This week’s guest is Josiah Johnson! As a vocalist and founding member of The Head And The Heart, Johnson was part of a certified Gold-selling album, he toured the world with some of music’s biggest acts and performed at many of the planet’s most renowned venues, he played various late night shows and had songs featured on countless TV shows and films, and his voice can be prominently heard on songs that have been listened to millions upon millions of times. While he’s no longer a member of that indie-folk outfit, Johnson is an accomplished solo artist in his own right, and he’s poised to bring his music into exciting new territory.
With a follow-up to his excellent solo debut, Every Feeling On A Loop, due out on ANTI- Records sometime next year, Johnson has released a few new singles in recent months and he’s gearing up to hit the road to treat audiences around the Midwest and East Coast to live renditions of songs from his ever-growing, ever-evolving catalog. Prior to that fall tour (which includes an afternoon show at Cactus Club on September 18!), Johnson spoke to My First Band host Tyler Maas about modern day developments, upcoming plans, and highlights from his unbelievable career. Over the course of the conversation, Johnson talked about playing in a screamo group in his late teens and early 20s, moving to Seattle and quickly bonding with his future collaborators in Head And The Heart at open mics, the band’s rapid rise to mainstream consciousness, unforgettable moments from his years in the band, and his newfound appreciation for being able to go out on tour again.
My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. You can also listen to rebroadcasts of previous My First Band episodes on WMSE every Wednesday from noon to 12:30 p.m. CST. Music used in this episode comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and Josiah Johnson (“Hello, Hello On Fire!”).