Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Bartlett.
Justin, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I first came up with the idea of Hope & Things while coming back from a solo road-trip which was inspired by some heavy stuff I went through here in Boston. I was traveling from Dayton, OH after visiting my parents in the summer of 2016 when I first came up with the band name. I went down to get away from town for a little bit and work on some new music. In about a week, I recorded/mixed a handful of demos in my parents’ kitchen while attempting to meet a submission deadline to potentially win studio time at Converse Rubber Tracks Studio here in Boston. I didn’t win but I came out of that week with new music and the start of a new musical project.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Hope & Things is an indie rock/quasi-psychedelic band based here in Boston. The project originally started as a solo project but now includes a small group of musicians who sit in on gigs when available. I started Hope & Things with the goal of leading a musical project that would evolve performance to performance. Sometimes, the show can include a five-piece rock band partying hard onstage and sometimes, it can be an intimate duo set focusing on the story-telling. It all depends on the gig itself. I’m constantly changing my arrangements to make my performances interesting for the audience and myself. I like to keep people on their toes.
I create music to express some sort of story or emotion that I have trouble understanding. I guess I write to help myself be more connected with my thoughts and hope someone will connect with what I’m saying too. When I first started exploring the world of music, I never had the patience to learn other people’s music so I started writing my own riffs and melodies right off the bat. I had no idea what I was doing but it felt right to me. It wasn’t until I was a senior in college when I started to understand how to express my ideas with cohesive instrumentation and lyrical content.
I make it a goal of mine to have my lyrics carry a lot of meaning while also making them vague enough to let the audience interpret them on their own. I never want to force my story down people’s throats. I find it more interesting to hear how others interpret my songs. It helps me think about my music in a different way which makes it fresh for me.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I define success through the milestones I accomplish when working towards long-term goals.
I recently released my debut EP after a year and a half of hard, grueling work. There were some days, when I thought I was going to abandon the project because I let my internal monologue get to me. After all of those bad days, it felt amazing to get my music out into the world and from that, I felt successful.
I think it’s essential for artists to be resilient in order to find success on their own terms.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can support my work by listening to my music on their favorite streaming platform (Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, etc.) or by coming out shows. My debut EP “Illusionary” was recently released on 3/30/18 and is available anywhere you can listen to music.
If you are interested in coming to see Hope & Things live, follow me on Facebook or Bandsintown. Both of those places are updated frequently with the latest performances.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://spoti.fi/2pRcIF8
- Email: hopeandthingsbooking@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeandthingsband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeandthingsband/
- Other: https://apple.co/2E7Upj8
Image Credit:
Adam Parshall, Manuel Camacho, Mike Doran
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