A year ago, after a Butch Walker and Ryan Adams show, I came up with the idea of recording an album as a mid-life crisis.  The first song came together when I realized Butch's Nashville motorcycle club (The Lucky Riders) rides the same roads I train on (my bike has pedals).  Add in Elijah Ford, Marc Ford (Black Crowes, Ben Harper, great solo records), Kirsten Ford, Jason Slota (Thao and the Get Down Stay Down) and Rob Shelton (Meernaa), John Vanderslice (Production & Mixing) and Bernie Grundman (mastering) and now we have an album!!! See www.itsjustcraig.com 

Craig aka It's Just Craig - Lucky Rider

Craig Helmreich - guitars, vocals 
Elijah Ford - guitars, bass, vocals 
Marc Ford - guitars, guitars and more guitars 
Kirsten Ford - vocals 
Jason Slota - keys 
Rob Shelton - drums/percussion 
John Vanderslice - producer, engineer, mixing 
Bernie Grundman - Mastering

Craig aka It's Just Craig -- Eastside Royalty

This painfully honest track opens the album.  It isn't the most technically perfect song, but it's disjointed awkwardness helps communicate the message and set the table for the tracks to come.  Give it a chance - I bet you can relate...

Sick of My Shit

A year ago, after a Butch Walker and Ryan Adams show, I came up with the idea of recording an album as a mid-life crisis. Add in Elijah Ford, Marc Ford (Black Crowes, Ben Harper, great solo records), Kirsten Ford, Jason Slota (Thao and the Get Down Stay Down) and Rob Shelton (Meernaa), John Vanderslice (Production & Mixing) and Bernie Grundman (mastering) and now we have an album!!! See www.itsjustcraig.com

All These Days

This is what happens when you are having a bad day and a friend says they hate you because your life is perfect...  intentionally linear and brooding - almost fighting the truth of the lyrics.

Pretty Perfect

This is an advance copy of the hidden track, Thirty-nine, off my latest album Dark Corners.  

This song is about Jason Molina, and it is about me.  He passed at 39.  I started my musical journey at 39.  I have to guard against the demons that destroyed him.  Thank you for listening.  Pick up Erin Osmon's book Running with the Ghost on 5/15/2017.  I can't wait...

Produced by John Vanderslice.  Mastered by Bernie Grundman.  Marc Ford, Elijah Ford, Jason Slota, Rob Shelton, Kels Von Strantz, & Jess Von Strantz, play and sing all over this record.  Vinyl pressing by QRP (August).  CD by Nationwide (May). We are playing a release show for our local fans 6/30 at HiFi and giving everyone there a copy.  We have not made plans for the broader release.

www.itsjustcraig.com

10 Thirty-Nine (Elijah Ford - Lead Guitar; Marc Ford - Guitar; Kels Von Strantz - Cello)

This is an advance copy of my latest album Dark Corners.  Produced by John Vanderslice.  Mastered by Bernie Grundman.  Marc Ford, Elijah Ford, Jason Slota, Rob Shelton, Kels Von Strantz, & Jess Von Strantz, play and sing all over this record.  Vinyl pressing by QRP .  CD and Vinyl and Downloads are free if you message or email me until they are gone.  www dot itsjustcraig dot com and itsjustcraigofficial at gmail dot com - #FreeUntilFamous

06 Goodnight (Marc Ford - Lead Guitar; Jason Slota - Drums; Elijah Ford - Bass)

This is an advance copy of "Go" from my latest album Dark Corners.  Produced by John Vanderslice.  Mastered by Bernie Grundman.  Jacob Winik on the board.  Marc Ford, Elijah Ford, Jason Slota, Rob Shelton, Kels Von Strantz, & Jess Von Strantz, play and sing all over this record.  Vinyl pressing by QRP (August).  CD by Nationwide (May). We are playing a release show for our local fans 6/30 at HiFi and giving everyone there a copy.  We have not made plans for the broader release... More soon.

02 Go (Marc Ford - Lead Guitar; Jason Slota - Drums; Elijah Ford - Bass)

After two albums recorded with his more famous friends in California,  It's Just Craig returns 9/10/18 with an EP of new material recorded with friends from the Indianapolis music scene.  Craig was bored with his downtrodden, moody, self-focused style and stole themes for these songs from text message exchanges with friends.  The result is a slightly less moody, more up beat, rambling set of conversations, a vibe that feels like friendship - or moments in friendships.  Even when they are down, its obviously only a temporary snapshot.  www.itsjustcraig.com

Five Year Plan

First album was 10 songs recorded with John Vanderslice (Spoon, Death Cab), Marc Ford (Black Crowes, Ben Harper), Jason Slota (Thao & The Get Down Stay Down), Elijah Ford (solo), Rob Shelton (Meernaa) and Kirsten Ford.  For the second album, out summer of 2017, we added Jess and Kels Von Strantz to our all start team and recorded 8 more!!!

It's Just Craig a.k.a. Craig Helmreich