Justin Bank might pose a bit of a conundrum for music writers who like to put singer-songwriters and their bands in neat “categories” or genres.That’s because Bank, a Central Arkansas native, defies the typical.

There are a few descriptive phrases, however, that definitely fit the bill when it comes to this seasoned musician: He’s a gifted singer, songwriter and guitarist with a quirky-yet-infective sense of humor; and his updated-Dylanesque-Americana, roots-rock-flavored music has a broad variety of influences, but they all feel like, well, home.

That’s because his lyrics tell stories of people you know, places you’ve been and situations you’ve likely witnessed — with a lyrical flow and feel that will remind you of a Willie Nelson story-song, but featuring a decidedly “Americana” thread running throughout.

And if you’re like most fans of good Southern rock and classic country and perhaps grew up on the likes of Johnny Cash, Townes Van Zandt, Hank Williams Sr., Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nelson and many others, you will likely be drawn in

by the sounds of Bank’s music, with its energetic, vintage-rock, back-to-basics feel. These tunes will inspire you and make you want to dance, take a train and soak in the scenery, or drive down that country highway just a little faster —with the top down and the stereo blaring.

It’s that kind of movement and inspiration that has taken Bank and his former band mates in such groups as Little Rock-born SFZ, Free Love Virgins and the Royal Electric, as well as Colorado’s The Beauregards to stages such as Arkansas’ Riverfest and the 2008 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase .

A 2007 Rotary International scholarship and ensuing tour throughout Eastern

France was the catalyst that drove Bank to begin playing around Central Arkansas’ live music venues in earnest after several years off from the music business. In 2012, Justin now looks forward to expanding outside Central Arkansas to build a fan base across the state with his new band of experienced and talented musicians, the Knights of Pulaski.

ABOUT JUSTIN BANKBank grew up with a variety of

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fClick here to hear some of Justin Bank’s music via his Soundcloud page.

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fClick here to see videos of Bank per-forming with his band.

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family record collection but taking a different turn when at a young age his father took him to a record store in the late ‘70s and let him select any album the then-6-year-old boy wanted. His first choice? KISS. “Due primarily to the image of the band’s groupies dressed up with KISS make-up and Kabuki style dominatrix attire,” Bank recalls. “I picked up their album Love Gun and for some reason my father thought it was age appropriate! … I have no idea what he was thinking.”

As a teenager his uncle gave him the sage advice to learn the guitar “because girls love guitars,” and Bank heeded that advice, soon becoming seduced by the sounds of bluegrass, classic and psychedelic rock. A multi-year study of the likes of the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The W ho, Led Zeppelin and R.E.M. followed suit, and Bank identifies all of those groups as “huge role models especially when it came to learning how to play the guitar.”

But, as life changes and we grow up, so do our musical tastes — and Bank’s have as well, to some degree, though he says he still enjoys many of his youthful favorites.

The heavy hitters on his personal play list in the last several years have been such artists as George Harrison (his favorite Beatle), Tom Waits, Graham Parsons, Richard Thompson and, of course, Bob Dylan — all of whom have had a major impression on not just his songwriting but on his outlook on life, Bank says.

The Little Rock native who says he fashions his songwriting after the straightforward approaches of Dylan, Neil Young and Hank Williams Sr. has an impressive vocal range, and many of the songs he performs showcase that strength, such as his original “Free of Me,” with its rolling, train-like beat and vintage-rock guitar riffs, and Bank’s cover of Donovan’s deep cut “A Song For You.”

Audience members will also enjoy other great originals such as “Many Times Many Ways,” which features the introspective modern-poetry lyrical style of, say, John Prine and a gritty Americana/roots-rock sound not unlike that of ‘60s Outlaw Country stalwarts.

ABOUT THE BANDComprising the Knights of Pulaski are lead guitarist Joe Kuykendall , bassist Bill

McCumber and drummer John Bradley.• • •

Joe Kuykendall, a North Little Rock native who now lives in Maumelle, is a longtime guitar, bass, harmonica and mandolin instructor who has taught at Stonehenge Music, Starr’s Guitars, Sigler Music and now Carolyn’s Keyboard Corner in West Little Rock.

Kuykendall began playing guitar nearly 50 years ago with his first band the Knights of Spectre, named for the James Bond film series that was relatively new at the time (the mid-1960s) and a “huge deal” that saturated the pop culture of the day, he recalls.

Since then, he’s played rhythm and lead guitar with a number of high-profile musicians over the years, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band , Garth Brooks’ lead guitarist Chris Lusinger, Ray Flacke ,

the Norman Deal Bluegrass Band , and even Kris Allen (Kuykendall was lead guitarist in Allen’s church worship band for three years before the American Idol win).

• • •Little Rock native Bill McCumber began thumping the strings about five decades ago and

played his first paying gig in 1963, cutting his teeth in dives off the old Memphis and Jacksonville Highway, including a nine-month stint at the old Club 70 there.

McCumber recalls opening once for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit W heels in Little Rock, and in 1968 he went on the road with The Chaps, a Pine Bluff-based band. Later, he spent a summer playing in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and when that band broke up, he spent a brief time in Charleston before moving ton San Francisco. After a year in the Bay Area, he was fortunate to play a gig at the legendary Fillmore Theater in September 1969, before moving back to Arkansas a year later and

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joining a band called Sweet Magnolia .Later, McCumber was the bassist for John Good at the 2001 International Blues

Challenge ; the group won the Arkansas competition and competed in the semi-finals in Memphis, where they lost to a band from Belfast, Ireland.

• • •John Bradley, who first picked up the drumsticks in his junior high band, was the

drummer for the popular dance band The St. James Group in the late 1960s and ‘70s, performing in high schools and colleges all over Arkansas and eventually opening for several national and regional bands such as Melissa Manchester, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Bad Company, Three Dog Night and Jim Croce .

After leaving The St. James Group, Bradley drummed for Silverheels throughout the 1980s, performing across Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Bradley says his major influences were the “British invasion” bands of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and the country-rock bands also big in that era such as Creedence and The Byrds.

ABOUT THEIR MUSICBesides Bank’s awesome vintage- and roots-rock originals, fans

can expect tunes from some of his major musical influences. Other artists that Bank and the Knights of Pulaski enjoy covering include The Beatles (“Taxman,” “One After 909”), Bo Diddly (“Who Do You Love”), Chuck Berry (“John B. Goode”), and Elvis Presley (“Little Sister”).

The band performs as little or as much as the audience and the circumstances demand, sometimes playing for three or four hours in one show, depending on the situation.

So, bring your dancing shoes and your music-lovin’ friends. and prepare for a night of great tunes and good, clean fun when Justin Bank and the Knights of Pulaski roll into town. It’ll be a night with music to remember.

For Booking & Publicity Inquiries, Please Contact:

Kristal “K*Star” KuykendallMoJo Music Management LLPHttp://MoJo-Management.comkstar@mojo-management.com501-584-8785