The
Band
Who is Just William?
We are a four-piece band playing original music in
the pop/rock/ambient styles. All of us have a desire
to share our lives and experiences in song and music
in the hopes that our stories will enrich or impact
the lives of those who hear our music. All of us are
believers in Christ, and while our music reflects our
experiences in all arenas of life (not limiting music
to just "Christian" stereotypes by any means) we do
hope that people will ask us and talk to us about
Christ, faith, life, and the reason for the hope that
we have.
How did you get the name "Just
William"?
Actually, the name is just a clever name, like
Matchbox 20 or other similar names. None of us is a
"William." We were just trying to find an original
name. We did find out after we chose that name that
there is a British author, Richmal Crompton, who
authored a book about boy named William entitled
"Just William." But we have no connection to that
author or his work.
Are you touring?
Not at present. Currently we've been writing for a
new album that will hopefully become available near
the end of this year. So, we are picking up gigs here
and there as we are able to. Please check our
calendar and come see us!
Where can I buy your
music?
Our music is available for purchase from many
online services, including the iTunes Music
Store, Napster, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Music, MSN Music,
and others.
If you would like to purchase the our full-length
CD itself and not just the music files, CDs are
available from Grassroots
Music, Amazon.com,
TowerRecords.com,
BestBuy.com,
Wherehouse.com,
BarnesandNoble.com,
CDBaby,
and others.
Do you have a message board/fan
club?
We don't currently have a message board, but we DO
have a e-mail, a blog, and a MySpace page!!! If you
are wondering what is up with the band:
Jim
Coates
Home City: Marion,
IA
Family: Ashley - wife.
Andersen, Reid and Griffin - sons, Grace -
daughter.
What I do while I am not Playing
Music:
For employment I am a programmer for Laridian,
Inc. Laridian develops bible software for hand-held
devices.
Outside of work, my growing family and leading the
youth worship team at Cedar Valley Bible
Church fill a good number of hours in my day.
Just to make sure I stay out of trouble, I also
put as much time as my schedule allows into working
in and on my studio, record company and publishing
company (Eastern Skyline
Studios, Eastern Skyline Records and Songs from the
Skyline Publishing). (See a trend in the
names??)
Favorite breakfast
food?
Count Chocula... seriously
Favorite movie quote?
Pretty much anything from "Smokey and the
Bandit"
Closet confessions (favorite lame tv
show, musical artist etc)?
Did I mention "Smokey and the Bandit"? Oh yeah,
and Mythbusters
on the Discovery
Channel.
What inspires you
musically?
I'd probably have to say obedience... I feel that
whatever musical ability I have is something that I
have a responsibility to use. I consider it a gift
from God and feel that at the very least I need to
make sure I don't squander it. I don't have to think
I'm the best or most talented, I just have to be
obedient in being willing to let my music be heard
and used. I've had lots of great opportunities, met
lots of great friends, traveled to lots of great
places, all because of music.
How did music come into your
life?
I grew up in a musical family. My mom played piano
and my dad and his brothers and sister all played
and/or sang. Every time there was a family get
together, there was sure to be lots of music. Early
on as a young boy, my dad bought me my first guitar
and started me on guitar lessons. I've been playing
ever since.
Who would you most like to perform
with?
U2, Splender/Headrush and Joel Hanson.
What venue do you dream of
playing?
Austin
City Limits... I love that show.
How did you meet the rest of the
band?
I met Evan just after I started college... he
auditioned for a band that I was in at the time. I
met Dan Van
Oss (our former keyboard player and lyricist) a
short year or so later. Dan and I worked at a store
together and both knew Skip from working there (he
worked there too), however Skip didn't start playing
with us until many years later. Josh has been a long
time friend of Evan's and brought him into the band
when he wanted to move to guitar.
What brand guitar, drums, etc. do you
play?
PRS, Rickenbacker
and Fender
guitars. Orange, Vox and Fender amplifiers.
James Audio custom pedals.
What is your favorite "Just William"
memory?
Too many to list... and I'm hoping there are many,
many more to come.
Five Biggest Musical
Influences: Gordon Kennedy, Ty Tabor,
the Hansons (Jade and Joel... not
those other guys), Stevie Ray
Vaughn, My dad... "Big Al" Coates and his
brothers (Don and Ed).
