JUSTIN SULLIVAN OF NIGHT SHOP
The importance of friends, community and collaboration cannot be overstated enough when it comes to Justin Sullivan and that of Night Shop. Tying a thread from his earliest of musical endeavours through to a lifelong membership to the industry, it is the involvement and connection with fellow musicians that has become the bedrock foundation of his life and aspirations. Justin’s latest record Forever Night is a hugely impressive album and one that is soaked in experience, both in life and musicality.
By stepping back in time, the current album comes a little clearer into view. Before launching the band in 2017, Justin’s primary musical contributions came from behind the drum kit. A frequent collaborator with Kevin Morby, playing with Morby and Cassie Ramone in The Babies and then performing on Morby’s first four studio albums and playing steadily in his touring band until 2016. Justin has also performed live with Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, and Anna St. Louis, and continues to play in LA post-punk outfit Flat Worms.
Having spent many years performing behind the kit for Kevin Morby, the stylistic pairing between the two artists is quite clear but on a creative level understanding how that time imparted itself on Justin is best summarised when he says. “I think it’s just a natural osmosis thing. All those years spent in a van together, talking about music, playing different songs on long drives. I think we connected and worked so well together because we were always coming from a really similar place in how we felt about music. And additionally, I think I took a lot from how Kevin would approach the process of making music.” Equally interesting is understanding how also having played with Waxahatchee, Hand Habits, Anna St. Louis, and Flat Worms, in what ways each of these quite different artists have shaped Justin’s musical direction. “I think it’s just always been helpful for me to play with people who have a clear vision and know how they want to articulate it. That’s always been very exciting for me to be around and has helped give me the confidence to do it myself.” Those experiences and observations of his musical colleagues, their techniques and attributes, have overwhelming resulted in the confidence Justin exudes in his music and the comfortableness with which Forever Night took shape. The record however was conceived in far from ideal circumstances.
Its inception was born out of a period that amongst other things, involved taking a break from the very thing Justin adored most, the music. An event that in part precipitated a sabbatical was the loss of a dear friend in tragic circumstances which culminated in Justin having a panic attack whilst on tour in Portugal. Recalling that time Justin goes on to explain. “I was just really in a bad spot mentally and physically from years of touring and not taking care of a lot of my basic needs. I basically needed to restart my life and let go of playing music live and traveling for a while. Just start over. I knew I would never stop making music but I needed to stop seeing it in such a single-minded way. Returning to creating by myself and for the simple joy of just making something was such a beautiful experience. Another reminder that music, for me, has always been the place to which I can turn for solace or transformation.”
Upon returning to the musical world, Justin did it with some vigour. The absence of music in his life was one of the factors that demonstrated just how important music is to his identity, motivations and the importance of those around him. “Well, again, I think I just got back to the core idea and the magic of creating with my friends. Once you know you can always turn to that, then the bigger “music world” of albums and tours and all the other stuff just feels like a natural addition, rather than a goal. That first part: creating within a community of people you connect with is essential to my identity for sure. I intend to do that forever. Where it leads is not really as important to me, if that makes sense.” And it is that total freedom of creating for the sheer pleasure of it all that translated to an unfettered approach in producing the record and that of his songwriting.
With such a strong songwriting and storytelling quality to each of the tracks on Forever Night it is a wonder as to what methodology Justin employees when it comes to putting pen to paper and transforming those ideas, scribbles, insights and moments into a consolidated narrative. As Justin describes, his approach is a very relaxed one. “I don’t actually write down the lyrics. Rather, when I’m working on an idea, usually inspired by one line in my head or a feeling, I just keep playing it over and over and edit as I go. This allows for the subconscious to come in initially and then I just edit repeatedly for the lines that aren’t coming as easily. At the very end, if there’s still a line that I think can be better, I’ll try writing some things out but it’s usually a last resort. I actually worked as a journalist and editor for a few years and tried to write prose for a long time and I think writing as I play is a way for me to get free of some of the bad writing habits I formed at that time.” Cleary that time spent as an editor, journalist and literature enthusiast was not a waste considering that Justin will draw upon writers in answer to questions. In particular the question of how an album can range from a purely autobiographical piece through to complete fiction and with most records falling somewhere in between. So when Justin is presented with this question of where Forever Night sits within that conceptual spectrum, he cryptically and cleverly quotes “Madame Bovary, c’est moi” by French author Gustave Flaubert from his novel Madame Bovary in his response as if to imply that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Literary pieces that draw parallel to some of the topics and sentiments canvased on Forever Night also include Dante’s The Devine Comedy as referenced in ‘Let Me Let It Go’. A theme that may summarise a journey which Justin himself has traversed when considering the dichotomous role music has played in his life. From a low point of burn out through to the highs of rejuvenation is certainly an experience that he can wholly relate to.
