homeless J.
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homeless J.

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This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"Show Review"

"...crowd pleaser's homeless J. take the stage. Not only are they sincerely nice guys but they also always put on a powerful and energetic show and deserve all the recognition that they get..." - fortwaynemusic.com


"Sitting in the Slingshot, Waiting to Go"

"With major label eyes focusing on Fort Wayne's homeless J., they are definitely sitting in the slingshot waiting to go. The use of guitar distortion and the consistent embrace of heavy reverb on the vocals of Chad Van Meter felt like an experiment in rock atmospherics. Categorically they are a pop rock band with meandering indie tendencies for shades ranging from quiet melodics to heavy rock progressions." - indianapolismusic.net


"Secret Club"

"The fellows in homeless J. seem to paint sonic landscapes with their music...Their music doesn't reach out to you as much as invite you (almost flirtatiously at times) to embrace it, to join in the mood, almost like a secret club."
- Whatzup Entertainment Magazine


"WXTW 102.3 FM"

"Having being involved in the Ft. Wayne music scene for some 10 years, I can honestly say that I have never seen a band generate such a buzz as homeless j. I started hearing great things about this band no less than one day after their debut live show, and have yet to find even one person to walk away from a homeless J. performance disappointed. It was truly an honor to include them in our 5th installment of the X1023 Essentials project (a CD showcasing Ft. Wayne's best local artists), and I expect big things from them in the future."
- Program Director/Music Director, JJ Fabini


"Grabs You By the Guts"

"If there is one thing that I can say about homeless J. it is that they know what they are doing. Front man Chad VanMeter seems to communicate with everyone in the room at once. He grabs you by the guts and won't let go."
- crazewire.com


"Rocking The Inferno; Rolling The Paradiso - homeless J. Emerges"

"A torrid rush of purely original and passionately iterated music spews from the not-so-exotic hamlet of Fort Wayne Indiana, and a band with a non-sequitur name is at the controls. Homeless J is neither homeless, nor particularly attached to the letter J, but it is at the moniker that the irrelevance ends. What comes forth from this newly discovered veteran band is a blissful and sometimes frightening potion of adventurous instrumentation, startlingly literate sentiments, and richly woven artisanship. Far more accessible than typical “art-rock” and yet exceedingly more intricate and melodic than most “modern rock,” Homeless J. is hovering somewhere this side of the alt-doldrums purgatory, and they have some interesting things to share with those who will listen......" - HM Magazine - by John J. Thompson


"Radio"

"B-Fly", "The Flash" and "Man on the Radio" are being played on XM radio - XM


""The Flash" Video"

homeless J. was featured in February 2006 on MTV 2's news update on "up-and-comers", which included a shot of the band's Web site playing the video "The Flash". - MTV 2


"Amazing Storytelling"

"...lyrical content that should engage fans of amazing storytelling..." - Exclusive Magazine


"The Music"

"...the music is intricate and intelligent" - Whatzup Entertainment Magazine


Discography

"The Squeeze" EP - Released June 15, 2007 (independent)

"Three Seconds To Gaze" - Released May 2, 2006 on Selectric Records (Sony RED), originally recorded with MCA/Uninhibited

homeless J. was included on X102.3 FM's Essentials project (a CD showcasing best local artists)

More songs are available streaming and for download at www.myspace.com/homelessj and at www.homelessj.com

Photos

Bio

Homeless J.: “A Tale Of Two Infidels“ by Adrian Gregory Glover

Prologue:

To define art is to define a journey. With perspective and taste entering into the field of play, said definitions are very hard to come by. He knows this and yet regardless of what the circumstances may be, he still continues upon his journey because that is what must be done.

Splitting himself in two is not entirely out of the question. It may sound crazy, but we are all guilty of it in some form or fashion. He is just smart enough to pack a bag before his trip.

As a religious minister he is so well-versed in spiritual ideology that conversation can be hard to maintain because at times he makes too much sense.

As the vocalist/leader of the buzzing rock band homeless J., he becomes the Flash - someone who fights for art and delivers the message that they both can agree upon. And each half of his internal whole has a job to do.

Act One: Faith & Fate

The time is just south of midnight as a now-energy deficient crowd files out of the Midwest rock club Columbia Street West. The Flash smiles briefly to himself to acknowledge that he has once again delivered the message with the sort of reckless abandon that has kept homeless J. in queue as the next rock band to simultaneously inspire and influence.

Having just led his troupe into war he scratches his chin and reflects upon not only the latest moments gone by but all that has led up to this point.

Musically, his unit is a charismatic see-saw that is at once as adventurous as prime Jane’s Addiction, as entrenched in value as early U2 and nearly as thunderous as Led Zeppelin. His poetically imaginative lyrics resemble the greats who so gracefully introduced the faith that drove their hearts and ultimately their art.

He’s more than aware that people are picking up on a few of his sources of lyrical inspiration. That’s fine; being a poet is great work if you can get it but it’s incredibly hard work to maintain it. He of all people should know, having gone through enough transitional periods to fill up at least six hours of VH-1 programming.

Under his belt are all the childhood dreams of starting a band with your high school friends only to have the real world step in and cash that check. The next notch was a reassembly of troops which ultimately led to the requisite huge local following, playing great regional clubs and getting radio support which beckoned the check writers.

The stage was set for the untouchable myth to become the reachable truth but as they all found out, the doors to paradise only open with very, very heavy keys.

Act Two: Art vs. Commerce

Ears ringing, The Flash walks outside behind the venue. Many have departed for their next destination…be it home or another smoky room with a liquor license.

He’s coming down now and settling back into his day-to-day skin. He wonders if the upcoming days will deliver the satisfaction he has been after all of this time.

Questioning his longtime lover, the Muse, he does some quick mental math. Not counting the release of several high school demos, he figures that he is currently in the neighborhood of his fourth recording situation.

The now defunct MCA Records came through on every promise but one as they closed their doors what felt like seconds before The Flash’s close-up. Thinking about those days still makes him wonder about the gluttons that grinded those gears to a halt.

He then ponders how he will feel if his musical career for whatever reason is not satisfactory to him as a person, to The Flash as an enigma or to the purpose of his message and art.

The idea of regressing to step one of the journey is not a novel one and that may come with new lessons to learn.

He is hardly alone. His drummer and bass player have a bond which not only gives his band a tighter anchor but it yields an x factor which can not be described. His guitarists have been there since he took the first step into his first circle. The parts all contribute to the whole leaving him to wonder if in her wisdom the Muse sent them to find and walk with him.

Act Three: The Arrival

Tired and bored with his current thought process, he shrugs this post-show line of fire off with a wink and a nudge and lets it all go. The past is the past and worrying about the potential future doesn’t do anybody any good.

Being independent for the meantime has some of its own advantages. In their recent independent release "The Squeeze" (the follow-up to the nationally released "Three Seconds to Gaze") they possess the rare record which offers so much to so many. As a reviewer recently said:

“Though the short instrumental opener, “Intro,” might make you think you’ve stuck Kid A in your CD player by mistake, it quickly segues into some signature homeless J. tuneage. “What I Want” builds on a thunderous riff before opening up into a heartfelt verse and a chorus that can only be descr