JUSTIN FULCHER BAND

Since their inception in 2010, The Burdens (formerly known as the Justin Fulcher Band) have been striving to etch out a niche all their own in the Texas music scene. The journey has taken them to every corner of the state and back adding members to the Burdens' family all along the way. The years have seen this group of young men evolve from a bunch of confused if not naive group of kids wandering aimlessly from gig to gig, to its current manifestation of a confused, slightly less naive group of guys ON A MISSION! That mission is to play what we believe to be genuinely good music and there is no genre or label that can determine what is good and bad, as long as it comes from the heart. Shortly after forming the band released their first album “Memories and Scars” with original members Clay Gilbert on drums and Bud Hoot on guitar. Current lead guitarist Derek Ely joined the band at that time to bring the band to a grand total of 5 members after having previously sat in on numerous occasions. After grinding it out for another year and half after the album release Bud Hoot and Clay Gilbert decided to move on to new adventures and Derek Ely took a short Hiatus. During that time Brian Rowe offered his professional services on guitar along with Casey Martinez on drums. Brian’s powerful blues rock guitar style added a whole new dynamic, which has remained a major part of the band to this day. Both Brian and Casey moved on to other projects upon the return of guitarist Derek Ely who had developed a whole new arsenal of magical guitar karate in his absence that solidified the sound and direction of the band from then on as “Rock n’ Roll with a B-bender.” During this formative time, drummer Josh Gertson contributed greatly pushing the band forward in strides to achieve a new level of musicianship. Josh moved on to different horizons and Aaron Smith stepped up to fill his shoes to complete the band line up in its current 4 member state. The Burdens took a page or two from the play books of some of their favorite bands, such as The Drive By Truckers, The Eagles, The Band, The Band of Heathens and sport more than one singer and try to present a unified front as a band which is made up of: Justin Fulcher- Justin grew up in a family of musicians on classic country and wasn’t aware that there was any other music until he discovered rock n’ roll at the age of 13 and has been enthralled with the overlap of real, genuine classic country and pure American rock since. These two driving forces have shaped his writing and playing style into something uniquely his own. Justin finds his inspiration in real honest music and tries to emulate this in his own writing. He looks to the artists that have maintained this integrity in writing, such as Jason Isbell, Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Gattis and many more when he is inclined to put pen to paper. Justin’s wellspring of enthusiasm has an infectious effect throughout the band and keeps everyone positive and upbeat, even through the hard times. His hard work and dedication has kept the band going through the many ups and downs they have seen over the years and his continuing and seemingly endless fervor will undoubtably press the band onward and upward to new heights in the future. Derek Ely- Derek fell in love with the guitar at a young age and this unbridled passion for guitar has yet to wane with age. He began emulating the giants of blues but took a special interest in legend Stevie Ray Vaughn. He was mesmerized by how he seamlessly blended speed and proficiency with feeling and soul. Since then Derek has studied many different styles of guitar from Bluegrass flat picking, to Classic country B-bending, to mimicking Jazz greats of hard-bop and beyond, gleaning a new technique from each one to add to his own personal style of playing. Derek Has also Branched out beyond his fingers and set his sights on slide guitar and lap steel. His influences being Dwayne Allman, Warren Haynes, Joe Walsh, Jeff Massey, Colin Brooks, Billy F. Gibbons, Rich Robison and of course, the great and unstoppable Derek Trucks. Derek also works with his father Randy Ely to make some of the best boutique tube amplifiers in existence. All of these factors culminate to produce a tone and style so unique that when you hear it, it is undoubtably one person and one person alone, the B-bender doctor Derek Ely. To add to his virtually endless contributions to the band, Derek is also the primary harmony singer. John Toland- John writes songs, sings and plays bass, but handles most of the on stage choreography. He is also the only dancer. Aaron Smith- Aaron comes from a talented family with deep roots in the Texas music scene. He began to play drums at a young age and is also a talented guitarist as well. Since he began to play he was fascinated by the speed and accuracy of heavy metal drummers and wanted to push himself to achieve such a level of musicianship and he did. Arron was embedded deeply in the heavy metal scene for many years, touring the state and even the nation with different bands. He has played with many legendary players in the business and has achieved a level of professionalism few have ever had the opportunity to see. He decided to give all that up and come play with the Burdens in August of 2014. Aaron is a power house of rhythm and creativity behind the trap set. Watching and listening to him play, one would have no inclination toward the idea that this style of music is as foreign to him as heavy metal is to the rest of the band. He plays and carries himself as a seasoned professional and is constantly striving to give himself the edge that will set him apart even further. Aaron has breathed new life into the band and made anything seem possible with hard work and dedication. The Burdens are a true example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts and a testament to what can be achieved when a group of people work together, rather than against each other, to achieve a common goal. That goal being to create something bigger than themselves, good music, that touches people and makes that undefinable connection between listener and artist. Recently, thanks to the contributions of friends and family, the Burdens have been able to begin work on their second studio project. This has also afforded them the opportunity and great honor of working with long time friend and major influence to the band, Ronnie Elliott. This next EP will contain songs by both Justin and John and the singe “Neverland” written by Ronnie himself. Every day the band is thankful for every ounce of success it has seen. Their success, even though it may seem small in comparison to others, means more to the band than anyone could imagine and it all comes from the wonderful group of people that make up the family, friends and fans of the Burdens. Rock N' Roll with a B-bender!