JT & The Gunslingers

It’s been three years coming for local country rockers JT and the Gunslingers to get to play the Mayo Park stage.

Opening for Sunday’s Down by the Riverside country night, the quartet will be bringing their standard “Midwestern” sound to all country fans’ ears.

A self-described outlaw, rough-around-the-edges country sound, front-man JT Thompson said they’ve been able to build up their own fan base from frequenting the local bar scene.


“It's taken a while to catch on, but now that it has these bars shows are where we make our fan base,” Thompson said. “They now come to see us for our thing and get to hear a few covers, but they get to hear our material, see what we're working on and hear their favorite songs of ours.”

This set will potentially be played to a crowd three-times larger than their standard shows, and the band is preparing to show what they have to the masses.

“No, it's not a regular show,” he said, “and we don't want to treat it that way. We've done opening shows before, but these are where we get to showcase what we have.”

Where their bar shows may feature three or four hours of covers and requests in addition to their own material, the Rochester musician said Down by the Riverside will feature mainly their original music.

“You're going to get straight JT and the Gunslingers music,” Thompson said. “if we play a couple few covers, it's because we like playing those ones.”

That original music contains bar-bangers with classic country titles like “Pass a Beer,” “Our Town” and – fittingly – “Midwestern Girls.”

“We call it “Midwestern” music, but it’s on that borderline of country and rock,” he explained. “While we have more of an old school vibe to our music, it’ll be nice to get in front of that crowd that might not normally come out. We can say, ‘Hey, we're not old men, we have good music coming out of our instruments and in our songs.’”

Whether those in the crowd Sunday evening prefer classics like Johnny Cash and Wayland Jennings or more modern county like Little Big Town or even the headliner, Chase Bryant, Thompson said they’ll put on a show that any country lover will enjoy.

“Within the music scene in town, if there's someone who's heard of us but never seen us, they can come out, hear us play, not have to be in a bar atmosphere,” JT said. “Plus, this show will be nice to get out in front of Chase Bryant fans that are in and around the area, being a younger artist. Even if someone’s on the fence about country, they should still come out and enjoy a free show on a Sunday.” - Post Bulletin

It’s impossible to see how far you’ve come if you never look back.

For country outlaws JT & The Gunslingers, looking back isn’t hard to do. They played their first show in one of their favorite venues, The North Star Bar, 503 N Broadway Ave., Rochester, and keep coming back for more.

They’ve played plenty of wild shows since their first at the Star. They have plenty slated for summer, but May 5’s show promises to be one for the books: it’s the band’s third birthday and the release of their latest EP.


While most of us know them for the true-school, midwestern country sounds they champion, the “Pass A Beer EP” is a six-pack of tunes that show off the band’s range. It flits from the already-released radio singles “Our Town” and “Midwestern Girls,” to the experimental, Black Crowes- and Beck-influenced “Bad Grass,” to the ballad-esque “It Takes Time.”

The release party will feature physical copies of the work, as well as download cards for the greener-minded.

For fans waiting to hear an updated version of the band’s “Gunslinger,” it’ll be on the full length, which is already being recorded. While Thompson acknowledges that cuts like “Midwestern Girls” were written with radioplay and growing the fanbase in mind, the band has not abandoned its cut-to-the-soul content. Nor should it: Thompson’s self-trained singing and experience as an Army Ranger infuses their music with soul-searching earnesty and a gravelly voice that sounds right out of an Oronoco roadhouse.

“The songs that I normally write are geared for my age group, which is hard for young kids to relate to, young adults, like sedentary bulls*** that it takes to be 38 years old and been at four tours of war, trying to be a musician ... It’s just life. That you’ll see come out in the next album more,” said Thompson.

I gave JT & The Gunslingers their first piece of press in a Dial Tones column back in the early days of 507 Magazine, as Thompson reminded me during our interview. They’ve gone hard ever since, with shows spanning the country and experiences that I’m sure only the band fully grasps.

“All of our stuff is just normal redneck fun, I guess,” said Thompson.

Here’s a look back at some of their wilder sets:

“There was one show with Montgomery Gentry where I hopped down off the stage to get a shot from an Army veteran, blew out my knee and hit the security fence with my face. The security guard had to help me hobble off backstage.”

