Earlier this month Josh Rouse issued his new album, The Embers of Time, and the Nebraskan native turned Valencia dweller will find himself in Milton Keynes on Monday evening (April 27) to share some of the new musical moments for you.
The album takes inspiration from 'his self-admitted crisis of confidence and bouts with existential psychotherapy.'
"While I was writing these songs, I was having a mid-life crisis I guess," Rouse says, "I'd been living in a different country for a long time, and becoming a father and being someone who travels a lot, I was having a hard time...this is my surreal ex-pat therapy album."
The relaxed sounding, yet engrossing release has been gathering acclaim all over.
Take a ticket for Josh's Stables date while you can.
Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org and make a connection.
Josh went On track with Total MK...
The song that first awakened your musical senses
I remember my mom putting an eight-track player in my room and having Carol King's Tapestry and Saturday Night Fever on heavy rotation.
I don't think there was a certain song.
Physical or digital - how do you take your music?
Well mostly digital these days like everybody else as I spend time on the computer or cooking. I do put on vinyl occasionally but am not one of these vinyl only guys.
I still buy a CD every now and then for the trips to school with the kids.
The first time you thought 'Music - this is the job for me'
At about 18 I knew I was a bit more serious than my other band mates. I never made a plan B although I worked lots of day jobs (might still have to)!
Your best on stage memory...
There are so many it's hard to pick one and the truth is my memory is not so good.
I can remember my songs well enough and that I need to pick the kids up at 3:30.
And the worst gig you've ever done
I've done this for awhile so there are quite a few bad ones. The worst attended was on my first record in Detroit.
I had been opening for someone and there was a free night so they booked me in this club and not a soul came.
What made you take up singing in particular
My uncle plays in a midwestern blues band. He got me into it as his father played as well.
Which one song by another artist do you wish you had written
I like the song Man On The Moon by REM. Great lyrics that have meaning on so many different levels. Catchy as well.
And one - by yourself - which holds special significance
A song called "Lavina" which is about my aunt. It was on my first record and I never play it as I can't make it to the end.
She was a special person in my life.
If you could step into the shoes of another musician, living or dead, who would it be and what would you do?
I would have been Chet Baker but clean! What a voice and his trumpet playing was fantastic. Hard living man that could have continued making music.
Are there any current musical influences that you might look to
I hear people doing good stuff all the time but I'm so in my own world that I don't really get too influenced by anyone except Bob Dylan, the master.
And any genre of music that you simply can't stand?
Techno dance music. It's really for people with low I.Q.'s I suspect.
Finally, plug your Stables date for us - what can we expect?
Well, we're a soft strumming quartet with nice harmonies. I'll be playing most from the new record, the last one and the Nashville album.