Thoughts on Christian
Music:
I personally believe that we are expected to use
what has been given to us by God. What does that
mean? Well...I'm not sure I can define it any other
way than to say that it means that as an artist I
should strive to make the best music, be the best
performer and present an honest message to anyone and
everyone who might come out to see the band play.
Do I mind when Christian bands preach from stage?
No. Do I mind when they don't preach from stage? No.
Do I have a preference as to which should be done?
Yes. What does bother me is when bands feel that the
correct approach is to be a cookie cutter copy of the
last "successful" band. That's a type of deception
that robs both Christian and secular music from a
chance to be truly original and connect with the
listener on some level other than just marketing to
what's popular.
God made each one of us unique so that we can
better serve...we need to take advantage of that.
Evan
Marshall
Home City: Rochester,
MN
Family: Heather - wife,
Amara Skye and Fiona Raine - daughters
What I do while I am not Playing
Music:
Generally I am either working at Mayo Hospitals and
Clinics in my programming job, or I'm at home
with my wife and girls. I'm probably going to sound
completely boring at this point telling you that I'm
into gardening and landscaping, am an avid reader,
play MMORPGs (what are those???), and love to sit
with either a good coffee or ale and chat with close
friends. I've also been trying to start a small-group
Bible study in our home, and be active in the church
we go to here in Rochester, which makes us all pretty
active. I do get the opportunity to jog and swim with
another good friend of mine who is kindly looking
after my health as well.
How did music come into your
life?
I have been musically inclined, or so says my mom,
since I was really young...but I got my first guitar
when I was 14. I tried getting involved with local
bands way back then, but never really did anything
but sing once in a while. In 1990 I joined Arc
Ministries from Allegan, MI playing guitar and
singing for 8 months. After I had started college
after Arc, I was playing guitar and singing worship
music for a couple on-campus ministries, playing in
the worship team at Heartland
Vineyard Church, and going to a lot of concerts
in the area when the opportunity to do so arose.
How did you meet the rest of the
band?
I met Jim Coates (while he was with the band White
Stone) at a Christian music festival in Iowa called
"Lamb Jam". Jim and I have been hanging out for quite
a number of years, and as bachelors would often hang
out together in the early hours of the morning (like
3:00 AM!!!) at Donutland in Coralville talking about
music and the band and life, as well as watching
episodes of Beavis & Butthead and The Jon Stewart
Show on MTV (that is way before his hosting The Daily
Show too). Having a wife and a family, and living in
different cities, each of us are no longer afforded
that 'luxury'. But we chat often on AIM (sometimes
too much!)
Josh and I met quite a number of years ago and he
has been a good and faithful friend to count on in
life. He and I share most of our musical interests,
as well as politics and humor too. We both get a kick
out of SNL, The Simpsons, and The Family Guy...for
example. Originally I was the band's bassist...but as
I started to sing more lead vocal parts, it made more
sense to play guitar. I pestered Josh for quite a
long time to consider playing bass for us. Perhaps
'forced' him to give it a shot is more accurate. But
I don't think that he regrets this at all.
I met Skip through Dan Van Oss, who used to play
keyboards for us and is an amazing lyricist. Skip has
been a fantastic addition to the band, and is a
really generous and fun person as well. He take music
and drumming very seriously, and he is amazing as a
result.
Favorite breakfast?
Mmmm....Ethiopian coffee (French pressed), sliced
Bosc pears, and English muffins with orange
marmalade.
What is the most played tune on your
iPod?
It is more like what artists do I find myself
listening to over and over again. Lately I've found
myself listening to Switchfoot, Nickel Creek,
The Working
Title, Weezer, Alison
Krauss, Flook, and a
couple Vineyard
worship discs..."Dwell"
and "Sweetly
Broken"
Closet confessions of my secret
junk-food indulgence:
OK...this sounds weird, but I swear that it is
awesome! Really! Okay...here goes....Breyers All
Natural Vanilla ice cream and Lay's KC Masterpiece
BBQ potato chips. You dip the chips in the ice cream.
Don't say "gross" yet until you try it!!!
X-box, Playstation, Nintendo or
other?
Nintendo GameCube
and DS all
the way. My girls and I are totally addicted to Animal
Crossing on both systems. We can't wait for the
Wii
to go on sale at the end of the year. Geeks, all of
us!
