Country band No Justice gearing up for a whole ‘nother level

by Andrew McElwee

It's been an insanely busy year for No Justice, but by far one of their biggest. Thanks to an unusually successful live album, a new band member, and a fierce following, the band has firmly rooted their place in the regional scene. Now, armed with new perspective and fearless invention, the Red Dirt Kings from Stillwater are taking it to a whole new level.

Lest we forget, No Justice's Live at Billy Bob's Texas CD drew unprecedented attention from critics and listeners. Like those few leftover embers on the campfire, the acclaim from this record's still burning. Frontman Steve Rice attributes this to the album's energy and fan enthusiasm.

"The fans really made it happen," said Rice. "People liked what they saw, and this made us play even harder. It's just amazing because you don't expect that kind of response."

But it's certainly the kind of response every band hopes for. In addition to sheer talent, the record owes a lot to its sound engineers, who captured every raw and heartfelt note in digital clarity. Plus, when you factor in that No Justice included a string quartet during the show -- well, that's just shows people you care.

2009 has proven to be a year of change for a lot of folks, and No Justice is certainly no exception. This past July, guitarist Brandon Jackson exited the band to pursue other musical endeavors. Everything was on amiable terms, and the group enjoyed a seamless transition by bringing on fiddler Cody Patton. The change has brought a different, albeit interesting, vibe to the group.

"Adding a new member can take it down a step or improve things," said Rice. "In our case, it's improved. Cody's sound meshes real well with our cluster of influences."

Speaking of influence, the band’s own is starting to outgrow its regional boots. No Justice has experienced a wealth of exposure via networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. They've been heard across state (and even country) borders, thanks to Pandora and other net-based radio stations. Folks outside of Texas aren't just aware of guys now. They're wondering they'll see the No Justice tour bus in their town.

To entice you even further, No Justice is putting the finishing touches a new studio album, which should appear sometime in early 2010. The band's new management has certainly been instrumental in the process as far as productivity. What's more, their new fiddler Cody should add some creative inspiration of his own.

"It's up in there air where this new record's gonna take us," said Rice. "But we have options. Any direction we go is gonna be a huge step."

And by huge step, they mean national.

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