INTERVIEW: Stephanie Stevens with creators JP and Javs of JUST DEAD ART about their album A Sense Of Impending Doom and their new single "Recurrence" - READ IT HERE

BY: STEPHANIE STEVENS


JP & Javs is the duo that is JUST ART DEAD. Two talented producers and composers from Houston, TX. Capturing visually emotional human artwork to compell you into the world of this bands ambiance of metal, electronic, cinematic artpieces of sound. With the bands up n coming third album A SENSE OF IMPENDING DOOM coming out Oct 16, 2020 and the overwelming response of the lead off single RECURRENCE. The band is ready to release another piece of the next chapter to you with the follow up singles SURGE & BURDEN out Aug 28th on all streaming platforms. I had a chance to ask both creators of this unique band a few questions about the art they call music and who empowers them. Get to know JUST ART DEAD
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Q: How did u become a musician and what is ur instrument of choice?

JP: I started banging on pots and pans at the age of 9. For Christmas '89, my parents got me my first drum set and I never looked back! My brother was constantly playing The Beatles, Elvis and The Rolling Stones, and that's how I got started with my love for music. A few years later, I started learning electric guitar, then the bass, keyboards, until eventually expanding to music production, film scoring, and audio engineering school. My instrument of choice is drums.

Javs: Music has always been a part of my life. The soundtrack of my childhood consisted of Classical Music, from my mother’s side, and Rock and Roll from my father’s side. So, being drawn into musical instruments was obvious and normal for me. I learned how to play drums first, then moved to bass guitar, then guitar and finally a bit of piano, but the guitar is my instrument of choice.
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Q: Tell us about your band and how being in a band has helped you gain confidence?

A: Although Javs and I have been in bands since 1993, many years went by until we got together again and created Just Art Dead. We don’t consider ourselves to be a band, but rather music creators who can navigate various dark experimental metal genres without adhering to any one of them. Film/cinematic elements are a big part of our sound as they convey a different but complementary range of emotions and have become intrinsic with everything we make. Developing our own sound and not seeking approval has helped us gain a level of confidence and self-acceptance that most of us strive to find for years and years. Having the freedom to create our own music without boundaries and imprint our emotions onto our art has been the biggest boost to our individual and creative confidence.
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Q: What style of music does ur band play? Why did u choose this genre and ur biggest influence?

A: Short answer, we play metal. Long answer: Art is Art, so it is the responsibility of curators and the people who get exposed to it to classify them as they wish and see fit. Sometimes it is based on a period of time, a strong characteristic, a tangible or intangible feature, etc. They are the ones who inevitably have the right to place your specific form of expression in their right Folder or Museum. We have too many influences to list and, while we both grew up with the core of "Classic Rock", we took different musical avenues to develop individually as musicians and eventually craft the JAD sound. Currently, we compose metal albums and music for film so our range of expression is very broad.
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Q: How can people support ur band and any new news on ur band u want to share or ur music journey on a personal level?

A: The best way to support any artist is to spread the word and follow us on our main social media platform, Instagram @justartdead

Big news is that our third full-length album (A Sense of Impending Doom) is coming out on October 16th and that is our main creative focus at the moment. The album's lead single Recurrence hit Spotify's editorial playlist "Death Metal & Beyond" in late June and follow up singles Surge and Burden are out as of August 28th. To support us directly, our discography is available at:

https://justartdead.bandcamp.com/
Our website is www.justartdead.com
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Q: What is the most important thing about music/art that can help people in your opinion?

A: The most important thing about Art is the purest expression of what being human is, that always strides to open up minds and reflect on existentialism creatively laying down what the senses experience from the world with a non conventional prism.
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Q: What do you hope people will remember most about ur art/music?

A: That our music made them feel something, helped them get through a tough time, and was always honest and unapologetic. 
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Q: If you could give people struggling with finding a passion they love to do, what advice would you tell them?

Javs: It’s never too late. Know yourself. Dig inside your mind. Alone. Only listen to your own voice and shut off the outside ones. 

JP: find something you love and give it your all. Learn constantly, practice and be humble. Embrace every small achievements, those who believe in you, and never look back.
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Q: Empower another artist by telling us someone u admire and why you admire them?

A: Beethoven. The cruelest thing you can do to a musician is to make them deaf, and even though sadly that was his case, he still managed to write the 9th and give Humankind its Planetary Anthem while only being able to listen to it in his own head and not through an auditory performance.