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Hey there kids, I'm Josh,
and I play the stringed thing in Nothing More. My passion for music
comes from a past life of mine. I'll just say it out loud; in my former
life I was Jim Morrison of 'The Doors'. I know this because my name is
Josh and his was Jim. Is it just a coincidence that BOTH of our names
start with a 'J'?? I THINK NOT!!! With that said, I'll continue… let's
see where was I…? Ahh, yes! Get comfortable children we have a long
ways to go. As a wee young tot, all I wanted out of life was to be a
magician. I had been to see David Copperfield a couple of times, and
Lance Burton once. I actually sent David Copperfield countless notes
asking him if I could be one of his assistants (the hott females in
skimpy outfits). |
I would try
to disguise my age, and sex for that matter, but he didn't buy it and
nothing ever came out of that. From here, the Jim Morrison in me came
out, It was a boring Sunday afternoon, I was about 7 or 8, I was staring
at the box my mom called "a piano, " gazing at the enthralling
black and white keys. I accidentally broke the rules and touched on of
the keys and it made a noise. Then I hit another note, and another, and
pretty soon I was playing "Yankee Doodle!!!" I thought it was
Yankee Doodle, but my mom thought otherwise and stormed in to fix the
problem (me). From that point in time I wanted to play guitar. My mom
kind of humored me and got me lessons with a high-school scholar and I
borrowed his cheap guitar (one of those you can buy a Sam's Club for
$30). I got about 4 lessons over a period of about 6 months and learned
absolutely nothing, but I still insisted on playing guitar, or the
accordion (Weird Al plays the accordion). Eventually, my mom got me
guitar lessons at a local music store. Mike Vanderburg was my teacher.
He taught me Metallica and we jammed to metal. It sounded bad for about
a year or 2, but the Jim inside me told me to keep with it. Finally, I
bought an electric guitar (my dad refused to allow me to have an
electric guitar). My mom and I snuck out and bought a Squire with a
10-watt Marshall mini half-stack. This guitar made all the difference,
now I thought I was a real rock star, so I started greasing my hair
back, parted down the middle of course, and taking my guitar to school.
I was the big man in the Jazz band (the guitar player) but the teacher
would just send me and the other guitarist to jam in the instrument
closet. This ended up being a good thing because I learned a lot from
the other guy. I would sit before and after and sometimes during school,
outside and play my sweet electric guitar. And on one fateful day, Clay
Roberson, a complete stranger at the time, approached me while I sat and
played my guitar to nobody on a cold concrete bench. He invited me to
try out for his band, where I met Jonny and lalagoochiedingdong, Nothing
More. began.
Musical Influences
As an 'ankle biter' (as Jonny calls it), I was into Toby Keith, and
Garth Brooks. Gimme a break here guys, I grew up in Boerne. Then one of
those Colombia House 'Get 12 CD's for the price of 1' deals came in the
mail. My brother and I secretly ordered a bunch of Rock and/or roll,
rap, and dance CDs (Cake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair, Coolio,
Ace Of Base, ect). At that time most of those CD's didn't do much for
me…. that is, except for the DANCE MIXES!! I loved to beat and hype of
the Dance mixes… oh yeah and this was in 3rd or 4th grade so don't
make too much fun of me. But I loved the beats of dance… which is
probably why I think Jonny is a major part of our band. He brings an
awesome beat to every song we can write. Anyways, after I picked up the
guitar, I started listening to more of the rock stuff. My favorite was
definitely Silverchair. I think they were the first rock band I had ever
heard, and they were all really young too. As I started to mature - late
in my freshman year of high school - I started opening up my ears to
other types of music. I love a variety of music, but nothing does it for
me like rock. And I don't think anything will.
Inspiration
Of course I have to credit other musicians and bands as a major
inspiration, but like the rest of my band God has brought me into this
and given me my band mates, my best friends. I thank Him everyday for
our music, because it is truly He using us as instruments. I ask Him for
guidance in the right direction. Without Him we are Nothing More.
Josh's
Gear
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