Justin Purtill - Sore Eyes For Sight - Stone Walls and Steel Bars

Artist: Justin Purtill

Album: Sore Eyes For Sight

Track: Stone Walls and Steel Bars

Born in the small town of Cary, IL in 1980, Justin Christopher Purtill has at various times in his life been an actor, singer, dancer, dog walker, pizza delivery boy, poet, baseball umpire, guitarist, bassoonist, drummer, acoustic and electric bassist, yogi, busker, landscaper, vegetable farmer, catering waiter, composer, and sheep herder.
Upon completing his degree in Professional Music with an emphasis in jazz bass from Berklee College of Music in 2003, and after performing with jazz greats like Gary Burton, Hal Crook, Bob Guilloti, Nat Maguvero, Eric Kloss, and Tiger Okoshi, Mr. Purtill quit playing bass and started writing pop songs on guitar. This new direction led him all over the world to Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, and the Catskills and produced two albums entitled Permanent Mystery and Raw. He obtained a Master's Degree in Contemporary Improvisation from the New England Conservatory in 2007. He later returned to bass playing on Tisziji Munoz's acclaimed album Love at First Sound featuring Rakalam Bob Moses-drums and John Lockwood-bass and on Leo Genovese's Unlocked featuring Joe Hunt-drums.
Then he received a call from his buddy Stu Allen asking whether or not he had any interest in moving to California to join Melvin Seals and the JGB to which he replied "Sure! Why not?". (for the record Mr. Purtill's first response may have been "what does the gig pay?" but he certainly followed that with "Sure! Why not?"). He embarked on a year long tour with the JGB which (for the record) was a hell of a good time. During his tenure with JGB he formed his own trio which is currently his working band.
Shortly thereafter, another old Boston/Berklee pal Pablo Valero called asking about possibly making a record for the AYVA music label to which he replied "Sure! Why not?". He brought in his trio of Jeremy Shanok-drums and Will Rzad-bass with special guests Leo Genovese-keys and Ryan Leaver-guitar and proceeded to track ten-plus hours of music in two days. This session became the Sore Eyes for Sight CD, his first for a reputable label.
Mr. Purtill now puts food on the table by teaching music to children and playing guitar at a hotel on the weekends. He occupies his free time with reading Robinson Jeffers, jogging on the beach and watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Justin
• Purtill
• Sore
• Eyes
• For
• Sight
• Ayva
• Music
• Musica
• Will
• Rzad
• Jeremy
• Shanok
• Leo
• Genovese
• Ryan
• Leaver
• Stone
• Walls
• and
• St