To compliment the lyrics throughout the album and of the music itself, it was interesting to learn if there was certain instrumentation that struck an immediate chord with Justin. Did the bones of each track quite develop fluidly or were the sonics of each track laboured with a long and detailed evolution? To which Justin modestly answers, “I think it all comes together pretty simply, a product of my rudimentary skills and limited knowledge of instruments and I think that’s a blessing and a curse. Occasionally, I will revise things and restructure a song (‘For A While’ on the new album was like that and I’m really happy with how it came out) but I’m more apt to drop something if it just keeps morphing.” Yet sagely and honestly pointing out that. “I think usually if a song goes through too many alterations, I’m just chasing something that isn’t there. And usually if the lyric I’m building it around is meant to come back, it will usually show up again in another song down the road.”
The album however was not without its fair share of talented contributors. There was some fine talent and long-time friends featuring throughout the record, namely Meg Duffy of Hand Habits, Alex Fischel (Spoon), Jess Williamson on and not to forget Jarvis Taveniere of Purple Mountains who co-produced the album. With friends and a sense of community at the core of Justin’s music it comes as no surprise that performing with fellow musicians is so fundamental. “Well, I think overall I started making music to connect with others and be part of something. So, playing with friends is a way to stay tied to that original spirit. There’s many ways to make records but for this one, I really wanted to try to capture the spirit of playing with people in a room, since that had been impossible for the year leading up to this.” The global pandemic that wreaked havoc throughout the world and creative community alike, presented both challenges and surprises during the time of writing and recording. Justin reiterates by saying. “I think as mentioned, it was still very logistically tricky to get together with people in a room at the time, so there were scheduling hurdles and as far as surprises go, I think little moments like Meg trying a distortion pedal for the bass while running through ‘Let Me Let It Go’ was one of those great surprises and we tracked it like that. Or Jess being in town unexpectedly to be able to add vocals to ‘For A While’ was such a lucky outcome of just being friends and knowing she was around. Little things like that really shape an album. Asking Evan Weiss to play on the record and bringing what he did and then him recommending Alex was one of those lucky things that resulted in all these unique moments.”
One of those unavoidable casualties of the pandemic was of course touring and having his upcoming European leg shelved, it was a time for reflection and recalling particularly memorable highlights from Justin’s touring career. “It’s hard to just pick a few but when I remember playing in The Babies, we played a show in Amsterdam where the crowd was so excited and the show was so fun, when we came to end of the show and had already played all of our songs, we just played one of them again for the second time. It felt so silly and weird and very in the moment. Those are always my favorite shows. Also, the last Night Shop show I played right before the pandemic in London in early 2020 was probably my favorite show ever so it’s been nice to be able to remember that one during the last two years.” It was of course being on tour in Portugal many years earlier that necessitated Justin leaving the music scene for a while yet just like Dante’s Divine Comedy and journey from the dark depths to the ecstasy of rebirth, Justin has not only traversed that soulful journey but reemerged in a state that is stronger, more resilient and grounded than ever before.
It cannot be underestimated the cyclic nature of life and the importance of friends, and the role music plays in keeping friends bound together. Even when in tragic circumstances such as those experienced by Justin through the loss of a dear friend where music is not strong enough to keep friends and community connected, then the cathartic nature of creating and performing music with friends can be a powerful legacy which transcends the trivialities and tribulations of life. It is only fitting that the final words on such matters and of Forever Night are best left said by Justin. “This is a special album to me but it is also merely part of the continued joy of making music with my friends. If we’re still here, after all these years, then we’re very, very lucky. So let’s enjoy it and let’s do it to honor those who couldn’t make it to this day, for whatever reason. Let’s not take it for granted.”
