When Justin Moore was growing up in Memphis during the '90s, he studied opera. The classically trained vocalist studied voice at the University of Memphis in 1998. "I just thought that was my career," Moore said while calling from Philadelphia.
"The only problem was that I didn't like being a voice major." During his freshman year, Moore discovered he loved performing rock songs. He said he found his true calling while singing cover tunes at a high school dance.
"The bug bit me when I was performing at a homecoming event," Moore said. "I thought to myself, "I should do this for a living.' " Moore dropped out as a sophomore and pursued a career in rock, forming Ingram Hill in 2000.
"It just felt like the right thing to do," Moore said. "I wasn't cut out to sing opera. I was cut out to sing rock 'n' roll.
" It's not surprising that the Elvis Presley acolyte would want to follow in the King's footsteps. "I love Elvis," Moore said. "When you grow up in Memphis, you either love or hate (him).
My parents played him a lot when I was a kid and I think he's the absolute greatest." Moore is also a big Tom Petty, Cracker and Counting Crows fan. Ingram Hill, whose members include guitarist Phil Bogard, bassist Shea Sowell and drummer Matt Chambless, isn't appropriating much material from pop-rock veterans, though.
The band's latest album, "Cold in California," possesses a rootsy, '90s sound reminiscent of such Clinton-era bands as Blues Traveler and Tonic. In fact, Tonic leader Emerson Hart of Atlantic Highlands produced the group's 2002 EP "Until Now." "That was an amazing experience," Moore said.
"We were just getting our feet wet and we learned a lot about being a band in the studio." Moore admits that it's not easy being a gritty, no-frills rock band with catchy tunes in 2007. "We're told that we have a welcome and refreshing sound, but we've also been told (by record labels) that they're not sure what they would do with us because we don't sound like other bands today.
That's all right with us. We have a label (Hollywood Records) that believes in us. We'll just make our music and see what happens.
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