Author: Justin Bell

Check out the music page for the entire album streaming and behind the song video blogs for each song. The whole record will be available streaming until Oct 5th – when it officially “drops” as the urban youth are prone to say. Enjoy!

Since there are no liner notes in the CD this time around I wanted to make just a few thank you’s to the people who made $80 Whiskey possible…

There are many thank yous owed for this record. I can’t possible make them all, but there are a few people that without whom, it simply wouldn’t have happened and I’d like to briefly thank them here…

My bandmates, my musical compadres, the Lazy Susan Band:

Ben Young – Ben you and I have been playing together for over 15 years in 3 different bands (at least). I have a hard time imagining sharing new songs with another drummer. You know how to accent my playing and singing and you know where I need to be covered up with an inappropriately loud fill or repeated strikes with a splash cymbal. It was scary recording this album without you, I haven’t made a rock record without you since I was a teenager. I was sure you would hate my drum parts and was worried that you wouldn’t want anything to do with the final product…but I was wrong. I’m honored that you embraced this record and want to help me bring it to life…or live, whatever you’re supporting these days. Thank you.

Tom Adams – T, I feel it is my responsibility to keep your unique brand of musical genius flowing somewhere. You have saved the LSB more than once, be it filling in as a go-to guitar or bass or percussion sub, or joining up full time for our last official run. I thoroughly love playing with you and am so excited that you are on board for this new musical frontier with us. Thank you.

$2 Bill Turner – Honestly $2, playing with you over that last year is the biggest thing that got me excited to play again. Your honest joy and excitement to learn new music and try new things reminds me of perspectives I forgot about a long time ago. If you hadn’t agreed to start playing a few shows with me last year, I’m not sure that I would have made this record or wanted to try and put the band back together. I smile every time I realize I get to play with you at a gig or rehearsal. I think you are the future of the Lazy Susan Band.  Thank you.

BPZMAG – my musical partner since 1996, the other half of Doc’s Kids, my first wife… Of course I’m glad you joined the LSB officially for this tour of duty after years of being on the fringes of the band. I needed you all-in full time to make this work. You listened to the early mixes of all of these songs, coached me through tough studio nights and listened more critically to these songs than anyone else ever will. I truly value your input and feedback as much as I value your friendship. Your support, promotion, enthusiasm and faith in this project inspires me to do more and think outside of the box every day. Your commitment and investment in this album re-motivates me every time I start to question it. I’m not sure I’m capable of doing anything musical without you anymore. So, thank you.

 

Sarah VanValkenberg – Sarah, producing your records is how I learned how to use my studio. I enjoyed helping to design your songs so much that my creative fires, that I thought were snuffed out, started to glow again. That first CD was quite the experiment with a steep learning curve but we both learned quite a bit. “Guitar Picks & Bottle Caps” is truly fantastic and I think my writing started again simply because of how jealous I was that your record was turning out so well. Thank you for letting me help shape those records and songs. I know for a fact that if we wouldn’t have made “Guitar Picks & Bottle Caps” together, there would be no $80 Whiskey. Now I will have to figure out a way to keep you from outgrowing me, so I get to produce your 3^rd album too. Thank You.

 

Jason Narverud – you took all  of our pictures, designed our album and promotion, built our website, produced and directed our new video…and who knows what else you’ve done that I just don’t understand yet. I certainly don’t deserve the effort you’ve put into this project, but it either wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without your work or it would have been much, much lamer. I owe you so many $80 Whiskeys, I can’t even calculate the tab. Thank you.

 

And finally, my Wife & Daughter – Yes. I promised I was done putting out and promoting records. And yes, I spent an inordinate amount of time building a studio in our house, learning how to use it, producing other people’s work and eventually making another rock & roll record…that I now have to promote. All in the abundant free time that we all have. An apology for all of that would be insincere because I think you both knew before I did that I wasn’t ever done. You both know me better than I know myself and still put up with me. I hope that I always allow and support the two of you being yourselves and being fulfilled the same way you have allowed and supported me. Making this record has made me happy in a way that I forgot about and it is 100% dedicated to my unwavering love for both of you. You two are my world and my life…and although I know it hasn’t always been, right now…life is very good. Thank you.

j. bell

 

Check out the Video page for our new video of an A Cappella version of $80 Whiskey!

