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| (The Richmond Buzz) How did The Socials form, and who are the original members? ? |
Actually we all met at a bar one night. Eric and Justin were already playing acoustic gigs around town and mentioned it to me. I just went up to them and sang “Stormy Weather” by Lena Horne a capella. They loved it, and “The Socials” were |
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| formed. Chris and Tjoson came along at the same time a bit later. Chris was friends with Eric’s roommate and we all knew Tjoson. We didn’t think they’d want to play but they were actually really fired up about it. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) How did you come up with the name for the band? |
| (Justin) I actually just came up with a bunch of names but at first either everything was taken or what I came up with really sucked. Finally we settled on “The Socials” because the only other Socials we could find were from Utah, hadn’t logged into their myspace for almost 2 years, and had no friends… which means they were completely un-rocking. Because as we all know myspace friends are the primary tell- tale sign of how hard you rock (laughs). |
| Want More of The Socials ? ? ? |
| (Justin) Yeah that was a good one. There was another time when we thought we were playing at an art gallery. When we show up it ends up being an art and crafts festival for preschoolers. Aside from parents, the oldest person in the audience was about three years old (laughs). Another time we’re playing a bar and this angry-drunk hippie guy grabs our CD’s and throws one at my head. We were playing “The Revolution” and he yells, “What do YOU know about the revolution.” I ripped him pretty good with the mic, and he just stormed out of there. Anyways, after the show I ran outside looking for him and he just apologized… must have sobered up a bit (laughs). We got some good stories; we could probably go on forever. If you see a Socials show, chances are you’re gonna see or hear something cool. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) What were some of the other names you considered? |
| (Eric) We thought about “The Benders” but it ends up there was actually already a cool band with that name. |
| (Chris) I would open a bar and book The Socials every night (laughs). |
| (Julie) Well, he’s definitely the main songwriter. We wouldn’t have an asshole on the mic telling jokes that nobody gets (laughs). Naw but the band wouldn’t even exist |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Justin, if Eric was no longer part of the band, what would be missing, what does Eric bring to the table? |
| (Justin) Eric is definitely my right hand man with everything we do. I don’t go onstage without the guy, period. Like when Paul says “But I don’t want to go on without Ringo”… I don’t want to play without Eric. I mean he knows exactly where I’m going which is real hard cause I’m always changing songs, set lists… and Eric always follows perfectly. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Chris, if Tjoson was no longer part of the band, what would be missing, what does Tjoson bring to the table? |
| (Justin) It’s usually a blend of my antics and Julie’s legitimate talent (laughs). Seriously though, we’re not happy if our show doesn’t totally rock your balls off. That’s really what we pride ourselves on the most. Making sure that people are always having a good time. I mean we have a wide variety of material but we’re always trying to keep people guessing, you know… expecting something. We’re the only band in the world that can play “the H chord” and if you don’t know what that is, you should come out to a show and hear it for yourself. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) When someone goes to a Socials show, what can they expect? Describe your music. |
| (Eric) We’re young (laughs). |
| (The Richmond Buzz) What are the ingredients that keep a band together for the long haul, what keeps The Socials pushing forward? |
| (Justin) I guess “Go Big.” It’s tough to choose just one but it’s a true story and people have really responded to that song. We’re a fun group of guys |
| (Eric) Well we played a fun show at a gay bar without knowing it was a gay bar at first. But it was cool man, they were having a drag queen dodge ball tournament out back behind the bar. As they were coming back in from the dodge ball tournament Justin says into the mic, “I love drag dodge ball, we actually have a song about drag dodge ball.” So everyone’s yelling for us to play the song, and Justin turns to me and whispers a few chords.” We just started playing and Justin was making up these lyrics like, “I love drag dodge ball” and all these drag queens start going crazy. They were all dancing and swinging each other around in circles. Justin even got them singing along to the chorus. |
