Over the course of his decade-plus career, guitarist Justin Mazer’s role has been to contribute to a group dynamic, such as with the band Leroy Justice, or use his talents to help achieve the vision of a bandleader, like with the Ryan Montleau Band or Brad Parsons.
Today, however, the Northeast Pennsylvania musician, who has been living in Philadelphia for the past few years, is sharing music that is all his: two instrumental solo albums, “Controlled Burn” and “Discourse.” The albums were released without any previous announcement or promotion.
Each album has a different flavor, but there are common flavors between them: a focus on mood and atmosphere, and guitar playing that serves those ends rather than jamming or shredding.
Mazer recently spoke with us about the creation of the new albums, why he released them with no advance teasers, singles or videos, his fellow Philly-via-NEPA roommates Brian Langan and Pat Finnerty, and his outlook on being a touring musician waiting and ready for the next gig. You can watch our in-depth conversation, which splinters off into a discussion about prog rock, below.
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