For Joshua Manis, it’s all about variation when it comes to his solo project.

Manis, a founding member of local indie rock band Gamenight, has branched off with his solo project, You Just Don’t, writing and recording more experimental songs than he would normally produce with his other band.

The project’s title, You Just Don’t, stems from a quote in the movie, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” where Johnny Depp’s character tells the female lead, You just don’t.

“It just stuck,” Manis said, shaking his head. “It was a very powerful moment in the movie and just stuck.”

Though You Just Don’t officially formed in 2005 when Manis was 19, his first solo, full-length album just released last month. After his friends pushed him to record his solo songs, Manis finally took the time to collect and record the 10 songs found on this album.

Manis began playing music after receiving a drum set in the seventh grade for Christmas.

However, his brother, also a part of Gamenight, was gifted a guitar and the two switched off until Manis kept the guitar and his brother the drums.

“I was a kid, and I guess I just wanted to be cool,” Manis chuckled. “In eighth grade, I was really into Metallica. I liked their guitar stuff, so I tried to learn their songs. I’d stay home from school sometimes like, ‘I’m sick,’ play Zelda and Metallica songs.”

By the end of high school, Manis grew more comfortable writing as well as playing as he left Knoxville to attend Middle Tennessee State University to pursue a degree in music business, which he admits he’s “not really using that degree that much.”

After graduating with his degree and a thirst to share his music, Manis searched for a job in Nashville, or at least in Murfressboro, but a “weird” living situation and a lack of finances led him to return to the Scruffy City. However, Manis didn’t mind returning home to Gamenight.

“My band was still here, so while I was in school there, I would drive home as much as I could to practice, and I would write stuff there and send it to them,” Manis explained. “It was just kind of hard, so we were pretty unproductive for those three years. I kind of wanted to be closer to them to, and it made sense financially and logistically with the band.”

In the transition from Gamenight to You Just Don’t, Manis found he could use his solo project to also delve into the more intimate side of his personality.

“But there’s also — it’s kind of like my personality in general. I’ve got to have alone time, like quite a bit,” Manis confessed. “It’s not good for dating life, but I like to have alone time, so I spent some of that — I don’t know. I just like to write alone too, having no distractions whatsoever … I guess that balance of having people around and having alone time made me want to record and write stuff on my own.”

At first, You Just Don’t gave Manis the chance to tryout his acoustic material he didn’t think would fit Gamenight. From there, it grew into an opportunity to attempt to play every instrument on the record, allowing Manis to express the full extent of creative desires.

“I like dabbling on like any instrument, so I guess it was sort of a selfish thing — I want to try to play everything on a project; it would be fun,” Manis explained. “I had a lot of material that I was writing, and I wanted to keep trying to pump it out. Some songs wouldn’t fit the band, so I made them my own … That’s one reason for the solo project because I’ll have ideas, and I just want to record them and stay home on a Friday night or something, just record all night.”

His songwriting also reflects his yearning to try varying styles. His songs can be anything from third person, fictional tales to observations on the world around him, a reflection on the vibrant nature of the music itself.

“I guess I get bored playing the same thing,” Manis shared, staring into the empty space of Old City Java. “Even with Gamenight — the new songs I write or we write — I don’t want them to ever sound the same, you know? I don’t want them to follow them same pattern of verse-chorus-verse-chorus, so I just want them to be as interesting as possible.

“So with the solo stuff, I guess there’s just a need for me to write stuff that sounds different, and not necessarily so that people won’t be bored but so I won’t be bored. It kind of keeps me on my toes, and I like music from every genre.”

Next, Manis is looking at expanding to play a few regional, winter tour dates and find a way to release his record on vinyl as well as expanding his musical influences.

“So, I’d like to be even more varied and play some weird stuff,” he said. “I guess just influences coming from different directions and wanting to release those back into the world in different ways.”