JJ Slater

Usually when folks describe JJ Slater’s music, words relate back to nature, the outdoors, the warm sun and the cool breeze. His UMASS Amherst psych-rock band Humble Digs was a mainstay at Stockbridge School of Agriculture events, and no matter how far he’s willing to push his career, he’ll probably always find a place to play at farmer’s markets. Free produce is excellent payment.

In between rock bands, funk jams, and jazz brunches, JJ’s guitar playing is always centered and relentlessly rhythmic, with lead breaks that can recall fluid, Floyd-like phrasing, noisy Sonny-Sharrock influenced screams, and deft, Larry Carlton-indebted clean left-field melodies. His songwriting is playful, with an ability to write a catchy hook and chorus, but take you down a minute-long rabbit whole with a wink and a grin- all with a soft, smoky approach to singing that recalls a burn ride with an old friend.

Based in New England, he has toured much of the Eastern half of the US, playing festivals, basements, and club gigs, at times opening for artists like Kat Wright and Delvon Lamarr; currently, he is living in Taos, NM, working on new material with a summer-long artist residency grant. Upon return, he is set to release a mini-LP recorded at Sleeper Cave Records in early 2022, along with a collection of singles leftover from dozens of pandemic-era recording sessions.