Josh Breden – Interview – Thanks for Asking! – by Liam Sweeny.
RRX: Every artist’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?
JB: Well, I started “doing music” in 1998 as a vinyl DJ and hip-hop writer. I have always loved unique rhymes, lyrics, and emotive delivery. I made some lo-fi beats and songs with my crew, Snake*Iz, and we made an album called “We Bad News”, in summer 2001. I never studied music academically because it seemed horrible to have to play music I didn’t love, but I knew I had to learn an instrument and how to play live. After 9/11, my tastes were changing and my friend, Jack Lather taught me some guitar chords and I was hooked, and I got really into the rock concert experience, treating each as a unique lesson. I have been developing the necessary skills ever since by playing in bands and at open mics, constantly writing, and getting into jams and recording projects. I backed off while my kids were babies and life was tough, but by Covid I was ready to do something bigger than before with the body of work I had created. Fast forward to 2024, I met Dan Gerken (Timbre Coup) and he agreed to produce a single for me, for an upbeat song called “Islands of Calleja”, which turned into a full adult-contemporary-rock album called “Unfinished Business”. The songs, sound, and musicianship made the album my best work yet. It’s a testament to the growth and artistry I’ve intentionally forced myself to reside in, and it gives my excitement to see what I’ll do next. Compared to my early hip-hop work, the differences in influences, message, and quality are staggering.
RRX: Music genres are difficult for some artists. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?
JB: It’s easy for me to say I’m a musician, or a singer/songwriter, but in my mind, I’m following the Hank Sr., Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan archetypes of great lyrics built on a familiar or comfortable musical movement; with energy and ability to apply all the human emotions. I’m fortunate to be creating in a time when those cultural foundations have already been established and expanded/exploited by others. I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself to one style, and I wanted no song to sound like another on “Unfinished Business”. What I call country music that I love is not what they’re playing on country radio. The blues, the way I get them, is not exactly what’s embodied at blues jams. I love jam band improvisation, but not so much jazz chaos. Nothing wrong with sticking to roots formulas, but I personally need more variety. I’m not a country singer, blues player, or jazz cat, but there’s subtle elements of all of them in my music. I can hybridize whatever I want, into what I want to hear, and maybe whatever that is will be embraced as popular someday, or not, music is just a tool I use to express what I feel, so I guess I’m an ‘alternative’ to established genres.
RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow performers. Who do you admire in your community, and why?
JB: It took me a while to understand the community aspect, I had to adjust my expectations and learn to give other people their flowers. When I first got out playing again after Covid, my most comfortable place was Unihog in Hoosick Falls. I found a lot of camaraderie and encouragement there. While making the rounds I befriended Matty D, who was very dedicated to his craft, and developing a community around himself and his town. While hosting open mic at Northern Barrell in Voorheesville, I met a bunch of awesome performers and learned some marketing concepts from Sue MacDonald and Dylan Longton (Pretty Alright Breakfast Club). I joined the Albany Elks Lodge, and they have been extremely supportive of my music and given me some great opportunities. Peter Annello and Shannon Teyha are younger folks doing great work and making great connections, and I’m excited to know and watch them for a very long time. And I’ve been impressed working with Jean Tansey and Matt Warner at the 344 2nd Street, as they bring artists, authors, and musicians together. There’s more folks and venues I want to work with out there, all in time. I also admire the local radio and media outlets, farmers markets, and municipal summer concert series. It’s a great scene, “you just gotta poke around”.
RRX: Stereotypes are a bitch. I mean, aside from the really bad ones, you have cultural stereotypes about everything, including music. Would do you think is the stereotype for the music you play, and how far are you away from it?
JB: I love playing with people, but I usually end up performing solo. I’m well aware of the cringey stereotype of a beginner acoustic guitarist playing a 3-chord song poorly at a campfire, and I feel the disdain in some rooms, when I approach the stage with an acoustic guitar, I can feel some audiences’ prejudicial disappointment of ‘having to be subjected to a generic white guy whining’. I aim to prove myself and earn respect one hater at a time with my approach, by being the best Josh Breden-type dude I can be. I know my limitations, but I also flex on my strengths learned over 20 years and try not to compare myself to my peers. So people might see me as the campfire guy, but I’ll also make sure to show them something cool that they weren’t expecting. There are a million great songs, but another stereotype I’ve encountered is ‘if you don’t play Zeppelin you must suck’, like having a killer band is the only reason to play and everything is a competition. I take the responsibility of entertaining seriously, but I also won’t apologize for my taste and singing the songs that are important to me, because I’m actually an artist expressing myself, being vulnerable, and that’s what music is for in my opinion.
RRX: Tell me about your most recent song, album, or video (you pick.) Tell me a story about what went into making it. Not a process, but a cool story that took place within the process.
JB: One of my favorite songs on “Unfinished Business” is called “Simple Man, Keep Waiting”. From what I can tell, people dig it, and I don’t think anyone’s interpretation of it is a ‘correct reflection’ of the experience that I actually lived to be able to write it, but there are timeless songs like that, so I look back on those challenges as a gift, and let the listener have their own situations in mind to suit the lyrics and the feel. But something cool that I’ll always remember from the recording session is how Dan turned and looked at me with a wide-eyed, stern facial expression of approval when I said it should have an orchestra intro, and again when I suggested thumping the guitar body instead of kick drum. It was a perfect nonverbal response that made me believe that it was going to be special.
RRX: Let’s talk about your next project, your next few. Just not the ones you’re working on now. The ones you have your eyes on for the future. What’s coming to
JB: I’m sitting on at least 50 unrecorded songs, but my newest ones are showing a lot of promise, so for now I’m committed to writing, and I’d really like to get another rock album out in the next year or two. I’d like to play at new venues, doing more package/showcase shows, instead of 3-hour cover-heavy nights. I am always down to play at fundraising events. I’d like to do a band project where I just sing and dance and don’t have to play at all. I want to meet more of my local contemporaries, do some co-writing and play with the finest instrumentalists. I want to produce some recordings with my daughter on vocals and clarinet, and my son on harmonica or drums. I want to take it full circle and make some hip-hop cuts, since that was what started me on this journey.
You can find Josh’s music here.