“We played for the Army Rangers, like all the Army Rangers in the military in special operations, in June of 2015, that was a pretty crazy show. We were outside and we had our equipment all set up then it started down-pouring and about 200 rangers helped us pull all our stuff in underneath cover it, and then we pull it all back out and, I guess wiring code in Georgia is not what it is up here, because there’s bare wires sticking out of the wall and stuff. I got zapped pretty hard twice where it about knocked me on my a**. But then, well, me being an Army Ranger, I knew what to expect out of the guys. The rest of the band really didn’t know what to expect. That was a pretty crazy show when you’ve got two to four hundred rangers at any given time singing along and screaming and yelling. That was pretty wild.”

The next time they’re in Rochester proper? August 11. So get out and see them while you can. - Post Bulletin

If you took southern rock mixed with a modern day edginess and add a dash of good ol' Midwest and a bunch of originality, then you've got JT & the Gunslingers, one of the area's fastest growing bands.

Members are J.T. Thompson on vocals and guitar, Jimmy Riot on bass, Todd Owen on lead guitar and Eric Amundrud on drums. The band had its first show in May of last year, and their following is growing fast — they already have one single, "Our Town," being played on radio stations throughout the Midwest, and they've opened for some pretty big acts, including Mongomery Gentry. Just a few weeks ago, they were voted the "Fan Favorite" band to be the opening act at the Harvest Jam Country Music Festival.

Thompson, who grew up in Zumbrota, is a former Army Ranger as well. In fact, that's how he got started in music in the first place.

"I started about 12 years ago down in Georgia when I was in the Army," Thompson said. "I needed something for stress release, so I taught myself guitar and then learned songs that I wanted to do and started playing."

He's never taken any singing lessons either, just refined his natural talents along the way.

"I listen to old recordings of when I first started playing, and I think, 'Wow, that was horrible,'" he said. "It's like any musclel; the more you do it, the better you become."

For someone who had never had any lessons, that first performance on stage was a bit nerve-wracking.

"I was sitting on a barstool at a bar down in Savannah, and I don't think I ever had to move my pick hand — my leg was shaking so bad it just moved the guitar up and down for me. I was used to playing in the barracks for my buddies, but being on stage was pretty nerve-wracking," he said. "I still get nervous leading up to a performance. You could ask the band members; I'm always tense before a show, but I usually relax by the end of the first set."

The band is coining their unique sound as "Midwest Music.""We are a mix of southern rock and a Midwestern sound, kind of along the lines of Martin Zellar, GB Leighton and John Mellencamp, just a uniquely Midwestern type of music and a conglomeration of everything," Thompson said. "Everything gets tossed into the country music genre these days, but southern rock is a different genre."

Most of the songs on the upcoming album were written by Thompson, who has been writing his own material for years.

"I had a songwriting contract offer from Paramount in Nashville a few years ago," he said. "I'd just come back from Afghanistan but had to go back on another tour, so I couldn't fulfill their obligations so I had to pass on signing with them."

This will be the band's first album. "We are hoping to release the album in a few months, but our engineer is a very busy man," Thompson said. "He just moved back here, too, from Nashville — he did 85 percent of Sony's engineering down there, so it's great to be able to work with him.

"The entire band is chock full of talent," Thompson said. "Todd Owen has been playing around the area for about 30 years, (his dad got him up on stage for his first show when he was 10!) and Jimmy Riot is from New York, moved out here but used to play in Billy Joel's daughter's band and was tied in with major labels — we were lucky to get him.

"Eric, our drummer, grew up here, and then he moved to Nashville and built drums for 13 years, plus played drums down there," Thompson said. "The engineer has a keyboard player that plays with Keith Urban all the time, and he is on our first single that is out on radio and he's going to play on the rest of the album as well. It just feels like the connections are right where they need to be right now to get everything moving. We aren't getting any younger, so we are really pushing hard and trying to get to places it takes people multiple years to get to.

