🎙️ Justin Cross Brings Two Projects, One Soulful Night to Woodlawn 🎙️
Date: September 13, 2025
Location: Woodlawn Theatre, Birmingham, AL
Whether you know him from The Engine Co. or his new Americana/Soul project Briar and Bloom (with Amy Cross), Justin Cross is a local legend. And on September 13th, you’re getting both sides of him—rock and soul, grit and groove.
What’s his sound?
“Americana with soul and blues influences.”
Think Bob Dylan meets Ray Lamontagne, with a touch of Sam Cooke and the warmth of Lake Street Dive.Check him out on spotify here. (p.s. our favorite song at the moment is “Old House”)
What’s your craziest tour story?
“I once had to talk a 60-year-old drunk man off a hotel balcony because he was trying to retrieve his lost Dragon Ball Z kite…”
True story. Ask him about it.
Like any real musician, he’s also seen his fair share of empty rooms—an honest reminder that not every night is sold out, but every night matters.
“You gotta bring the A game to both full and empty rooms every time. You never know who is listening.” We love that heart - it’s what makes live performances so special.
When asked about his favorite cities to play, Austin and Atlanta made the list, “Both of those cities had a great energy and the folks there were extremely nice and open to new music.”
Setlist highlights?
Justin admits his least favorite song to play live is also his most popular song - not uncommon for artists (did you know Van Morrison hated playing “Brown Eyed Girl” live?). But Justin is coming back around to his most popular song and it’s finding it’s way into the setlist more often these days. If you’re lucky, he may even play it at this upcoming show…
New favorite material: Any of the new Briar and Bloom songs.
Road trip MVPs?
Who drives? His family - always.
Snacks? Bugles and Diet Coke.
Podcast of choice? Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
What can people expect on 9/13?
“Hopefully something they can dance to. We play a pretty eclectic mix of songs because I tend to write in a bunch of genres, but I want to keep the room moving and hope they leave with a smile on their face. We’re making a point to keep it all light and fun. I think this is going to be a really cool show. We talked early on about our main goal is just keep the energy up and make sure it’s a good time. I’m also blending together two elements of my music with the more rocking Engine Co. stuff and the newer, soulful Briar and Bloom songs, so I’m excited to see how that all blends together.
New artist recs:
Justin tells us we need to check out “A guy named Sam Weber from LA. Best stuff I’ve heard in a long while. Dijon/ Mk.gee are strong contenders too. They are single-handedly making a new genre.” Definitely need to check out anyone creating a new genre!
🎸 Come see Justin Cross blend the best of both worlds along with Marchutes and Park (from Juco) on September 13th at Woodlawn Theatre—it’s going to be equal parts foot-stomping and soul-soothing, plus he’s joined by Park and Marchutes. This is a unique lineup you don’t want to miss!
