bands
Chas keeps himself pretty busy between his varied musical interests. Here, in his own words, is a synopsis of these endeavors. To help him keep up with all he has got going on, Chas usually visits his own facebook page. That’s a good place for you to start if you wanna ride along. And if you want to see some videos, check out his youtube spot.
The Revelers
The Revelers is not only the “Phoenix that rose from the smoldering ashes of the Red Stick Ramblers”, but over the years it has found its own identity both musically and through its image. Musically I’d say the Revelers continue to get deeper and deeper into the music of Southwest Louisiana. There really is so much to mine in such a small region. We’re getting after Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop more and more, and we don’t seem to tire of it. It’s all danceable, and we always bring the party. We’re proud to be one of Louisiana’s hardest working bands as we traverse the globe spreading our Louisiana sounds. We also have developed an image which seems to involve quite a bit of plaid as well as western shirts and occasional big hats(Eric Frey) which leave no question as to who is the thunderstruck audience and who is the superstar entertainer. Learn more about The Revelers here.
Chas Justus and the Jury
The Jury is another facet of what I’m into. It’s not Cajun, Zydeco or Swamp Pop. The Jury is also danceable, but draws on Western Swing, Swing Swing, and Honky Tonk. The members vary a little but it’s most of the Revelers with the virtuoso fiddler Kevin Wimmer as well as various horn players, steel players and guest vocalists. Daniel Coolik and I do some twin electric mandolin, guitar stuff that’s really nifty, and then Daniel gets on the fiddle to twin with Kevin. Sometimes when they’re twinning I’ll yell “TWIN HARDER!!!” and by God they do!! Most of the material is pretty standard stuff, and we don’t do a lot of high maintenance originals, so it’s pretty guest/sit in friendly.
Chas Justus Solo/Original
My “solo” stuff is also a big part of who I am musically. It’s more catering to a listening audience, and is not beholden to any sort of tradition or regional identity. A lot of this stuff is also geared towards recording as well. I love to write, and I love to record just the way I want, with the people I want, (which is usually members of the Revelers). I’m really hoping in the coming years this more introspective aspect of my music will be heard, as I know there’s at least a few people that really like it, and I’d love for there to be more. Hear more on Bandcamp.