"Everything is coming together at the perfect time in my life," Thompson said. "Honestly, there were times when I thought I was ready for stuff and was trying to force it, but it just didn't work. And right now it seems like everything is aligning and coming together nicely." - Minnesota's Post Bulletin

For country music fans in Rochester, this week can’t be beat. After Scotty McCreery and Parmalee played the Olmsted County Fair stage, rising country star Chase Bryant will headline week four of the Think Bank Down By the Riverside free outdoor concert series.

The local opener, JT & the Gunslingers, has made a name for themselves playing across the region for the past five years. We recently had the chance to talk with lead singer JT Thompson about the upcoming show, his time in the military and his take on the growing music scene in Rochester. Below are a few excerpts from that interview.

Q: WHERE DOES THIS SHOW RANK AMONG THE MOST EXCITING GIGS YOU’VE EVER BOOKED?
A: I think it’s definitely in the top five. It’s a hometown crowd at Mayo Park with a great artist like Chase. It is exactly what we set out to do. We never started this journey to become the best cover band in the Midwest, so these shows are exciting for us.

Q: YOU SPENT SOME TIME AS AN ARMY RANGER BEFORE COMING BACK TO MUSIC. HOW DID THAT EXPERIENCE INFLUENCE HOW YOU WRITE AND PLAY MUSIC? WHAT IS YOUR WRITING PROCESS NOW?
A: I would have to say my experience grounded and humbled me. I try to take that approach in my writing, so it is relatable to our listeners. It is hard to enjoy songs when you have no clue what they are talking about or feel the lyrics — at that point it might as well be white noise. So I aim for that with every song I write.

Q: AS ROCHESTER GROWS, WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO BETTER SUPPORT LOCAL ACTS?
A: Go to the show! That’s hands down the number one thing. No-cover shows are aplenty in Rochester, and there is great music too. Go to the shows of these artists and leave the notion that you want to hear "Sweet Home Alabama," "Brown Eyed Girl," and "Mustang Sally" played for the 12th million time by the 6th million cover band at home. Dig for originality. All those bands and musicians were sitting where we are now. The biggest part of what got them to where they are is the fans! - The Med City Beat

(ABC 6 News) -- There’s a lot of local talent, but breaking into the music industry can be challenging. The internet is becoming increasingly saturated with artists, and local venues that host live shows seem to be closing faster than they are opening.

One Rochester band is sticking to their guns, and it's paying off.

JT Thompson formed “JT & The Gunslingers" about four years ago. He brought in Lead Guitarist Todd Owen, Drummer Jeff Stewart, and Bassist Jimmy Elliott.

“At the beginning, it was rough because we didn't set out to be the best cover band in the Midwest,” said Thompson. “We wanted to do something more original.”

Thompson got the band’s name from their song “Gunslinger”. "We have outlaw country songs, we have pop country songs, southern rock songs,” he said. “It's a playlist, it’s not just one genre."

Thompson says familiarity goes a long way in the business. However, their love for music propelled the band forward. JT & The Gunslingers put on about 160 shows a year, including at the Olmsted County Fair.

Brandon Helgeson is a board member of the fair. He books the Gunslingers each year. “I have seen a lot of progressions when he [Thompson] was first a solo acoustic guy … to now with a full band,” he said. “I think it just shows there are creative people no matter where you are at.”

Within the last two years, the Gunslingers fan base has grown.

“There are places that we will go to that we haven't been to before and they know the single [Midwestern Girls],” said Thompson. “I think we are on 15 radio stations that are in proximity to bigger towns.”

ReverbNation recently named JT & The Gunslingers the third best independent band in Minnesota.

Thompson’s goal, “Not to be Scotty McCreery or Luke Bryan but just to be a good original Midwestern band that has a presence throughout the Midwest, not just the upper Midwest,” he said.

JT & The Gunslinger's biggest gig is yet to come, the band is set to open for Chase Bryant at "Down by the Riverside" on Sunday.

The free concert gets underway at 7 p.m. at Mayo Park. - ABC 6 News

Local band JT and the Gunslingers have opened for some pretty big acts, including Montgomery Gentry, Charlie Daniels, Sammy Kershaw, Joe Diffie, Rodney Atkins, and just this past weekend, they opened for Diamond Rio.

