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justincase
stands at the crossroads For
a minute, Justin, Nick and Hannah Tosco glimpsed the fantasy rock 'n' roll
life they always envisioned. As justincase, they released a CD on Maverick
Records. Stayed in Hollywood hotels. Performed at television premieres.
Played in Spain. Watched their video on MTV -- MTV! But
a month after being dropped by Maverick Records, the trio was back playing
the Tosco Music Party last night at Spirit Square. Two weeks before that,
it was the Matthews Alive! fest. These gigs aren't as glamorous as L.A. or
Spain, but these are the places where this band developed the chops to
land a Maverick deal in the first place. And these events, along with the
college circuit, will help justincase take its music to the next level. How
the three siblings will get to that level, spreading their music to as
many people as possible, is unclear. Despite losing their contract nearly
21 months after signing with Maverick, the trio is determined to keep
playing. "We
don't feel like this is the end," said bassist Hannah, 17. "It's
just another chapter." The
Maverick chapter tested the Toscos' resolve to stay in a music industry
that doesn't develop young artists like it did in the '60s and '70s. But
for the Toscos, being signed was fun and educational. It
was also hard: long road trips in a van, daylong video shoots and not
winning enough battles with their record company. They got stuck in the
shadow of former labelmate Michelle Branch. They didn't fight hard enough
to choose what song to release as a first single. Considering
that only 10 percent of acts survive on a major label past their first
album, the Toscos knew they faced tough odds when they got signed. So they
figured Maverick knew what was best for them. They did everything the
company asked and more, but it wasn't enough. Other
regional bands have had similar experiences. Greensboro-based Athenaeum
sold more than 100,000 copies of its Atlantic debut but was dropped after
its second album sold little more than 10,000. The group is recording new
material and touring independently. So
justincase will decide whether to shop for another major label, release an
album themselves or sign with an established independent. The
trio became justincase in 1998. In three years, they grew from playing
free community festivals to club gigs to signing with Maverick in November
2001. After debuting at No. 9 on MTV's "TRL," the group's first
single, "Don't Cry for Us," stalled and then failed to get
much-needed radio airplay. The trio sold only about 20,000 copies of its
self-titled debut disc -- not a bad number for an independent release but
a dismal failure according to the major-label mentality. Suddenly,
justincase went from being called the next big thing to being in limbo. No
second single was released. No follow-up album was requested. "That
sucked," said drummer Nick, 18. "The part that sucks the most --
it was drawn out over time. We kept going and going with them. We did what
they said. It just kept lingering." The
group is disappointed, not bitter. "If
you think about all the free (stuff) that they gave us, the traveling we
got do, we definitely don't regret anything," said Justin, 20.
"It's been awesome." Plus,
they've matured. Hannah's a young woman, not Justin and Nick's little
sister. Nick is learning to value friendships and relationships even more.
Justin now runs the band, from finances to promotion. Along with his
songwriting and guitar-playing duties, he's setting up a studio in his
apartment to record demos. All three know more about the business than
they did before. If they sign with another label, they plan to have more
input. "You
have to stand up for yourself," Hannah said. "We were worried
that if you did stand up, you're going to get dropped. Look what happened
to us." The band is even more determined. ¡@ |