LLTM: How did the band get its name and is there any special meaning behind it?
Justin: I’ve always been a fan of band names with “The” in front of it, like The Strokes*, The Clash*, ect. But then we dropped the “The” and kept it just “TURNAWAYS” because it looks better on shirts/stickers haha.
LLTM: Does being from Houston, have any effect on your sound in your music?
Justin: Being from Houston has no effect at all on our sound. We don’t sound like anyone here really. Especially the new stuff coming out, it’s basically expanding our sound from the previous EP’s that are out. There has been a few times where people thought we were from California! Crazy!
LLTM: If you could swap 1 of your band members for any other musician for 1 day, who would it be and why?
Justin: I’d throw Deryck from Sum 41 to sing/play guitar to take my place. Funny story, recently I bleached my hair and people are starting to say I resemble him haha!
LLTM: What type of advice would you give to a young a artist, who is willing to give up everything just to be able to perform and attempt to get their name out there?
Justin: Get together with your friends, and just play live. House shows, parties, graduations, venues and talk to EVERYONE. Hang out after shows and talk to people, show up early and talk to people. Be friends with everyone!
LLTM: What is your favorite and least favorite part about being in the music industry?
Justin: Favorite part is everything, because to me music IS and heals everything. If you have no one, you will always have that. I guess the least favorite is booking tours. We don’t have a booking/tour manager, so it’s super hard to book out of town when no one knows who the hell you are. But I wouldn’t take any of it for granted!
LLTM: If you could create your own music festival, what would you name it and who would be in the line up?
Justin: Turnaways Fest, I’d put a big stage and a small stage. Big stage has Green Day*, Rancid*, Sum41*, and Blink 182*. The small stage would have Fidlar*, SWMRS*, and us haha! It’s Crazy I’m saying any of this!
LLTM: What has been the biggest moment in your career so far?
Justin: Biggest moment was playing with and meeting Fat Mike of the band NOFX*. He was super nice to all of us. Real, genuine, funny person, that I could talk to forever, and he has done a lot for the entire punk rock scene.
LLTM: Of all your songs, which one would you recommend that a newbie listen to?
Justin: Probably “I Wanna Be An Outsider” because that’s a song about not fitting in, in your town, and I think everyone’s been through something like that. Also I love “Surfin’ In My Mind” because it’s easy to listen to.
LLTM: Who’s been your biggest musical inspiration, and has it changed within the last 5 years?
Justin: My biggest inspiration is The Ramones*. That band got me into playing guitar and writing songs about love!
LLTM: Do you have any summer/fall tours coming up, if so which city are you most excited about?
Justin: We are touring most of Texas, then Oklahoma, Denver, and basically all of the west coast August 2nd- 2oth. It’ll be our 3rd tour ever and also our first tour we are playing at Gilman in Berkeley, that we are all excited about! We promote the shows on Instagram (Turnaways) and Facebook (Turnawaystx) for whoever wants to check it out!
LLTM: When can we expect a new album?
Justin: New album will be out definitely before we hit the road, and it’s honestly my favorite thing I’ve ever been involved in and wrote.
To check out Turnaways music visit http://www.turnaways.bandcamp.com
Peace, Love and Music
Hope Romine