HHR Interview : Terminal City Inc.

HHR Blog sat down to do an interview with Just-One a member of the New York City band Terminal City. Terminal City was founded in 2009 by NYC emcee Just-One and guitarist/songwriter Derek Kunkel. The clash between Just-One’s edgy flow and Derek’s melodic guitar quickly became the basis around which Terminal City has developed. Today, the band fuses indie rock with hip hop and funk to create a dark intelligent sound that is both danceable and melodic.

HHR Blog: Tell our blog readers about yourself…where are you from…where were you born…where were you raised…which city and state are currently home to you?

I’m Just-One… I am from NYC… I was born in Upstate New York, and raised in several places along the East Coast. I am currently residing in NYC working with my band, Terminal City Inc.

HHR Blog: What type of a family did you grow up in?

I was adopted by Ministers of the Protestant faith when I was an infant, and raised in a environment of spirituality and education.

HHR Blog: What do you like about the City you currently reside?

NYC is my muse, my mistress, and my disciplinarian. She inspires me, but keeps me humble, and reminds me that at any time she can eat me alive like a Preying Mantis.

HHR Blog: Which do you prefer: performing solo or with a band?

I love performing with my band, but I also love performing solo over dope production. I can’t say I prefer one to the other. I love them both exactly the same, but completely differently which is what we call a paradox.

HHR Blog: Have you written any songs? Who has recorded them?



I have written numerous songs with my writing partner Terrordome, and have written songs with the band’s songwriter, Derek Kunkel. We are recorded at Smoke N Mirrors Studio in Brooklyn, and also at Wonderful Studios in Manhattan.

HHR Blog: Can you dance? On a scale of from one to ten, with ten being phenomenal, how good of a dancer are you?

Like Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers, I’m obviously a phenomenal dancer.

HHR Blog:  What type of dance do you do?

That same ole Two Step

HHR Blog: What inspires you as an artist be it singing a song or writing a song?

NYC inspires me. Pain inspires me. The occasional psychosis also inspires me.

HHR Blog: What genre of music do you consider your work to be?

I consider the Terminal City Inc. sound to be a fusion of Hip-Hop, Funk, Soul, and Indie Rock

HHR Blog: As a songwriter do you only write lyrics, or do you read and write music?

I write the lyrics of course, but I also write music. I can’t read music, so I record the melody I want and play around with the instruments until I get the sound that was in my head.

HHR Blog: Where have you performed? What was your favorite venue? What was your least favorite venue?

I have performed with my band, and with my partner, Terrordome at several venues in the area including: Gramercy Theater, Webster Hall Studio, Arlene’s Grocery, Sullivan Hall, The Delancey, Bowery Poetry Club, and Crash Mansion, among others. I love performing at all of the venues, but Gramercy Theater and Arlene’s Grocery have phenomenal sound.

HHR Blog: Is there an overriding theme to most of the songs you write and/or sing(play)?

I usually write songs about whatever is going on in my world, in my head, and in my daily travels. I guess it all depends on what kind of a mood I’m in.

HHR Blog: What has been your greatest challenge as a musician and as a songwriter?

My greatest challenge in terms of songwriting would probably lie in turning a collection of hot lines into an interesting story. It can also be hard to say something different with the same words.

HHR Blog: What advice do you have for people who want to break into the music or the Recording Arts Industry?

Don’t ever take no for an answer. If you can’t get a meeting with someone at a label, find out where they live, and make them listen. Throw it in their face constantly until they see the value in your art. In New York, we’re willing to kill to get what we need.

HHR Blog: Where do you see yourself in your career five years from now?

I see myself creating opportunities for other artists, and building my company in five years. I plan to be successful enough to open doors for others that I had to kick down myself.

HHR Blog: How can your fans gain access to your music?

Fans can listen to Terminal City Inc. recorded live on our website, http://www.terminalcityinc.com/ . You can also check out www.myspace.com/justonemc  for studio tracks.