Hey Josh, how would you describe your music to any person who may have never heard it before? Josh: To me, it sounds like American music, and that's why I like to refer to it as Americana, even if it doesn't always fit in that genre. I have some stuff that sounds like 90s rock and some that sounds country. There are times you'll hear just me and times you'll hear me with a full band and choir. I try not to limit the music with rules for styles so often. What we get doesn't fit into one category. The short answer I give is that fans of rock think it sounds like country, and fans of country think it sounds like rock.
What are your musical influences? J: Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters ever. Along with Neil Diamond and Billy Joel. Artists who write and perform their own music have always been double cool to me. The Eagles and Counting Crows are huge influences in how I want a band to play together. There are many influences. Almost anyone I've ever listened to has had some level of influence.
What are your musical inspirations? J: If I understand this question correctly, this is asking from where I draw my inspiration. My family, friends, and events in life through different connections all affect what I write about. People are definitely the subject of most of my material, although, on occasion, I can see something in nature that is so beautiful I have to write about it.
If given the chance, what musician(s) would you like to collaborate with? Rather this is to either write a song or be featured on a track. J: Adam Duritz, or if I didn't have to pick one person, it would be Counting Crows. They were the soundtrack to some of the most formative years of my life, and I think you can hear them in a lot of what I do now. Plus, I would love to get to thank them.
What’s the forthcoming EP about? J: I will soon be releasing a five-song EP called From The Road. The songs all, quite coincidentally, have to do with times my wife or I were on the road away from one another.
What’s something you hope people take away from the new songs?
J: I hope people get a feeling for how important physical closeness is between two people and that love is hard without it. Not that it's impossible, but it's hard.
Which songs on the album were the most fun to write and which were the most challenging to write? J: "Dreams" was the most difficult to write. It came straight out of raw emotion, and at the time of this interview, is still not up to my standards for something ready to release.
Do you have any favourite song or songs off the new EP? J: Mine, and the overwhelming crowd favourite, is called "Look (Stacey's Song)," and if you’ve ever been in love, you've probably had someone say these words to you. If you've never said these words to anyone, you've probably never been in love.
Do you have any favourite songs to perform live? Could be your own music or even a cover. Any reason why? J: I go round and round on this one, and there are several, but for now, I really like doing "Round Here" by Counting Crows. Not only does it give me a chance to sing a song that was influential to me, but I get to see how many other people were influenced by it based on how they sing along.
If you could perform a show this very second anywhere in the world, where would it be? Is there any particular venue(s) or city/cities that comes to mind?
J: Red Rocks in Colorado.
What do you currently have planned for the remainder of the year? J: We'll be releasing the EP and playing about six solo shows a week for the rest of 2023. Rebuilding the kitty from the COVID shutdown has taken some time. Once we have a little more money in the bank, we'll start planning for a fully-produced album and tour. Being independent means you have to take things a little slower, work a little more, and be budget-minded. That's helpful in the long run, but it takes longer to rebuild than artists on a label.
Check out more from Joshua Ingram here.