Justincase

Justincase
Origin Charlotte, North Carolina
Genres Alternative pop
Years active 1998–2003 (hiatus)
Labels Maverick
Website www.myspace.com/justincaseband
Members Justin Tosco
Nick Tosco
Hannah Tosco

Justincase is an American alternative-pop band from Charlotte, North Carolina, best known for their 2002 single "Don't Cry for Us", which was co-written by Michelle Branch, who was one of the band's early champions. Consisting of teen siblings Hannah, Justin, and Nick Tosco, the band was signed to Maverick Records. Justin is lead vocalist and guitarist as well as principal songwriter. Nick plays drums, and Hannah is on bass.[1]

History

Band members Justin (the oldest, born 1983), Nick, and Hannah (the youngest) Tosco grew up in a musical household. Their father, John, worked in the Charlotte music scene and also taught guitar, while their mother, Holly Tosco, worked as a piano teacher. Justin was five years old when he wrote his first song, which was about baseball. The trio began playing gigs together before all were in junior high school.[2] Their first concert was at their middle school's talent show in 1998.[3]

The Toscos met Michelle Branch before her debut on Maverick Records and became friends over the Internet before meeting in Las Vegas for a music convention in 2000.[4] Justincase was signed to Maverick Records in late 2001 with the help of Branch.[5][6][7]

The band released its self-titled debut album on October 29, 2002. The album included several collaborations with Michelle Branch, including the lead single, "Don't Cry for Us". Michelle Branch promoted the album on MTV's Total Request Live.[8] Other media appearances included the radio show Open House Party and Nickelodeon's TV show All That.[2] After their first music video was shown on MTV, Wal-Mart agreed to sponsor a short tour to further promote the album.[9] The band played several solo shows, and also opened for Nick Carter on his Backstreet Boy tour.[10] Billboard writer David Menconi called Justincase an "act to watch," describing the group as "three clean-cut teenage siblings" whose music is "steeped in classic-rock verities."[8] Newsday critic Kevin Amorim called the band's music "rootsy feel-good Hooters-esque rock (hey, at least it wasn't emo)."[10] Guitar-maker Ibanez published a series of ads featuring the band.

Despite heavy promotion, the album lagged commercially. Lackluster sales numbers caused Maverick to drop the band in 2003,[11] and they have been unable to secure another recording contract. The band is on a self-described "indefinite hiatus" while its members attend college and play the occasional local show. Lead singer Justin Tosco is also performing with Policy, another local band. Justin recently spent one month in Kenya with the program SFS.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Magahern, Jimmy (September 26, 2002). "Teen Steam: A little girl with a big bass saves justincase from being just another boy band", Phoenix New Times. Retrieved on 2009-07-29.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Holt, Brittany (November 4, 2002). "Charlotte siblings' band staying busy these days", Winston-Salem Journal.
  3. ↑ Rust, Barry (March 7, 2003). "Pop via satellite", Scholastic Math Magazine 23 (10): 4–6.
  4. ↑ Singer, Kristi (October 25, 2002). "Three siblings ready to rock", The Star-News, p. 12.
  5. ↑ McCartney, Kelly. "Justincase: Review", AllMusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-29.
  6. ↑ (November 26, 2002). "Early family lifestyle influences rock band: Although the teen group justincase can cite many musical influences on their career, one of the strongest is from their tight family and the music they heard at home", Charlottetown Guardian, p. C6.
  7. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (November 15, 2002). "justincase: justincase", Knoxville News Sentinel, p. 18.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Menconi, David (March 1, 2003). "North Carolina boasts a host of artists, labels and studios that have gained national attention and hope to attract more", Billboard 115 (9): 17–18.
  9. ↑ Barnes, Brad (December 2, 2002). "Wal-Mart may become group's launching pad", Knight Ridder News. Convenience link.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Amorim, Kevin (February 24, 2003). "'Street' scene gets tough: As a solo act, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter wants to rock", Newsday, p. B5.
  11. ↑ (August 23, 2003). "Don't Cry for Them: Label drops Charlotte's justincase, group recorded one album and a video but sales not strong enough", The Charlotte Observer. Convenience link.