Judging by the company that NO JUSTICE keeps it is easy to see that Steve Rice, lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist, had some pretty pivotal insight early on. It is silent knowledge that when you are coming out of Stillwater, Oklahomas Red Dirt depot, it had better be about the music. A rather small place on the map known for spawning large talent like Jimmy LaFave, The Great Divide, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Jason Boland and The Stragglers (just to name a few), it is quickly understood that in this neck of the woods a man is only worth his weight in song. Rice recounts, When I first moved to Stillwater, I was introduced to the Red Dirt genre. It was something I had never heard of before. Being that Red Dirt is a genre of music that stands as an equal opportunity employer to all styles of music, the sound is difficult to describe to someone looking for the comfort of labels. With hammer in hand Rice hits it on the head, and many will agree, that Red Dirt music is, Something that is more of a feeling than a sound. That feeling is honest music.
As it is with any good organic creation, there is an aging process that needs to occur in order to harvest the perfect blend. Though the band was formed in 2001, it was in 2004 that all the different flavors settled in and NO JUSTICE came into peak season. Rock tones weave in and out of the bands solid new self titled release thanks in part to Brandon Jackson, vocals/guitarist, Jerry Payne, guitar, along with newcomer Joey Trevino adding vocals/bass. Tunes like Never Come Back, and Bend But Dont Break, lead with the southern rock badge of authority, but gives way to the funk fusion prowess of drummer/ percussionist, Armando Lopez. Lopez shines on Dont Walk Away providing smooth groovy touches in all the right places, and on Breath, a melodically addicting ballad, alive with pop essence and a funk pulse. Rice tops it all off with acoustic overlays and a vocal concoction brewed from little grit and a lot of soul. Produced by JJ Lester of Stillwaters The Great Divide, and Grammy award winning engineer, Eric Delegard, the bands self-titled February 2006 release on Smith Music Group is a rich tasty mixture that goes down easy.
Despite their name, the bands 2003 freshman release Far From Everything did the band justice garnering them a Texas size hit with The Toast. The single hit the Texas Music Charts Top 10 and remained there for 27 straight weeks (2005) and was also number 15 for 2005 most requested songs, a major accomplishment for the only independent artists on the Top 10 chart at that time. Far From Everything was included in Gruene With Envys Top Ten list (2003) and voted Best Album of the Year at the Payne Country Line Music awards show (2004). Far From Everything has also ranked number 2 on LonestarMusic.coms top selling albums. Fulfilling their Red Dirt obligation to uphold with their music, the band also took home the title for Best Red Dirt New Comer of the Year (2003).
The road leading up to the bands much anticipated 2006 release is well decorated with media acclaim, radio airplay, and a quickly growing fan base that has attracted a ceaseless tour schedule totaling 200 plus dates a year. Always in excellent company, NO JUSTICE has shared stages across the greater Midwest with artists such as Charlie Robison, Billy Joe Shaver, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Willie Nelson, Reckless Kelly, David Allen Coe, Pat Green, Cory Morrow, Jack Ingram, Cooder Graw, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Hank Jr., the Warren Brothers, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, and Chris LeDoux. Headed by Jon Folk at Nashville based Buddy Lee Attractions, and sponsored by Budweiser True Music, NO JUSTICE will soon be appearing at a venue near you. Visit www.nojustice.com for tour dates and information on the upcoming release.
