Josh Wilson

It’s time for you to meet Josh Wilson. In case you haven’t already (and we wouldn’t blame you with the amount of singer/songwriters available to your listening faculties), Wilson’s recent Sparrow Records debut, Trying To Fit The Ocean Into A Cup, is a fun-serious-fun ride of the familiar turned fresh.

Soul-Audio recently asked Josh a few questions about his craft and what it means to be in Nashville. What was revealed was the heart and focus of a singer/songwriter that we should have expected - since his album is simply a reflection of the man. Check out this quick synopsis of an artist on the rise.

Soul-Audio: Going back to the beginning, how did you get your start in songwriting?

Josh Wilson: I started writing songs in high school for a band I was in, but didn’t get really serious about the craft of songwriting until I was in college. It was then that I began listening very closely to some of my favorite songwriters, and I learned that it takes more than a decent melody to make a good song. I began to spend a lot more time and thought on lyrics, because most of my previous songs were very scattered and cliche. Since college, I’ve been trying to focus on couching a good lyric within a good melody, because how you say something can be just as important as what you say. Songwriting can be daunting and exciting, because music not only has the ability to entertain us, but also to communicate great truths to encourage, challenge, and change us.

SA: Did you pick up the guitar early in life?

Josh: I started piano when I was about 10 years old, and after about three years of lessons, I decided my friends would think guitar was a cooler instrument, so I dropped my piano lessons and started learning guitar. I taught myself for a few years by transferring my knowledge of the piano to the guitar, and then eventually took lessons when I was in high school.

SA: At what point did you know this is what you wanted to do? Was there a particular moment that stands out?

Josh: I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember, and I knew I wanted to do something with it, but never thought I’d be writing and performing my own songs. When I began to get serious about songwriting in college, I started traveling and playing on weekends in coffee shops and on college campuses. I really loved meeting new people on the road and sharing my heart with them through my songs. I also enjoyed standing around and chatting with folks after the show, hearing their stories and getting to know them. I kept traveling and playing, and during my junior year in college, I entered and won Belmont University’s “Christian Music Showcase,” and that’s when I started to think, “Maybe I can do this full time.” Since then God has really confirmed to me that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.

SA: With Trying being your label debut, how do you handle expectations for this? Do you keep expectations low and hope for more? Is there a tension there?

Josh: I’ve never really had stars in my eyes, and I didn’t come to Nashville to try to “make it big,” so recording two independent albums and one label album has already been more than I ever thought I would do. Since I moved to town and began writing and playing, God has opened a number of doors for me in music and I’ve walked through them, praying that He’ll continually guide me. Of course I’d love for this album to do very well, but even if it doesn’t, I’m very blessed to have had the opportunities that I have already.

SA: You’ve mentioned before that you wrote close to 50 songs for this, is that right? Why so many?

Josh: When it comes to choosing 11 or 12 songs for an album, the more songs you have to choose from, the better your final track list is going to be. Believe me, not all of the 50 songs I wrote are good songs, but sometimes you have to get through the bad ones to write the good ones. I’ve learned that the strongest albums come from artists who write more songs than they need, because then it’s possible not only to choose the best songs, but the most appropriate for the album.

SA: And what do you do with the leftovers?

Josh: Some of them I play at live shows, some get thrown into the pot for the next album, and some might get pitched for other artists to record. Unfortunately, a good number of them might never go anywhere.

SA: Nashville is a town full of singer/songwriters - how do you begin to stand out in a crowded market there?

Josh: I don’t believe there are any new ideas, but there are definitely new ways to communicate ideas. It’s my goal in songwriting to find a fresh perspective on age-old truths so that people will hear a song and think, “I’ve never thought about it that way.” A change of perspective can be very refreshing and will hopefully catch someone’s attention, so that’s what I search for when I’m writing.

SA: Finally, who are some other singer/songwriters you think we should know about?

Josh: Two of my favorites right now are Beau Bristow (www.myspace.com/beaubristow) and Brooke Fraser (www.myspace.com/brookefraser).

• www.myspace.com/joshwilson

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#1 MattConner.net » Blog Archive » S-A Interview: Josh Wilson on August 10th, 2008 at 1:22 pm

[...] can read the rest of the interview here. Posted in Soul-Audio | Leave a [...]

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