| (Julie) drugs! (laughs). Seriously we love what we do, and we all have a distinct lack of egomania. We listen to each other real well. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) What have been your best and worst gigs? |
| Chris: We don’t really know what’s gonna happen. We’re having a great time playing music for our fans. We’re just along for the ride. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Tjoson, if Julie was no longer part of the band, what would be missing, what does Julie bring to the table? |
| (Justin) I think playing with good people is more important than playing with good musicians. I’d be hanging out with these guys anyway, even if we weren’t playing. But they’re all sick musicians too. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) What do you think makes The Socials different or stand out from other Rock - Country - Acoustic bands? |
| (Tjoson) We’ve got really catchy hooks. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) What is the biggest challenge you face as a musician? |
| (Justin) Yeah, I’ll honestly refund people’s money if they don’t like this record, man. I think people seeing younger kids playing this sort of stuff is weird enough to people… and then they hear the maturity in the songwriting and they’re usually a bit surprised. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Who would you say influenced you musically in your personal life? Who got you interested in being a musician? |
| (Chris) That’s tough man, I started playing drums way back in 6-grade and I can’t even remember last week (laughs). |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Eric, if Chris, was no longer part of the band, what would be missing, what does Chris bring to the table? |
| (Tjoson) I grew up playing music and I’ve always been interested in playing music, but it probably wasn’t until I heard “Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix that I realized I wanted to be onstage. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) What is the best part about being a musician? |
| (Julie) I actually came from a classical background. I started on piano and violin as a real little kid and was studying to be a concert violinist before I started doing rock music. My rock faves are Joplin and The Beatles. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Julie, if Justin was no longer part of the band, what would be missing, what does Justin bring to the table? |
| (Eric) I actually started out as a trumpet player. I’ve always enjoyed music and playing with people. When I was young though, I always loved GNR. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Where do you want to see the band go from here? |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Of all the songs you have written, which song are you the most proud of? Also, give details on what the inspiration was behind writing it or why it is a favorite. |
| (Justin) My music idol is Eric Cleaton (laughs). Naw, I’ve loved doing this stuff forever. I was originally classically trained on guitar as a kid but I always loved GNR, Hendrix, Bad Company… all that stuff. |
| (The Richmond Buzz) Here is the Fishbowl Question: If you all had to pick a different path outside of music, what career or other interests would you like to pursue? |
| (Chris) I seriously love to just bang on the drums to get my anger and frustration out. It’s like therapy. Like some people go to the gym, I just beat the f*ck outa my drums. |
| (Julie) The free drinks (laughs). |
| (Tjoson) Getting lost on the way to the shows in Mechanicsville (laughs). |
| (Eric) I just love performing and being onstage, playing kick ass shows. |
| (Justin) It’s getting tough for bands these days. So many people are doing it, and access to affordable music gear means that anyone who can play a few chords can start a band. Doing everything you can to stand out is probably what’s toughest. |
| but we don’t shy away from the serious material. This song is about losing a best friend, and then using that memory to inspire you. It’s about my friend Bryan Hyman who passed away in a car accident when I was in high school. It’s cool to keep his memory alive and see how people react to his story. “What I’m Fighting For” is my next favorite. It’s also a true story. |
| without Justin. He moved last summer from San Francisco and put this all together. He gets the crowd totally fired up, his stage presence is huge. |
| (Chris) He’s got the sexiest tan by far (laughs). Whenever I mess up Tjoson always gets me back on track. |
| (Tjoson) Julie is totally chasing away all the female groupies (laughs). But seriously, she has a show-stopping voice. |
| (Eric) Drums (laughs). And the possibility of him spontaneously combusting (laughs). |
| (Julie) I’d definitely be doing something creative. I would totally love to design lingerie if I could sew. |
| (Eric) I would open a waterpark. |
| (Justin) No one likes doing this more than we do. |
| (Tjoson) I’d love to be a sports broadcaster. |
| (Justin) I would start a doggie daycare (laughs). |
