8 Questions with Justin Power

contributor: Hoyt Emerson – April 29, 2009

Justin Power is an established singer songwriter and engineer in Portland. He has worked with a number of Portland Artists and has played with the likes of The Portland Cello project.

1. Why are you in Portland?

I grew up in Northern Idaho. When I was a teenager, I played in a band that did a few shows in Portland. I always knew that this was a great place as far as music goes. I also remember all the leafy green and waterfalls making a big impression. It seemed semi-tropical (ha!) coming from the much icier winters I was used to. I ended up here for a few reasons and finding a good place to live where there is a thriving musical community was definitely an important one.

2. Can you explain your earliest musical project here?

I used to play bass and then drums, but I always wanted to write songs. I was way to critical of anything I could come up with, so I never finished anything. There was a point about 4 or 5 years ago when I decided to tear out the filter and just finish some songs no matter what, even if they were terrible, and they were, but it was so exciting to have anything finished. I started playing at open mics. At that point all of my songs were played on a bass w/ a couple bass strings and a couple guitar strings. I was used to performing, but it was new and nerve wracking to play my own material, alone, and in front of people. It was an amazing experience. When it went badly, it was awful, but when I was on and the audience (usually 20 other open micers) was feeling it, there was this great feedback loop of energy. I had experienced songs like that from the receiving end, but never from the giving end before that. I was hooked.

3. What was your biggest resource to find other people to play with?

I started at an open mic that John Vecchiarelli was running. We started to become friends. I did a couple shows opening for him. Other people started to ask me to open a show here and there. You just meet people, you meet their friends, then their friends. Pretty soon most musicians in town you run into you either know, or have friends in common with. But then there’s constantly someone showing up out of the blue, and doing something amazing. There’s plenty of music here to inspire and humble me. I feel lucky to be here right now. Back to your question; I’d say the best resource for finding people to play with is just the fact that there a zillion people here playing a lot of music. People are pretty approachable and I think it happens naturally. The trick is finding a drummer who isn’t already in four bands.

4. At what point did you notice people really having interest in your work?

For me I think that’s just beginning to happen. Recently I’ve been lucky enough to work with the Portland Cello Project and that has been a big boost. Over all, getting people’s attention has taken awhile, but I’m not in a hurry. Whenever I start thinking about being noticed, I get really unproductive. I just want to keep my head in a good place for making music and not really worry about self-promotion. I’m sure this is not the recommended approach, but it’s my best option. The actual music itself and the friends I’ve met through playing are the parts I really enjoy.

5. What do you think is the #1 factor in how Portland decides when a local act is worth mentioning?

I think there is an element of people jumping on the bandwagon (pun) once a group already gets a little attention from the right people. So there might be a bit of a threshold to cross, but it seems like it’s pretty democratic overall. I mean, bands that keep getting better at what they’re doing and keep playing out will be noticed.

6. How do you feel about record labels?

I feel like talking to them.

7. What’s your opinion about CD’s vs. MP3 digital download?

For the environment’s sake, I’d like to say that everyone should just do downloads, but I’m afraid I will always want a physical album. I like vinyl that comes with a code to download the album.

8. What kind of goals do you currently have?
-Find a drummer who is not already in 4 bands
-Get my album finished
-Make a better album
-Repeat