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Justin Soileau is one of OC’s best kept secrets. He is a singer/songwriter who frequents both local and not-so-local venues alike with his acoustic guitar and voice that evokes the same warm fuzzies one gets when petting a bunny. His music is timeless, his writing is honest, and he is well equipped with an arsenal of good songs that can easily produce the soundtrack to the next coming-of-age Michael Cera film. (How many times is that guy going to graduate from high school?) But get ready for the Soileau (pronounced “swallow”) name to be yelled from rooftops all around OC because Justin Soileau just released his first full-length self-titled album last week and you should see for yourself what all of the fuss is about. The album has everything from brass section leads (which I’m a total sucker for and need to mention), to a deliberately strong grasp of folk and melody that creates an introspective ambiance. It opens a door into Soileau’s world which, though sometimes dark, is easy to listen to, and instantly relatable.

Justin held his release party at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa where fellow singer/songwriters and pop rock bands alike gathered for the occasion. Opening the evening was singer/songwriter and friend of Soileau’s, Alison May. May was the perfect opener to a classically honest night of music. Her voice was strong and all around surprising. It was a classic “I can’t believe that voice came out of her” moment, where from the first chord struck and the first note sung, she silenced the audience to a low murmur and commanded attention. I would describe her guitar skills as ‘simple-yet-effective,’ but her instrument and voice paired up pitch perfectly as she sang with an Alanis Morissette meets Tracy Chapman styling. She is an artist worth watching; if you ever get the chance to catch her at what she naturally does so well, do yourself a favor and take it. Be it coffee shop, mall, or stadium, her music is worth capturing, and will be sure to blow you away.

Moving on to the biggest surprise of the evening. Have you heard of Melee? Yes? No? If you haven’t, they are a local pop rock group who, though never really lifting off the ground here in the States, made quite an impact overseas in areas like Japan, where their album went gold. Now, why do I bring them up? Well, the group recently disbanded, after what I believe was about a ten-year run, and who do you think started a solo project and decided to debut that project at the Soileau release show? Frontman and lead singer of Melee, Chris Cron. Cron has put on a pair of big boy pants and is pursuing a solo career under the alias Topher Daniels.  Topher Daniels played with a brand new lineup of musicians and delivered a classically awesome set. Being that Cron was also the lead songwriter in Melee, his new project was very Melee-sounding with some new and, at times, more aggressive vibes that stretched into the realms of southern rock and blues; the core of the music, however, was pop. Another key feature was the fact that Chris, one of the best piano players in the area (seriously), didn’t hit one porcelain key that night. Instead he totted a guitar for the entire set, which honestly took some getting used to, but he owned the instrument as gracefully as his 88 keys. Check out his music. It is worth giving a listen and I can speak from experience, being a Melee fan for over seven years, that he is a hell of a performer and will not disappoint with a live performance.

Justin Soileau closed the evening. Before this release I’ve caught him on four different occasions, all of them solo acoustic sessions. On this night, he brought a band out for the occasion, as the majority of this new album is recorded with a full band. I’m sure he wanted to represent those songs true to the album. He sounded great. The band was on, Justin was on, and the crowd was digging it; however, and very rarely do I say this, I think the guy carries an acoustic set stronger than with the full band. His music is intimate and personal and, now having heard two different representations of it, I feel the songs breathe more life with less. Not to say he’s bad plugged in, because the show was great. This is how I am going to explain this… I might regret saying it, but I liked Dashboard Confessional. Before you begin to send the death threats and throw rocks through my window, hear me out. On his first few albums he went solo acoustic. The songs were emotional, well written, and his voice rang so true and passionate. But then Dashboard Confessional progressively became a rock band, and more and more sounds and instruments were added with each successive album, and you know what Dashboard Confessional eventually sounded like? Piss. Yes. Piss. It was awful, the emotion was taken away, and it became an over-produced mess of a corporate, music label album.

Now I am getting away from my point here, because Justin Soileau is far, far, FAR from piss. He is whipped cream. What I want to say is that his music plugged in versus acoustic is the difference between low fat and regular whipped cream… you get it. Here is what I am really trying to say: if you discover his album and love it, which I do, go and check out a live performance and don’t be afraid if it is acoustic. If you go, he will astound you.

Check out all of these groups on Facebook and support Soileau as a local musician: buy his album! It’s the kind of sound that is sure to get stuck in your head and provide appropriate driving music through mountainous areas. Thanks for the music everybody and good luck with your bright futures.

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Eeep! Harpz and I get to see this guy in two days!

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