Justin Rowland with Seselia at Hawks & Reed

Justin Rowland is a singer/songwriter currently living in the greater Boston area, and playing throughout New England. He grew up in a music-loving family with diverse tastes, and early influences include everything from Willie Nelson to the Dead Kennedys. In his teens, spent in the small towns surrounding the “city” of Bangor, Maine, he learned to sing, write and play guitar in a goth-punk band with his friends, drawing inspiration from the alternative rock scene of the 90’s.

Justin attended college at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina where he studied Theatre Arts, first love, bluegrass, the southern indie rock scene, and the effects of Gentleman Jack on a young and willing liver. He left the south with a broken heart, several credits shy of a degree. But he did have a number of useful job skills that could be applied in the theatre business, and a number of solid heartbreak songs, the combination of which led him to seek his fortune in Chicago.

He had every intention of  pursuing music as a career when he moved to Chicago, starting a band and writing a new batch of songs. However, once again practical concerns, and love, set him on a different path, a twenty year career in the American theatre. He married, moved to Massachusetts, had a daughter, divorced, and soldiered on. He never stopped writing songs, and the guitar remained a close confidant and key therapeutic device.

Now in his forties, Justin has once again hung out his shingle as a performer and songwriter. His writing is deeply personal, often political, and draws from a diverse pool of styles, including classic folk, acoustic blues, old school country and contemporary americana. Musical heroes include Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Nirvana, Jason Isbell, Ray Lamontagne, Leonard Cohen, Ani DiFranco, The Indigo girls, Ryan Adams and many others. He has three EPs available on streaming services, On Fire, An August Complex, and Where There Is Smoke.

Seselia is a Boston-based folk/bluegrass band consisting of three Berklee students (and the occasional upright bassist-for-hire). From sea shanties to love songs and old mountain tunes, Seselia’s unique approach to acoustic music will be unforgettable.
Beginning in the spring of 2021 after meeting in a class focused on the “Dawg Music” of David Grisman, Leo, Caleb and Jack immediately felt an amazing musical chemistry while playing together. After spending the rest of the year writing and arranging music new and old, Seselia is looking forward to bringing their material to the studio in the summer of 2022!

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