Musical Equipment:
ToneSmith
Model
510 Custom semi-hollowbody electric guitar
(special thanks to Kevin Smith at ToneSmith Guitars
USA), Fender
guitars, Sigma
acoustic guitars,
Line6
effects processing, Marshall, and
Fender amps, Nady
wireless
Thoughts on Christian
Music:
There is a lot in Christian music to like in terms
of quality and creativity, as well as having a more
wholesome content. Too often times musicians will
jump on the bandwagon of a specific style, rather
than being creative on their own right. It is my hope
that our music would be a reflection of the
creativity and talent that God has nurtured in us, as
well as our feelings about the world we live in.
Joshua
Krause
Home City: Waterloo,
IA
Family: Three siblings
and in-laws, about a million of nieces and nephews,
and two very loving, generous parents. Also a fat and
lazy, but adorable and affectionate cat.
How did music come into your
life?
Music has always been a big part of my family
life. Growing up, my family was very musically active
- my mom, dad and sister all wrote and sang their own
songs. I played drums a few times in church as a kid,
saxophone in junior high and high school, and guitar
starting in college. My friend and bandmate Evan got
me started on both acoustic and bass guitar, and I
played at my church for a number of years prior to
joining Just William (as well as again more
recently)
Who would you most like to perform
with?
Mute
Math, U2, Switchfoot or
Keane
What venue do you dream of
playing?
Of the places I've seen, Pabst Theatre in
Milwaukee is probably the most beautiful. I
watched Rufus
Wainwright play there a couple of years ago -
just an amazing place.
How did you meet the rest of the
band?
I met them through my friend Evan, who was the
bassist at the time. I met Evan years before and he
had "bugged" me for some time about considering
joining the band. I finally gave it a go, and the
guys have been great to play with and get to know.
Favorite breakfast
food?
Cold cereal. Bagels perhaps a distant second,
unless coffee counts.
Hidden talents?
My body can be most of a percussion section. Do
fake languages count? Ebenglibish
shoubould bebe thebe nebew nabatiobonabal
labanguabage.
Favorite
bands/artists:
Mute
Math, Switchfoot, The Violet
Burning, Iona, Coldplay, Incubus, Delirious, Splender/Headrush,
Radiohead, Rufus
Wainwright
What brand guitar, drums, etc. do you
play?
Fender 4- and
5-string jazz basses, Hartke
bass amps and cabinets, Boss
pedals
What I do while I am not working with
the band:
Earn money, drink coffee, listen to music, read,
be involved in politics, spend time with friends,
watch The
Simpsons
Thoughts on Christian
Music:
I think people should sing and play what's real
and interesting to them. In whatever ways one's
relationship and experience with God and faith have
shaped his perspective on and interests in life, it
will reflect in his music. But to really be real,
music should encumber the entirety of one's life
experiences and thoughts. I think music is a great
thing we're able to enjoy in life and should do so
when we play or sing or listen to it, and not
restrict the scope of our music to necessarily having
to have a particular mission or goal outside of the
enjoyment of the music itself. Though what is said
and conveyed lyrically in music is powerful, the
whole of the music is valid and should be enjoyed for
what it is.
Skip
Lowe
Home City:Grinnell,
IA
Family: Linda - wife.
Ryan and Jacob - sons
What I do while I am not Playing
Music:
Day Gig: Employee Benefits Consultant
Night Gig: Music
Short story of my life and how I
started in music:
My passion for music began at the age of five the
second I saw my first Drum Set! The bug has had me
ever since. Music makes the world go round, crosses
gender, race and religion boundaries.
Five Biggest Musical
Influences: Buddy Rich, Peter
Gabriel, Chick Corea,
Led Zeppelin, Rush
Musical Equipment:
- Yamaha
Recording Custom (Custom Dark Purple Wood Grain
Finish) Standard Depths, sizes: 10", 12", 14"
22"-Bass
- Snare: 5"x14" Ludwig
Super Sensitive Hammered Bronze.
- Effects Drums: 22" Tama Gong Bass,
13" Timbale
- Percussion: Cowbell, Wind Chimes, Temple
Blocks
- Cymbals: 13" Quick Beat Hi Hats, 15" A Custom
Fast Crash, 17" A Custom Crash, 10" A Zildjian
Splash, 22" A Zildjian Ping
Ride, 18" Wuhan China Swish.
Thoughts on Christian
Music:
It's the real deal.
