When most people think of Pittsburgh, PA, they don’t typically think of a city that breeds country artists – but Justin Fabus would disagree, and he’s out to prove the naysayers wrong. The Steel City native insists that it’s as country as they come. FIlled with hard-working, blue-collared folks, Pittsburgh is the perfect place to inspire some country tunes. Growing up, music was always very prominent in Justin’s life, and has remained so. Fabus believes it falls in line with those other basic human needs: water, food, sleep, etc. “Music is like air, without it I can’t breathe,” he said. Justin knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue a career in the industry. Now, with the recent release of his debut album, ‘Remedy,’ Fabus is ready to take his career to the next level.
We talked to Justin leading up to the June 22nd release. The self-proclaimed perfectionist was a bit nervous for the record’s debut, but more excited than anything else. “It’s the best music I’ve ever put out,” he said confidently. In addition to naturally evolving as an artist, Fabus has had the opportunity to share the stage with other incredible talents and learn things along the way. He also did things a little bit differently on ‘Remedy’ than with his previous music. For starters, he stepped out of his comfort zone to craft songs with writers, Joe Henry and Tony Lucca. Fabus also broke the norm and recorded the album in his hometown of Pittsburgh. “I recorded my second EP in Nashville and Illinois,” he explained. “The first couple of times, I had trouble sticking to my guns.” He knew this time around he wanted it to be different. Fabus was less passive and had a clear direction of where he saw the album going – this helped when choosing a producer to work with. Justin was open-minded, considering folks from Nashville to Los Angeles. He ultimately chose Pittsburgh’s Matt Very. “We were introduced by the luck of the draw and instantly hit it off,” he said. Of course sharing a hometown was appealing, but it wasn’t the deciding factor. Not only did Very truly understand Justin’s direction for the project, Fabus respected his work ethic and drive. “He built his studio from the ground up,” Fabus said, describing how their hard work paralleled each other.
Another non-traditional aspect of this album was using Justin’s live band in the recordings. While many artists opt for a studio band, it was important to Fabus to use his road guys on this record. “Again, I try not to do the norm,” he explained, a common theme throughout his career if you haven’t noticed. “I like being an outsider,” he insisted. Although using a studio band tends to make the recording process run more smoothly, it was crucial to Fabus to pick up those authentic vibes. “I wanted to capture the energy we feed off each other.” It helped Justin deliver a more genuine sound – what fans hear on the album is exactly what they’ll hear at a live performance.
Staying true to himself and his roots is very important to Fabus. “I take pride in keeping it real,” he exclaimed. “I’ve never wanted to sound like someone else. You can learn from [your influences] but I’ve always wanted my own sound.” Which, Justin admits, is ever-evolving. The one constant is the storytelling in Justin’s music, he assured it will always come from a personal place. The 13 songs on ‘Remedy’ are all true stories, which makes it that much more rewarding when fans reach out to him with stories and personal connections. “People have sent private messages and come up to me at shows with their own stories and interpretations,” said Fabus. The song that got one of the best responses live is the title track and debut single from the album, ‘Remedy.’ “Everybody is searching for a remedy… we’re all looking for a fix,” Justin said. The relatability of the song is one of the main reasons he released it first. Naturally Fabus hopes that fans will find something relatable about all of the songs on the record, but more specifically, he said his major goal for this album is to “write a song that is the soundtrack to someone’s life.” We all have at least one song that’s guaranteed to bring us back to a certain place or time. Fabus hopes that his songs can do that for someone too.
Since the album’s release, ‘Remedy’ has gotten rave reviews and landed a spot on the iTunes Top 200 Country Albums Chart. Fabus was also excited to embark on a 30-stop tour that will take him to some new markets he has never played before. Although there are currently no local stops, we can expect it’s only a matter of time until he makes his way up to our neck of the woods as Justin’s hard work and talent are sure to take his career far.
You can download and stream ‘Remedy’ here.
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