Ladies and gentlemen, meet Justin Kline.
The kid jamming in the Vaughn Courtyard on a random Friday night – that’s Justin.
The song that’s stuck in your head after hearing a two-piece acoustic band at The Dubliner on Thursday night – that’s Justin’s.
The kid who’s kicking your butt in business classes – that’s probably Justin too.
Well-known by his friends and acquaintances as an up-and-coming musician, when put under a microscope, there’s a lot more to Kline than an appealing voice.
The 20-year-old junior from Rockville, Md. is a self-taught guitarist, vocalist and even plays a bit of piano. Ironically, his love of music stems from his hatred of boredom.
“I needed a hobby because I was extremely bored,” Kline said when asked what prompted him to pick up a friend’s guitar his sophomore year in high school.
He’s been obsessed ever since learning a few chords and receiving his own guitar for his 16th birthday.
Added to this musical talent, he is also an accomplished lyricist, claiming to have written well over 100 songs, although he only uses about 40 of them.
“I focus on the songs that really stick in my head,” he said.
As well as writing many of his own songs, Kline also does covers, which he tries to make uniquely his.
“His style is hard to describe,” said UT junior Ryan Louvain of Geneseo, N.Y., who also serves as Kline’s manager. “His genre is really his own. [It’s like] an acoustic Sublime mixed with a dash of The Beatles.”
Kline includes Sublime and The Beatles in his list of influences, as well as bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, Ray Charles and Bob Dylan.
Kline is currently performing with drummer Mike Copper of Rosecoe, Ill., a senior at UT. They are performing at small venues, such as The Dubliner in Hyde Park, which are best suited for their two-piece acoustic band. However, Kline is looking to flesh out his band to include a bassist, saxophonist and possibly a string instrument.
“I’m looking for talented musicians,” said Kline.
He is hoping that this expansion will help with his goal to create “extensive arrangements to make a rich sound texture.”
But don’t let Kline’s musical talents fool you. This creative crooner may have his head in the clouds when it comes to music, but his feet are firmly planted on the ground.
The marketing major won’t be dropping out of school anytime soon to move to NYC and make it big.
“My goal is to become the best person I can possibly become,” said Kline.
That may not mean becoming a musician.
Kline said he would really like to start a non-profit organization one day to help the world prioritize its goals and is currently thinking about a lot of business ideas.
“[I tend] to put my mind to something and just go with it until I do it well and then move on.”
If he does choose the music industry-or rather it chooses him-he believes having a background in marketing will give him an edge.
“Marketing is 70 percent of the music industry,” Kline was quick to point out. He then went on to explain how the music industry is constantly changing and how he’d like to be a part of that change and create music that “affects all your senses.”
Kline chose not to get into much more detail about what he means exactly by this but instead said excitedly to “stay tuned.”
So do we all need to be stocking up on his autographs for the day he’s famous and we can sell them on eBay?
“If I’m meant to do music, I’m meant to and I’ll do it,” said Kline. But with all the other goals he has for himself he’s not too worried.
You can check out more about Kline and listen to his music at http://www.myspace.com/justinkline or the Justin Kline Goupies group on Facebook.com.