Jostaberry

Jostaberry (pronounced “yostaberry”) is a project from Bellingham, Washington composer Bruce Hamilton. Greener Grass (2020, Tangy Citrus) is an unpredictable 50-minute swim through contrasting experimental rock and pop zones, a collection of lo-fi songs unified by subterranean musical and lyrical ideas. It’s idiosyncratic and eclectic. While there are some uses of noise and creative sound production, the focus is more on aesthetic hybrids, adventurous harmony, flexible phrasing, and surprising forms.   

"I give this a HUGE thumbs up. When I hear stuff like this, it intrigues me and I learn from it. This is one of the best of the year.”  - Dereck Higgins (dereckvon on YouTube) 

"...always twisted and tweaked toward the art side of the spectrum. There are various sounds represented here from fusion to King Crimson styled sounds, Beatles-like moments, things that call to mind Billy Sherwood and much more. This is an ever changing sonic tapestry that always seems to fit together somehow. It's also always compelling, even when it gets strange."   - Music Street Journal 

Hello Turbine (2022) is another eclectic collection of unconventional tracks that jump between and fuse genres. At the heart of each track is a focus on rich harmony and catchy melodies, along with quirky and introspective lyrics. Each song was first released publicly as a video over the course of a year, seven of them home-made by Jostaberry, and one by animator Ryan Rothaus.

""Everything here sounds like it has meaning and purpose, yet the beating heart at its core is far from silent. This is music made with a purpose but anchored with emotion....if you want more of the tasty Jostaberry experience, or have yet to be initiated, dig in." - Kiko Jones (5 blog)

"This project was quite an inspiring and invigorating package, and I DO mean package: the goodies you’ll find inside never seem to quit. Highly recommended!" - DIVIDE AND CONQUER