Justin Dzuban

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Justin Dzuban was born in the suburb of Delaware, Ohio, twenty miles north of the city of Columbus. He has been playing music his whole life, starting in elementary school with the violin. “I decided to move to trumpet for three years,” Dzuban remembers, “and then at age 13, I picked up the guitar”
His first guitar, a Vantage model, was purchased from a buddy for $40.00, Justin recalls.

Dzuban grew up with a wide range of musical influences, having his parents collection of vinyls playing and his 4 siblings which range up to 10 years in difference. Including Simon & Garfunkel , Leonard Cohen, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Ennio Morricone and drawing from iconic musical acts of the ’50s and early ’60s. When he started playing guitar, he was initially more into blues-based music than the songs he is recording in 2010, favoring the music of Jimi Hendrix, BB King, and early Rolling Stones. “I was jamming more trying to find my voice in the guitar since I hadn't written lyrics or really explored my vocal range yet.” he offers.
“I was attracted to the guitar-driven kind of stuff, and although I played in a cover band in my early twenties, I felt that a part of me wanted to go and explore my own life and gather what experiences I was living through get back to the basics of what was so interesting about music in the first place. Eventually, I met a guy who had a recording studio. He told me he would be more than happy to record something of mine, if it was original. About the time I quit that band, I was laid off from my job in the print room of an engineering company, and I started writing songs.
“The studio owner, Chuck Crosby, allowed me to his private home studio and volunteered, generously, his time to record my first 5 original songs. It was one of those experiences for me that has great significance of where I am today, doing what I'm doing. It was a pivotal point in my life,” Dzuban admits.
Before his latest studio recording project, Dzuban first learned the recording process. “I like being in the studio. It teaches me discipline. Rhythm is a strong point for me so nailing down a rhythm track is really fun.
During this whole time, Dzuban was also performing live in Ohio, playing acoustic sets around the Columbus area. “It was the best experience of my life, as far as my development as a performer goes,” he acknowledges. “I had a gig at this bar, BW3. I played a four-hour set there every Friday for a year. I literally logged some forty-eight shows and had a very cool crowd. At least thirty people a week. I was just 21. I learned a lot in that residency. At that point, through performing that much, I got to be really comfortable in front of anybody, a great point for me. Most of my sets were ad lib. So now, I can play a six-hour set. It showed me I could play music in front of people, the concept of playing for an audience that wants to listen. At the same time I also started my first original band with close friends who were interested in playing with me.”
In 2005, Dzuban relocated to Southern California. “I went on a trip to New York with a friend, I met Barry Manilow’s producer, and auditioned for him around a social visit: ‘Kid, you sound great, but if you ever want to do anything with music, you’ve got to live either in New York or Los Angeles.’ Two years later I moved to the Los Angeles area, ending up in Sherman Oaks. Then, in summer of 2009, I moved to Hermosa Beach.”

In early 2010, Dzuban hired Giangreco to Co Produce his first album release,which whom he first met at some live shows Giangreco promoted at the Wig and Whistle and the Rainbow Bar.
“When I first heard Justin Dzuban sing, it was like a fresh breeze on a Hawaiian island,” enthuses producer-promoter Mike Giangreco. “I realized that he had the power to inspire an audience. The soft power of his tones was nothing short of uplifting. I saw him reach everyone in attendance with a feel-good spark that exemplified the true meaning of his songs. After listening to Justin for awhile, it seems like all your troubles have disappeared and everything is okay. I believe in this type of songwriting and feel the world is ready for more of the same, so I decided to help him get this influence out to a world that needs to think better of itself and listen to a true feel-good performer in the process.”“The title of the album is ‘Hard Love,’ these songs are about being strong, recognizing your surroundings, keeping your head straight."

Songs on Justin’s debut album include “Amilla My Killer,” “A Man,” “Sky Lines,” “Hard Love,” and “Shooting Star.”

While recording and playing around the Southland, Dzuban is a Dialogue Editor for film. Years ago, an older brother, Joe, who was working as a mixer a, steered Justin into this arena. “He’d tell me, ‘I need some barn door sounds for a film’. At that time, I was hauling out a laptop, a usb interface, and an SM57."

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