SUSTO, Yam Haus (JBE FREE Outdoor Stage)

Be sure to check out all JBE Triple A SummitFest shows!

Fox Theatre Stage
Night 1 - 8/2: Lukas Nelson + POTR, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jaime Wyatt
Night 2 - 8/3: Grace Potter (Solo), The Band of Heathens, Andy Frasco & The U.N.

JBE Free Outdoor Stage
Night 1 - 8/2: SUSTO, Yam Haus
Night 2 - 8/3: Pressing Strings, Kiltro

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SUSTO
A season of drastic change is what brought SUSTO frontman Justin Osborne to the band’s fifth full-length LP, My Entire Life [New West Records]. There was a divorce, difficulties re-building his band after the pandemic, and the pain and helplessness of witnessing family members struggle with addiction and mental illness. Despite these challenges, Justin ultimately found himself in a new landscape, with new love and a deeper perspective, all of which is masterfully projected into My Entire Life.

While navigating some major life changes, Justin understandably experienced a surge of creative energy. He channeled this into writing and recording with the people closest to him, even as the tides of his personal life continued to shift. Primary collaborators included longtime producer Wolfgang “Wolfy” Zimmerman, SUSTO Co-founders, Johnny Delaware and Marshall Hudson, and his fiancé/co-writer Caroline Foyle.

Much of the album was recorded at The Space, in Charleston, SC, but major sessions also took place at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC, and Chase Park Transduction in Athens, GA. Johnny had moved to Mexico shortly after work on the album began, so some tracking was done at his home studio in Mexico City as well.

The band also took a “recording pilgrimage” to the Mexican town of Tepotzlán (mythical birthplace of mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl), where they turned an airbnb into a remote recording studio, with help from members of Mexican Institute of Sound.

The combined result of these efforts is a compelling blend of rock, folk and psychedelia, with vivid country-esque storytelling. It’s as raw and real as anything the band has done so far and everything you’d hope for from a modern rock ‘n’ roll record.

The album’s namesake and lead single, “My Entire Life” is melodically tearful, with an urgency “to keep living.”

As a whole, the album documents Justin’s personal journey through highs and lows in his life, with many of the details on full display. He narrates the demise and aftermath of an almost decade long relationship, while celebrating the joy of falling in love and the hopefulness of starting over. There is a playfulness at times, but always a clear desire to distill wisdom from experience.

“SUSTO’s narrative has always been confessional, and songwriting is my way of trying to make sense of the chaos—good and bad—around me,” observes Justin. “These songs cover the spectrum of everything that’s happened in my life the last few years. There’s been a lot of change, which can be painful, but there’s also been a lot of joy and hope, along with everything in between. I figure that’s what life is.” He continues “...it’s a mosaic of all the good, bad, and mundane things we face as we make our way from birth to death. Along the way we ride the waves, but if you stay true to yourself and push through, I believe you can get to where you really want to be, and you can shape that mosaic into something that fulfills you. There is a lot of hope in that for me. This record is my story of navigating a bunch of chaos, but finding ways to carry on and manifest my own happiness...the last few years were a challenge, but I look back and see that I made it through, a better, truer, and more realized version of myself.”

It's been quite the ride for SUSTO. In addition to achieving widespread critical acclaim in recent years, the group has built a diehard fan base through captivating live performances and compelling songs.

For as much as My Entire Life is the ultimate vision of what the band can be, it’s also a classic story of one person rising from the ashes, wiser and fiery than ever...

“Writing and performing has long been central in my life, and this season of change has only heightened my desire to connect with other people through songs. I’ve crossed a mountain, so I’m ready to charge forward, and share that story. Everybody goes through difficulty one way or another, we all get worn down, we all chase dreams; songs are there to remind us we aren’t alone in that. In my case. I’m thankful for lessons learned, and excited for the future. The privilege of sharing these songs with our audience is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”

Yam Haus
A lot of musical acts try to build on the success of their early music. But for indie pop-rock band Yam Haus, each time they release new music is a new step in their musical evolution — particularly this time around. 

It’s been a half-decade, a lot of touring, three EPs, more than a dozen singles, a lost band member, an appearance on American Song Contest and a global pandemic since the Minneapolis-based trio last put forth a project. In other words, the Yam Haus preparing to release new music in 2023 is nothing like the kids who took the Midwest by storm a handful of years ago. 

“I feel like so much has happened since the first songs and this doesn't even feel like it's our follow up,” says guitarist Zach Beinlich. “I feel like a new band. We have a totally different way that we're approaching how we create music.” 

“I genuinely feel less concerned about whether or not the next album is going to be ‘successful’ at this point,” adds singer and guitarist Lars Pruitt. “All I’m really concerned about is doing right by us and making something that we feel motivated to play live and love every inch of it for years to come. I’m just trying to do things in a way that’s super honest to us and our tastes — and hopefully the fans come along with us.” 

As one of the newest additions to Big Loud Rock’s roster, Yam Haus’ search for authenticity has found the perfect home. Pruitt, Beinlich and drummer Jake Felstow know they could’ve gone down a more mainstream pop-friendly rabbit hole for their new releases if they’d listened to the industry suits and producers around them after their sold-out headlining shows before the pandemic. Instead, they spent their time taking their music in a new direction. 

The result is a catchy blend of indie rock that still serves up the unforgettable hooks Yam Haus became known for, while also bringing a new level of songwriting maturity and musical complexity to their tracks. The band is growing up alongside the Gen Z audience that dove into their old music, while also allowing their personality and humor to shine a bit more and earn an expanded audience with the new stuff. 

“We're really excited about the new music, because it feels like it’s the first time in a long time that we’re creating it as a unified front,” Felstow says. “That’s exciting for us, and hopefully it translates to the people listening to the music. We really put our best foot forward, and we’re loving it.” 

“Even if it fails, at least it fails on our terms,” Pruitt adds. “The worst-case scenario is to make compromises, do things based on what other people think, and still not have it go very well. That’s not to say that’s what we’ve done up to this point, but we just realized we need to take an inventory of what we wanted. We made sure we were doing it for the right reasons and not just what we were being told to do.” 

“We’re making and releasing whatever we're feeling at that moment,” Beinlich concludes. “I think we’ve done a good job with that so far, and it’s given us a couple of songs that are very different from what we might’ve done in the past. They may not feel like they fit with everything else that we’re doing — like one song has a trumpet in it — but it always just feels like what we need to get out at that point. We’re not trying to fit something in where it doesn’t belong, but if it feels right and we like it, we put it out.” 

So far, that policy has been working out for Yam Haus and pleasing fans throughout the twists and turns of their musical journey. Ahead of the new music’s launch, the band started performing tracks that haven’t even officially been released at recent shows. And much to their surprise, their audience started singing the lyrics back to them after learning the songs from social media and single releases. 

But despite the sustained success on both sides of the pandemic, Yam Haus feels like they’re just getting started. At the very least, Pruitt’s committed to the journey in ways not easily changed. 

“I got the band tattooed on my ass, so I’m here for the long game.”