Frontman J.T. Thompson said it was a great experience and a great crowd to play for, but it seems he is quite modest when it comes to accomplishments like opening for A-listers.

"It feels like we are still plugging along," Thompson said. "I don't take a lot of time to reflect on what happens, I just focus on what we need to do next."

That focus might be part of the reason the band has accomplished so much and developed a cult following in the three years they've been together. Members of the band are Thompson on vocals and guitar, James Elliott on bass, Todd Owen on lead guitar and Eric Amundrud on drums. Their debut EP, "Pass a Beer," was released earlier this year. The six-song EP has helped push the Gunslingers into the Top 40 on the Independent Country Charts.

"We have two songs that I wrote specifically for radio," Thompson said. "Our first single, 'Our Town,' was put out about a year and a half ago and it's been played on radio stations throughout the country, and Julie Jones from 102.5 The Fox just debuted 'Midwestern Girls' here in April, right before our EP release party.

"We recorded the EP right in Studio A at the college (RCTC) while I was getting my degree (in sound engineering)," he said. "Aaron Shannon is a great engineer who worked in Nashville for 25 years and now is teaching at RCTC.

"If anyone is interested in recording music, they should really go find him at RCTC because I thought I knew how to record music," Thompson said. "Turns out I knew nothing. It's hard to learn all of the tricks of the trade and pick up a lot of the nuances by just doing it yourself.

"I do a lot of scratch recording in my house studio, but it's nowhere near anything I would have been able to do if I didn't take those courses out at RCTC."

Thompson, who grew up in Zumbrota, is a former Army Ranger, which is how he got started in music in the first place, about 14 years ago in Georgia while in the Army.

"I needed something for stress release, so I taught myself guitar and then learned songs that I wanted to do and started playing," he said.

Thompson has never taken any singing lessons either, just refined his natural talents along the way, and he writes a majority of the music his band plays.

Band members coin their unique sound as "Midwest Music" — kind of a mix of Southern rock blended with the influence and sounds of other Midwestern musicians.

"We like to be outlaws and do the outlaw genre of music, but we're a group of guys living in the Midwest," Thompson said. "We've had a smorgasbord of music and talent come out of here, and that bleeds into everything we do."

Already looking ahead to the future, JT and the Gunslingers plan to release a full-length album next fall.

"It will be about a year and a half before we release our next album," Thompson said. "I want to take my time on it and do something different. I'm really proud of our EP, but I want to do something more simplistic, with less production. My lead guitar player, Todd, and I are obsessed with this artist named Jason Isbell, who won a Grammy last year. He is an amazing songwriter and his music is very simple and not flashy, but it's powerful stories, and that is what I want to do. I want to be more of a storyteller and artist and leave the production and entertainment to other people."

If you've never heard JT and the Gunslingers, you should be able to catch them this summer — they will be playing bunch of street dances from western Minnesota to Wisconsin. It's too many to list — you'll have to check out their shows and dates online — but they include July 12 at the wood-fired pizza event in Berne and Aug. 24 at Thursdays on First.

To find out about upcoming shows, check out jtgunslingers.com or JT & the Gunslingers on Facebook.

Megan Kennedy is a longtime mid-day radio personality. Seen & Heard highlights local people with interesting stories. Send tips to life@postbulletin.com. - Seen & Heard Post Bulletin

The ride was followed by live music by JT and the Gunslingers, food and autism friendly games.

"As far as I know there's been three bikes that have taken off. Everyone that came out for the ride pretty much is still here so everyone is out supporting a great cause." said Dennis Noltee, route planner and autism supporter.

Something that comes naturally to motorcycle enthusiasts.

"It's what we're about. Helping people." said Wyman Forbrook, road captain who helped Noltee plan the route.

Despite being the first event, the participants were from a wide variety of ages and brought an impressive display of bikes.

"It shows as they ride them and as they come in, the different takes that people have on the same model bike or an older bike that somebody would not look at normally." said JT Thompson, frontman of JT and the Gunslingers, "It's customized to that person's personality and that individual has a beautiful work of art and not just a mode of transportation." - KEYC News 12