BIO:
JUSTIN KLUMP is an emerging American modern folk Singer/Songwriter & Producer. He has showcased at SXSW & NACA, and shared the stage with artists including Matt Nathanson, Jason Reeves, Tyrone Wells and Allen Stone. Over the last six years, Justin has performed at venues such as The Hotel Cafe, Aladdin Theater & Qwest Arena, and at more than 80 colleges throughout the U.S. Music City Unsigned wrote, "Justin Klump writes and plays honest, introspective acoustic pop folk music that will warm your heart and your mood.", and 101.9 KINK.fm noted, "He's been playing to packed crowds around town, and now Justin's creating a national following."
Justin's newest album, Sticks & Stones, was released November 13, 2012, and debuted at #9 on the iTunes Singer/Songwriter chart.
Read the story behind "Sticks & Stones" below:
“Life is sweet, but it’s been a bitter road”, sings Justin Klump on his latest album, Sticks & Stones. This November, Klump, a Singer-Songwriter, Guitarist and Producer from Vancouver, Washington will be self-releasing his most authentic and personal album to date. Justin wrote, recorded, produced and mixed the 5-song EP near his home in Vancouver. While the result is nothing but sweet, there were some bitter points along the way.
“I finished a week-long recording session with a Producer in Los Angeles, and by the time I was on the plane flying home, I knew what we got down wasn’t right”, says Justin. Before heading to LA, Justin spent three months writing for Sticks & Stones. Rather than writing as many songs as possible, he focused on a small batch of songs that he wrote and re-wrote over the period of a few months. When all was said and done, Justin had ten songs to choose from. He chose to record five of them.
The grandson of a symphony conductor, Justin began writing songs twelve years ago. Five years later, the Seattle P.I. included him as one of the Top 21 Artists Under 21. With a catalogue of releases spanning the last six years, more than 10,000 hours of practice and over 100,000 miles touring throughout the country, Justin has been honing his talent and finding his voice.
“I spent a lot of time thinking about the way I wanted the album to sound”, says Justin. “I wanted to record an album that allowed space for the acoustic guitar and the vocal, and featured the songwriting instead of elaborate instrumentation. We didn’t accomplish that in LA, so I got home and got back to work.”
Getting back to work is nothing new to Justin. Two years ago, the Singer-Songwriter didn’t know what to do next with his career. But, instead of giving up, Justin decided to enroll in a Writing & Producing program through Berklee College of Music’s online school. It’s paid off, as Justin was handpicked as the only online student to showcase at the 2012 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX. The program also helped equip Justin with the skillset to record, engineer, produce and mix Sticks & Stones at a makeshift studio he built.
“My brother and his family were out of town when I got home from LA, so I set up a studio in their bonus room and recorded everything over the following two weeks”, says Justin. “I got creative with the space, and even built a vocal booth out of a ladder, two bookshelves, a Ping Pong table and some blankets. When I finished recording, I decided to mix the album too because that was a big step in capturing the sound I wanted.”
The sound Justin achieved is his finest work to date: a 5-song EP whose central theme is that our lives are built by how we respond to the highs and lows in every day. The music is centered on masterful acoustic guitar playing, smooth tenor vocals and candid, well-crafted songs. Sticks & Stones marks the beginning of a definitive chapter for an artist with much more to say.
Justin Klump will release Sticks & Stones this November. He will be touring in support of the album this fall and spring.
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