HypoKriticaL came in part from my ex-wife who said I was a hypocrite. I changed the 'c' to a 'k' to add some flavor to the name much like alot of rappers do. At the time it was my 'rap' persona, but later became my total moniker for all the music I made on my own.

I haven't played live under HypoKriticaL. I have only played live with other bands I have been in.

I think it exposes people on both ends to new music and new fans. It allows unknown artists to get their music heard by people that normally wouldn't be able to ever hear them. I think it's a positive thing and maybe some day the record companies will catch on and ride the wave.

Of course.

HypoKriticaL (AKA Justin) joined his first group, Lunar Eclipse in 1988. The founder of the band, Rich Brown, had seen him at school always carrying around a 'boombox' and knew that he was in the high school band. They needed a bass player and Rich called Justin asking him to join. Justin was a drummer and had fooled around on the bass "a little bit". He lied and said he could play just to join the band. That phone call set into motion the events that would change Justin's life forever.
Soon after joining Justin went from bass player to drummer. His style reminded the lead singer, Matt Crane of John Bonham. At 16 Justin was playing in bars and at parties. He was forced to grow up very quickly as the rest of the band was 4 years older or more.
The band quickly changed their name to Chameleon King (after one of the songs that they had written), started writing a ton of new material, changing bass players every couple of months and began diligently trying to make it in the music world.
The band was based out of Ellensburg, WA (a small town 2 hours east of Seattle) and played shows all over the Northwest. Chameleon King released 2 albums themselves before splitting with Justin in 1992. The rest of the band moved to Seattle to pursue a music career while Justin opted to stay behind to graduate High School. It was at this time that he began to write his own songs, teach himself how to play the guitar and the bass, and experiment with recording. It was the beginning of something that would eventually dominate his life.
Within a month of graduating he had moved to Seattle. The band had since broken up and Justin began a long journey of self discovery. With no band, Justin began to focus on writing his own music again but also began to realize what life was like living on your own in a big city. Justin began going through job after job, never feeling happy or satisfied with any of them. It was also during this time that he began to experience relationships.
As time went on Justin's realizations of life began to take shape. The small town mentality began to erode as the big picture began to develop in his mind. Taking influence from bands such as Rage Against The Machine, 311, Primus, Cypress Hill and Henry Rollins, Justin's music began to grow and mature as did he.
In 1995 Justin lived in a 3 bedroom apartment with a friend from work, his wife and their friend. The conditions were cramped but inspiring. Armed with a guitar, a bass with only 3 strings, a drum machine and a Fostex 4-track recorder (the last 2 lent to him by long time friend and former bandmate, Rich Brown), Justin began to focus on creating his own songs. For the next 6 months he wrote and recorded over 40 songs ranging in styles from rap to metal to rock-a-billy to swing! Justin's attitude on music had always been, why stick to one style when there are so many to play with?
The songs began to get better and better and making his own music became alot more fulfilling than working in a band. This was not, however, the end of Justin's band days. About 3 years later Justin put an ad in the paper. After being an accomplished drummer, guitarist and bass player, he wanted to take it to the next level and try his hand as a vocalist. Realizing that at this point he had alot to say with his lyrics, and the only way he was going to get his ideas across was to become a singer. The ad was put in the Seattle alternative newspaper, The Stranger and soon after another fateful phone call was received.
Justin auditioned for a band called, N-Gauge and landed the role of vocalist the same day. By this time Justin wanted to be in a band that played heavy metal but had rap style vocals, much like Rage Against The Machine and 311. That is exactly what N-Gauge was looking for and it was a perfect match. The lead guitarist, Shannon Sharp and Justin instantly became the driving force for the band. Both were hungry for a career in music and craved the fame of rock stardom. N-Gauge recorded an album the next year and played numerous live shows. But, as Justin had grown all too accustomed to, the band began to fall apart. Conflicts emerged and problems arose. The drummer quit, the bassist was called away indefinitely and because of money problems, Justin had to move as well.
The plan was simple, save some money and move back to join the band. They had found a drummer and the bass player was due to come back within a couple of months. Sounded easy enough, but it never happened. Justin quit the band and began making his own music again. N-Gauge later changed their name to Suffergauge and emerged with a new singer and new drummer.
Meanwhile, Justin was dealing with many personal demons, but all the while making music.
It was around this time that he really began using the computer to record songs. As time went on he began to use the computer solely as a recording studio. Using samples and drum loops, the good old days of 4-track recording became a thing of the past. Justin soon after moved to Boise, ID where the alias, HypoKriticaL was born. He was quickly married and spent the next 2 years supporting a wife, her 2 kids and learning more about life than he ever had.
In 2001, Justin and his family moved to California. It was the move to California that gave Justin the oppurtunity he had been waiting for to make music again. With a decent paying job and enough time to write songs, Justin's musical persona, HypoKriticaL really began to take shape and emerge.
The next year resulted in numerous songs being recorded and many changes in his life. Justin still believed in combining different musical styles but the music of HypoKriticaL was mostly rap.
Justin moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he seperated from his wife and began to write and record even more songs. Soon after seperating from his wife he moved back to his home base of Seattle, WA where he currently resides, recording music and working to pay the bills.

My influences cover a variety of musical styles.
KoRn, Rage Against The Machine, 311, Eminem, Primus, Garth Brooks, Danny Elfman, Cypress Hill, Beastie Boys, Reverand Horton Heat, Helmet, Dr. Dre, AC/DC, Nine Inch Nails, Revolting Cocks, Ministry, Lard, Tesla and many more...

Seattle, WA

Ibanez RG-7 guitar, Yamaha 4-string bass, ACID Pro 4.0, Digitech Whammy Pedal and various mics.

I am currently designing my new homepage. Watch for www.hypokritical.com revised soon.