusiastic fans at the Oak Street Speakeasy back-to-school show. That night, the group broke the all-time sales record at the bar. “It took half an hour to get a drink!” said the band’s manager Colby Hayden.
Just People continues to give away its music free of cost. “Money brings stress. Basically we’re breaking down the barriers in the music industry, we want to give something back,” Gilmore said. That may be so, but the band’s manager stipulated the high cost of CDs and posters, and after all, somehow they have to pay the rent.
Nevertheless, the hang-loose approach gives them freedom that many other musicians must sacrifice. “They control your songs and control your name,” said Gilmore, referring to record labels and industry giants.
Just People doesn’t play music because it has to, and that, the musicians say, is the secret to the band’s prolificacy. “The people around us have influenced us so much; it’s just like a thank you. The goal is for there to be more happiness around you, as silly as that may seem,” Gilmore said.
This summer, Just People plans to participate in several festivals, and hopes to head down to California for a tour. After that, the band will move to Portland, although Gilmore says they will still play in Eugene every month. “It’s a bigger playground – there are more bars, more bands and more people,” Hayden said.
“Everything has kind of fallen in place. Life has been straight euphoric,” Gilmore said.
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