Music Style a conglomoration of all our influences

Musical Influences The Doors, Smashing Pumpkins, Dinosaur Jr., old U2, Radiohead, Fugazi, The Cure

Artist History In April 2000, Chad Van Meter, Lance Hill, Jon Hill, and Brad Amstutz formed homeless J. Quickly acquainted with each-other's styles, the members knew there was something special with the lineup. The four musicians made a powerful unit, solidifying a tight rhythm section with an atmospheric guitar blanket under Chad's airy vocals. The combination was inspiring, as a local music columnist said, "The fellows in Homeless J. seem to paint sonic landscapes with their music...their music doesn't reach out to you as much as invite you (almost flirtatiously at times) to embrace it, to join in the mood, almost like a secret club." The band started playing in their hometown of Fort Wayne, IN. They spent most of 2001 focused on writing good original music and playing out locally. In September of that year they started recording. Their music soon caught the ear of WXTW 102.3's Program Director, JJ Fabini. "Having being involved in the Ft. Wayne music scene for some 10 years, I can honestly say that I have never seen a band generate such a buzz as homeless j. I started hearing great things about this band no less than one day after their debut live show, and have yet to find even one person to walk away from a homeless J. performance disappointed. It was truly an honor to include them in our 5th installment of the X1023 Essentials project (a CD showcasing Ft. Wayne's best local artists), and I expect big things from them in the future." JJ Fabini, Program Director - 102.3, WXTW "B-Fly" was put into regular rotation on WXTW 102.3FM with large support from the station manager, and the band was nominated for 6 categories in the Whatzup (Fort Wayne's entertainment magazine) Best of 2001 poll. Homeless J was voted best new artist. In August of 2002 they signed with Uninhibited Records/MCA. homeless J. has finished recording their debut album, which is set for release in 2003.

Press Reviews 4.10.03 - Whatzup - by Kevin Erb "The as-of-yet unnamed album will consist of 10 or 11 original songs, Amstutz says, selected from a group of about 15 in total that they recorded while at the Sound Kitchen. A little more than half the songs, he adds, were culled from their vault..." Full story... 12.13.02 - Whatzup - by Todd Hamm "Despite 3.1 Productions’ location in Nashville, long regarded as the country music capital of the world, the production company hasn’t a single country band on its list of clients, Van Meter said. He said that Nashville’s music scene has been changing in recent years, with rock bands — Nashville Pussy among others — becoming more and more prevalent. Van Meter said 3.1 Productions owns The Sound Kitchen, one of the largest recording studios in the country. The facility, aside from featuring seven state-of-the-art recording studios, has a lengthy and impressive client list that includes artists such as Elton John, Jewel..." Full story... 10.21.02 - Crazewire.com - by Matt Jericho "...I caught Homeless J at the station's "Homeless J Got Signed So We're Throwing A Party" party on Monday at Piere's...Homeless J has just been picked up by MCA imprint Uninhibited Records. If there is one thing that I can say about this band it is that they know what they are doing. Front man Chad VanMeter seems to communicate with everyone in the room at once. He grabs you by the guts and won't let go..." Full story... 9.26.02 - The News-Sentinel - by Charlie Roduta "After two months in the recording studios, the local band homeless J. is ready to rock...The show will offer homeless J. fans a reason to shake their groove thing: This will be the band's first performance since signing a record contract in August...'After we signed, we knew we were going to take the next few months off recording,' says homeless J. bassist Jon Hill. 'But when (WXTW) asked us to play, we were excited. We were feeling the fire to get out and play. It'll be cool to play with Filter. But the chance to play on a big stage to a hometown crowd -- that's what we're the most excited about.' Rumors of a record deal..." Full story... 4.29.02 - IndianapolisMusic.net - by Moxy "With major label eyes focusing on Ft. Wayne's Homeless J, they are definitely sitting in the slingshot waiting to go. The use of guitar distortion and the consistent embrace of heavy reverb on the vocals of Chad Van Meter felt like an experiment in rock..." Full story...

Location Ft. Wayne, IN - USA

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