So, we are holding onto all the physical copies of $80 Whiskey in our hot little hands until the release show on October 5th at Whiskey junction- BUT it is available right now on iTunes, Amazon.com, Rhapsody, CDBaby and all over the interwebs. Get it right here so you know all the tunes before the big show on Oct. 5th!!

CLICK HERE FOR $80 Whiskey on iTunes

 

That’s right- here at jbellmusic.com you can stream songs from $80 Whiskey before its Oct 5th release! We’ll be adding a song a day until the whole album is up…but just until the release show! Let us know what you think! Click on over to the Music page…

Announcement from Justin Bell!!

Friends, I have some very exciting news. Most of you are aware of my rock & roll past:) In 2006 Justin Bell & the Lazy Susan Band released our 3rd CD called Something Else Entirely. It’s something I’m still very proud of. That record was very difficult to make, very difficult to write and it all happened during the most difficult part of my life. The day we wrapped it, I announced that it would be the last one and that I would not release any more albums. I subsequently entered into a very dry stretch of writer’s block that lasted over 5 years. I assumed that part of my life was over.

Many things have changed since then and the last year has been very interesting. I built a nice little recording studio in my house and taught myself how to produce and engineer (with the help of my immensely talented friend and gifted engineer/producer Jonathan Earl). I had the opportunity to produce music for other artists, specifically a gifted songwriter named Sarah VanValkenburg who let me produce not only her first record ever, but also the fantastic follow up Guitar Picks and Bottle Caps which came out earlier this year and we are both very proud of.

I started writing songs again. Slowly at first, but then the floodgates opened back up. I decided to try something I had always thought about, but never attempted: recording an album that I wrote, produced, engineered, mixed, played and sang every note myself. I didn’t know what to do with this “thing” when it was finished. I shared it with my compadres in the Lazy Susan Band and they were supportive of releasing and promoting this…whatever it was.

The LSB has changed many times, almost by definition, over time, the members coming and going, subbing in and subbing out and the band expanding and contracting as needed. I have relied on Ben Young and Tom Adams as my rhythm section for some time now, and I’m happy to say that they have agreed to stay on and support the new record. My musical partner in crime, Brian Zirngible (aka BPZMAG) has always been an option spinning on the Lazy Susan, but now has officially joined the group full time. And the newest member of the LSB, $2 Bill Turner, rounds out the new sound with piano, organ, synths and trumpet.

As a result, I am very excited to announce that, 7 years after the release of Something Else Entirely, we are releasing a new album on October 5th!! The album consists of an eclectic mix of songs that, although all over the genre map, represent what I think is my most seasoned writing.  The album is called $80 Whiskey – after a track on the record and we also have a signature cocktail called the $80 Whiskey that will be featured at all of our shows (but will only cost about $4). We are having a HUGE release show event on October 5th at, where else…Whiskey Junction in Minneapolis. We will be joined by special guests Sarah VanValkenburg and reuniting for one night only the Jonathan Earl Band!

I invite you to check out our new website: www.jbellmusic.com (live now) for more info on the new record and what the band is up to and in coming weeks lots more will be happening on the site.
On September 21st– the entire record will be available streaming on the website, on September 28th album will be available for purchase on iTunes and on October 5th there will be lots of other cool stuff available both on the site and at the big show at Whiskey Junction!

I am equal parts excited and nervous to put out another record and wouldn’t be comfortable doing it all if it weren’t for the incredible support of those closest to me. I’m hoping you’ll give $80 Whiskey a listen, check the band out at one of our next stops and I hope you enjoy the record that was never supposed to be.

With much appreciation,
j. bell