or

Jump to an artist page

Regional Justice Center Joins the Ground Control Touring Artist Roster

Posted 03/29/2021

Ground Control Touring welcomes Regional Justice Center!

Since their inception in 2016, Regional Justice Center have quickly proven themselves to be one of modern hardcore’s most viscerally compelling bands. Led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ian Shelton, the band take a uniquely nuanced approach to making music that thrives on extremes, and have become just as known for their vicious riffs as Shelton’s unflinching lyrics—which explore wide-reaching societal ills from a deeply human level. Now, on Regional Justice Center’s sophomore full-length Crime and Punishment, Shelton has combined a lifetime’s worth of reflection with the band’s always crushing musicality to create a definitive work as uncompromising as it is vital.

Regional Justice Center—whose line-up now includes guitarists Alex Haller and Che Hise-Gattone, and bassist Steph Jerkova—is inextricably connected to Shelton’s family. The band began as a cathartic outlet for Shelton shortly after the incarceration of his brother, Max; an event that became the primary subject of RJC’s 2018 debut album, World of Inconvenience. The album’s unvarnished depiction of the for-profit prison system, and its impact on those incarcerated and their loved ones, introduced many of the themes that propel Shelton’s work: that life is full of choices, but not always control; that institutions are often there to punish those who fall, but not to help them back on their feet; and that cycles are easy to start, but hard to stop. On Crime and Punishment, Shelton looks inward at the experiences, upbringing, and choices that shaped him.

Keep an eye on their artist page for news and future tour dates.

Related Artists: Regional Justice Center