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 Josh Allen  A little Q&A with singer-songwriter-guitarist Josh Allen. Josh performs with two bands, Josh Allen and the Whisky Brothers and Old News, but also performs and records solo. Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself. Josh: Since 2006 I have been living in Austin, Texas. I recorded my first studio album, Orpheus, at the end of that year. Soon after that, I started playing with the Whisky Brothers, and we recorded our first album, Welcome to the Rockhouse, in the fall of 2007. With one solo-acoustic album and one hard-hitting rock album under my belt, I decided to change it up a bit, and last fall I began working on a duo called Old News. We are currently working on recording our debut album, and are in the planning stages of a summer tour. I am also working with the Whisky Brothers on writing our second album. LB: How did you start out making music? Josh: I had lessons when I was a kid - piano for a couple years, trombone in school, and guitar lessons when I was around 11 or 12. When I was about 17, I had a good friend who knew just about every Beatles and every Dylan song, on piano or guitar, and he could sing and write too. I started playing and singing a lot more then, and when we both went off to college in different states, it just seemed natural to continue writing and performing on my own. LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Josh: I grew up on a lot of radio - Oldies, Classic Rock, stuff like that. I guess I inherited a lot of the great '60s and '70s music from my parents. The Beatles were like my first love. In high school I moved on to Dylan and the Stones, Zeppelin and all that. And a lot of Tom Waits and Neil Young, Van Morrison, and from there I dove into old Blues, Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson. Now it's a lot of '50s rock ‘n’ roll stuff, Sun and Chess and Atlantic Records. And '70s punk. I'd like to think that it all influences what I do. All great music has a kind of universality to it, but what I shoot for most of all are the energy and the emotional honesty that I think are common to all of my favorite performers' best work. LB: Tell us about your latest release. Josh: Well, there are a couple. I've just released a 69-song collection of my home recordings on CD Baby (download only). It spans the years 2002-2008. The recordings are not professional sounding at all, but I wanted to make the songs public. I've also just made my "Rock Room Demos" EP available as well. These are also home recordings, but instead of spanning 7 years, it's only six songs, all of which I wrote and recorded in August 2009. I had been a long time without writing much, so I rented a room for a month to see what I could come up with. It's rough, but I'm happy with it. For folks who are looking for something a little more professional sounding, don't worry, I have two more studio albums set for release this year. LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Josh: I play out quite a bit. A show with the Whisky Brothers is usually a couple hours of loud, funky, bluesy rock ‘n’ roll. Mostly original material with a handful of eclectic covers. Old News is just myself on electric guitar and a drummer. This is obviously a much more stripped down rock ‘n’ roll experience. Lots of blues. And at a solo gig I will usually play acoustic, mixing covers and originals, fast and slow tunes, trying to suit the mood of the crowd. LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Josh: All of it, really. Recording can be very time consuming, and sometimes pretty tedious, but I enjoy it. And I always like playing. In a performance setting, there is the double gratification of being able to play, and (hopefully) of people enjoying what you do. LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Josh: Josh Allen on CD Baby - www.cdbaby.com/Artist/JoshAllen The Whisky Brothers on CD Baby - www.cdbaby.com/cd/joshallenatwb Official website - www.joshallenmusic.com Albums also available on iTunes. |