After six years, countless tours, and five albums with Dr. Dog the time had come for drummer Juston Stens to part ways and realize his own musical journeys and visions. “After a long break, I needed to return to myself, my guitar, my piano, my pencil and paper, and my voice.” A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Juston put down the drumsticks and returned to guitar to write new and finish old songs of life, love, loss, heartache, and heartbreak.
“I had a head full of songs that had been stored up there for way to long and needed to empty some out to make room for all the new ones sprouting up,” Juston said. “I had been writing songs throughout my 20s and while a member of Dr. Dog. I didn't have my own band so I never had a proper outlet for them.”
In January of 2010 Juston left Philadelphia for Tucson, AZ to record his first solo work with his old friends The Golden Boots. From there he traveled to Black Mountain, NC to record with the mountain wizard Seth Kauffman of Floating Action. To round it all off he returned to Philadelphia to mix with long-time Dr. Dog collaborator/engineer Bill Moriarty. A few of these songs were originally released as his debut EP, Heavy Metal Heart, in August 2010 on Park The Van Records. Now Juston is set to self-release the full collection as it was meant to be heard via his debut full-length, Trash or Treasure, on March 6, 2012 -- just in time for SXSW.
Trash or Treasure is an emotionally honest rock ‘n’ roll gem that channels storytellers of old while managing to sound beautiful and new. The collection of eleven songs is rounded out with final track “Collider,” which was recorded with friend and collaborator French guitarist Naïm Amor during a more recent visit to Tucson.
“Before recording this batch of songs, I had only written and recorded alone and the only collaborating I knew was what I contributed to Dr. Dog songs,” said Juston. “I realized during these sessions what it meant for me to invite someone else to take part in my creative songwriting and recording process. I always go into it with a vision of a song, but it is a good feeling to allow someone else to help get you there. Giving up control can be difficult but sharing a musical experience can be very rewarding.”
Recording these songs inspired Juston to take things to another level for his next project. Introducing: Motorcycle Sessions 2011. During the fall of 2011, Juston drove his 1972 Triumph motorcycle across the country, stopping in a dozen different cities to collaborate with musicians he’d met over the past few years. Each stop created a new track for his next album, one of which (“Collider” feat. Naïm Amor) landed on Trash or Treasure, and the whole experience was filmed for a documentary. Album and film coming in fall 2012.
Juston Stens started and played in many Philadelphia-based bands throughout the years before joining Dr. Dog in 2004. After the split he formed a band to play his songs live – The Get Real Gang – and together they’ve shared the stage with bands such as Hacienda, Brass Bed, Giant Cloud, David Vandervelde, Pomegranates, Arms, Powder Kegs, Spinto Band, The Generationals, and more. Juston currently also plays drums in The Generationals live band and has toured as a drummer for David Vandervelde
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