Justin Osborne going “rogue” in solo acoustic show

Justin Osborne, singer and songwriter for the alternative, folk band SUSTO, will perform a solo, acoustic show at Savannah’s Service Brewing Company, June 25. The show, titled “Rogue Acoustic,” is based on a Feb. 7, 2020, show that was played and recorded live at The Royal American in Charleston, South Carolina.

“This is going to be me performing essentially solo with an acoustic guitar,” Osborne said.

His friend, and newly announced SUSTO bandmate Jordan Reynolds of Rogue Hotel will be opening the show at 7 p.m.

“She’s going to be opening all the shows and performing with me singing harmonies,” Osborne said. “This is her first time touring and being a part of SUSTO. We’re in the process of getting rehearsals done and her starting with the full band in the fall.”

The show, which Osborne emphasizes is not a SUSTO band tour, includes songs off all three SUSTO albums: “SUSTO,” “& I’m Fine Today,” and “Ever Since I lost My Mind.” Osborne will also play several new songs.

“I don’t consider this movement forward for the band,” Osborne said. “I wanted to do something more intimate, stripped down and story-based.”

The show, which will be socially distanced with limited capacity, will be Osborne connecting with the audience in a new way.

“When SUSTO goes on a tour, I don’t tell stories and this is different,” Osborne said. “This is different because there is space to talk about the stories of the songs and how they all fit into my life as an artist.”

According to Osborne, all the songs are about growing up and working in the South — side note, Osborne used to work at The Royal American — playing in bars and trying to make it in music.

“The last 15 years of my life have been me trying to get where I am now,” Osborne said. “These stories are all baked into the songs that are trying to shed light on the moments in my life …[and] how that all fits into the message of SUSTO.”

Osborne has a lot of stories to unpack. In addition to a developing worldview influenced by leaving the South he grew up and spending time in Cuba, he has also experienced more recent life changes such as the global pandemic, the death of his father from lung cancer and the birth of his almost 2-year-old daughter, Harriet.

“It’s been a transformation; I’m a new person,” Osborne said. “I’ve changed a lot in the last year and a half.”

The new, solo album also titled “Rogue Acoustic” was announced today and will be released on June 4. Tickets for the show can be purchased at Eventbrite.com and are expected to sell out quickly. Visit servicebrewing.com for details.