By David J. Craig
Justin Voigt isn't your typical young rock-and-roller. There are no signs of arrogance or rebellious posturing. In fact, the BU biomedical engineering student seems so polite and down to earth, so darn good, that it's difficult to imagine him ripping electric guitar solos over power chords.

"I don't think I ever went through a rebellious period," says Justin (ENG'03), who has recorded two self-released CDs, the most recent entitled Could It Be? "I always got along with my parents. My family members are actually my biggest fans."
The positive attitude that makes Voigt seem a bit peculiar by most rock standards starts to make sense when speaking to Herbert Voigt, an ENG professor of biomedical engineering and a MED associate research professor of otolaryngology, who expresses such faith in his son's talent and in his responsible nature that it seems Justin probably had little to rebel against. In fact, the two feel they are a musical team, with Justin pumping out tunes and his father acting in a managerial capacity: Herbert has lined up gigs, provides aesthetic input, and assists his son in the recording process.

Justin Voigt (ENG '03) and his father Herbert Voigt, a professor of biomedical engineering at BU, at home in Milton, Mass.

"My wife and I bought Justin a digital four-track recorder the summer before his senior year of high school as a reward for volunteering in my laboratory, and during the next year, a slew of songs poured out of him. It was quite remarkable," says Herbert, who also is the biomedical engineering department's associate chairman of undergraduate studies. "I actually told him if he wanted to put off attending college for a year to stay at home to write and record music, that was something we should discuss."

But Justin, who has been playing guitar since he was 13 but has always considered music merely a hobby, opted to attend BU the following fall to pursue a career in biomedical engineering. Birthdays and holidays still bring new recording equipment, however, turning his attic bedroom in his parents' Milton home into a virtual recording studio. Whenever time allows during the school year, which is not often, Justin escapes there from his BU residence hall to work on music. This summer, he recorded his latest CD in the attic studio, completely on his own, which is also how he has taught himself to play drums, bass, and keyboards.

As is par for the course, he says, the recording process did not cause any tension between him and his parents. "My dad and I like a lot of the same music, and he's someone I always go to for advice when I'm writing and deciding which songs to put on my CD," he says. "When I recorded my first CD, in a studio in Allston, my dad was there for every cut of every track. He was beside me for almost 50 hours, giving me his honest opinion on whether a take was good or whether it stunk. It's great because I can run things by him like he was just another potential listener.

"I joke with my dad sometimes about a biomedical engineering career being something I can fall back on if the music doesn't work out, but we both know the career comes first," continues Justin, who is aiming to enter the biotech industry.
"My goals with music are pretty simple. I'd just like people to hear my CDs so they know the sorts of things I feel and what I think about. It's a great feeling when you can do that." To learn more about Justin's music, visit www.go.to/jvoigt.