Biloxi is always great,” Justin Furstenfeld told me the day after he played the popular coastal city with his band Blue October. “The people were amped up like crazy”.
The native Texan certainly knows how to build up an audience. Being on the road more than they are at home, Blue October has an intensity that is more likely found at a metal concert. But vocalist Furstenfeld is a poet how does not hide his emotions, he does not run from them and he certainly doesn’t consider them to be private. By sharing his experiences he can possibly change a person’s life.
Starting with “She’s My Ride Home”, Blue October went kicking and screaming into the night. With Furstenfeld knocking out his powerful lyrics with an almost buzz saw ferocity, guitarist Julian Mandrake percolating quietly on one side and Ryan Delahoussaye busting out with some jackknife violin parts, it is no wonder they have a devoted following. They are not your typical rock & roll band.
From the almost Irish death rattle of “Kangaroo Cry” to the slow passionate build-up of “The Feel Again” and slamming into one humdinger of an encore with “X Amount Of Words”, it was an emotional ride. Furstenfeld, spending most of his time staying as close to the edge of the stage as possible to feed off the vibes of his congregation, gave them sweat-drenched honesty while Mandrake was always on the verge of letting loose with some virulent guitar solos. He really needs to just break away and wail, which is something drummer Jeremy Furstenfeld does, especially during the encore.
The crowd, who pushed as far to the lip of the stage as humanly possible, broke into wild screams upon hearing the opening chords of “Into The Ocean” and “Hate Me”, which hit with a wild yet painful expose’ of naked emotion.
Below is more from my interview with Justin Furstenfeld.
Your lyrics are very personal and raw. Have you ever felt naked up there when you’re performing, as if you’re showing too much of yourself?
No, it’s probably the opposite. I think when I’m onstage it’s what I do. We’re a band that likes to play songs that are very serious; and when the fun songs come and the happy songs come, it’s just as explicit, you know. But most of the stories we’ve told over the years are pretty much hopeful songs that you have to be honest and tell the truth about what you’re going through for people to listen to you. So for the people that think it might be too much, it’s ok, this is what I do for a living. I don’t know how to half-ass it, you know.
When you first started writing songs, were they similar to how you are writing today with all the honesty and rawness?
Oh yeah. The first song I wrote was a song called “Black Orchid” about teen suicide. When I read it to my mom, she was like, “ok, we’ll go see a doctor now” (laughs). It’s kind of like my way of telling my friends and family, “Hey, I’m not doing too good” or “Hey, life is great”. It’s always been my way of talking and I’ve always loved writing and I’ve always liked talking about things that are on my mind. Certain people just don’t like to talk about it.
When you write about the dark places that are going on inside of you, do you have to go back to those dark places or are you far enough back from them to see it through different eyes?
I usually write while things are going on in my life. I look back when I’m singing now with different eyes but not when I’m going through it. I can’t write about it unless I’ve gone through it and seen it happen or think of it.
Do you get a lot of feedback from your fans about some of the songs making an impact on them?
Oh yeah, that’s the reason I keep doing it. Because no matter what, there is somebody out in the audience that might feel better about themselves from hearing it. I don’t know why but they tell me that all the time
When you do more in-depth interviews where you talk a lot about what has happened to you over the years, does that kind of hover around in your memory for a while or are you ok with it all now?
No, it’s writing. It does bring up emotional stuff but it doesn’t affect me or else I’d be a madman, you know, jumping around going “I’m in pain, arrrrggghhh” (laughs). You can’t do that.
What song would you consider to be the most personal song you have ever written?
Gosh, there are so many of them but let’s go with “Hate Me” and maybe “Chameleon Boy”.
I hear that you get a lot of inspiration from Peter Gabriel. What is it about him and his music that continues to inspire you?
I love Peter Gabriel. He’s really honest about things.
When did you first discover him?
When I was about fourteen and it was his song “In Your Eyes”.
Your latest CD, Any Man In America, has been out since the summer. Have you started writing for the next one?
Yes, that’s all I do is write. It’s crazy
Are you going to keep touring for this one or have you thought about when you might go into the studio again?
We’ll go into the studio and start recording. I’ve already started but we’re just going to keep recording and recording and recording and putting stuff out, one after another. The music industry today is a lot different than it was a long time ago when we put our first album out. Now, after a certain few singles you put them together on an album and you kind of get their attention that way.
Do you like how the music business operates nowadays?
No but you can’t change things so you don’t bitch about it and just keep going with the times.
So what is up for the rest of the year for Blue October?
To record and tour, record and tour, record and tour (laughs)
