Justin Sutton: Honest storytelling, timeless country sound, and a rising star on the horizon
Justin Sutton is a rising star in country music, known for his honest, grounded sound. His debut album, produced by Bart McKay, brought him into the spotlight, with tracks like “Greyhound” and “Nothin’ But Time” earning over 40,000 Spotify streams each.
Drawing inspiration from classic country influences and modern storytellers like Colter Wall and Tyler Childers, Justin’s songwriting blends personal stories with raw emotion. His music resonates with fans, capturing both the challenges of life and the beauty in everyday moments. As he continues to carve out his place in country music, Justin’s journey is one to watch. Let’s dive into his story!
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Justin Sutton. I currently live in Sturgeon County, Alberta, but I was born in Whitehorse, YK, and lived in Hay River, NWT for a while before my family moved to the East Coast where I spent my Junior High and High School Years in Moncton, NB. I went to college at Halifax Centre for the Arts and received my diploma in Audio Engineering. During college, I had the opportunity to work for Sonic Temple, a local recording studio, and helped record acts like Great Big Sea, Matt Mays, and Classified. I finally landed in Alberta to take an opportunity to work in the oilfield. After a few years of getting out to local jams and open mic’s, I’ve been able to get into playing and recording originals and I got to meet some great folks, including my band, North of 49. We’ve just been steadily practicing and playing shows for about 5 years now!
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
I was working in Edmonton framing houses, and I was always amazed at how much canola we’d have popping up in the construction sites. It made me think a lot about the farmers who lived and worked on that land and where they are now. It tied in a bit to, what I feel like, is a universal feeling of wanting to belong. And if you don’t have that feeling, or feel like you’ve lost it, the drive to go find something new.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Not really! Sometimes it’s just a melody I think of and put chords to. And then when you sit down with a guitar the melody can change (for better or worse). Sometimes it’s just a title, saying or idea that sticks with me. I really try not to force anything. So I’ll just keep that idea in mind, and if it keeps coming back, then I know it’s a good one, and eventually the song starts to form, or I get inspired to write it. Cowriting seems really popular these days, but I find a lot of people have a formula they like to follow when they write together, and it starts to feel formulaic. It’s nice to not have any barriers when you’re writing, and I find co-writing feels more natural around a campfire at 2 am.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
My band and I are gonna be hitting the road a lot this summer. We’re hoping to get all of Canada, we have a trip coming up to Whitehorse and we’re making some plans to get out to the East Coast. Keep an eye out on the YouTube channel and subscribe as we’re always trying to post new stuff for the band.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
My missus helped sign me up for a competition called Global Country Star Search. I wasn’t super sure about what it was, she was off at work and I was mowing the lawn on our acreage. I had a beer and it was a super nice day. I was considering not going. But I did because I figured she’d be upset with me if I didn’t. I ended up winning it and the folks who run it are really nice and supportive. Part of what I won was a free pass at the CCMA events that year in Calgary. I ended up meeting my band outside one of those events! We had just chatted that night but several months later they had reached out to see if I was interested in jamming some tunes. Winning Global Country also introduced me to a lot of new people in country music in Alberta and really started the more professional side of my music career.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
There are tons of great artists in Alberta that are on the rise. My fiddle player Darla Daniels is coming out with her own debut album soon. Our band therapist (guitar player’s wife), Jessie Bird is coming out with a single in April with an album to follow. Cruz Vallis is a good buddy who’s released a few singles and is getting into writing rooms with people like Jade Eagleson. Chevy Beaulieu just released his first single under his new record label deal (604 Records). Morgan Klaiber is absolutely killing it in Alberta and just had a song she co-wrote with Brett Kissel get released. Josh Dillon came out with a killer tune called Tobacco that you should check out. Lester Slade is an old high school buddy from Moncton who’s tearing it up, writing some great stuff, in Nunavut right now.