Rising Magazine July 2011

Page 18

Leave the auto-tune for someone who needs it. Iʼm fine with missing a note here and there. Iʼm human

music… the amount of failure Iʼve experienced in calling into radio contests set me up to be a hard worker… I also used to listen to a ton of radio shows. The Shadow, The Green Hornet, and Gunsmoke were my absolute favorites. I guess that this influenced me ʻcause I used to LOVE hearing stories. As I grew up, I started listening to Christian Music like DC Ta l k , N e w s b o y s , T h e Supertones, Audio Adrenaline, Slick Shoes, MXPX and Relient K. But my church was pretty much against that type of music. They called “Christian Rock” an “oxymoron” because those two things donʼt work together… (they still are… VERY conservative…). They probably wonʼt even let me play at the church anymore, because I play in bars… sigh… But the truth is, I love those people, and they have taught me a lot about how to “Feel” and “Move” a crowd. I hear this from a lot of musicians who started in churches. Thereʼs a special

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connection with religion and music. Hymnals still hold some of the best music the world has ever heard! I donʼt think any song can hold a candle to ”Amazing Grace” or “Jesus Loves Me”. Nobody, goes and sings “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga when they are trying to ward off things that go “Bump” in the night… (Maybe I just outed myself…. but yeah, Iʼll pull

the sheets over my head when I get scared and sing church music at the top of my lungs…). Rising: You started out very young. What was the inner drive that got you to teach yourself guitar even after quitting the hated childhood lessons? Josh: Even though I quit the piano lessons, I knew I could sing. I


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