Interview: No Justice returns to more country sound with new album "America's Son," playing Wormy Dog tonight

From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To read my recent review of No Justice’s “America’s Son,” click here.

No Justice returns to more country sound with ‘America’s Son’
The Stillwater-based red dirt band will bring its tour in support of its new album to the Wormy Dog Saloon Friday night.

After trying out a more rock sound on the 2010 album “Second Avenue,” the Stillwater-based band serves up a return to form with its new album “America’s Son,” released last month via Smith Music Group.

“Basically, that last album, going more rock, was just kind of an experiment. You know, just something to kind of do to say you’ve done it, and we learned from it. I mean, it did shape our career a little bit, the way we took some good things from it,” said lead singer/songwriter/acoustic guitarist Steve Rice.

“But when it’s all said and done, you know, that kind of more rocking music is not what the majority of our crowd wants to hear. They’re going to a country venue; you know, they want to hear country music. You can only push the other, the alternative, down their throats so much.

“I feel like it’s kind of like serving Chinese food at an Italian restaurant: They may like the dish, but they didn’t really come here for it,” he added with a laugh.

“I was playing the Wormy Dog back when it was in Stillwater and … it’s just kind of a tradition. It’s just kind of our home base whenever you talk about a music venue in Oklahoma. That’s pretty much as good as it gets,” Rice said in a recent phone interview.