After catching the ears of Starbucks/Hear Music with his 2007 release Under the Scorpio Moon, resulting in their licensing several songs for play in stores nationally, Joe Rathbone is back with 'Mad July'; a 5-song EP that runs from a rememberance of a desert trek ('8 Years Ago'), to the death of a former colleague ('Mary'), to landing in the modern era 'half naked in a bistro' ('Mad July'), to realizing 'we're finally where we should have been('Moving with You').
Recorded in the attic loft of musical renegade/producer Josh Fuson and ending up in David Henry's haven aka True Tone Recording, what happened was madness and love in sound and words. In the summer of 2008, Daniel Dennis, owner of Prime Cut Records in Nashville, teamed up with Joe Rathbone to release his new EP, featuring Steve Bowman's tribal drumming, David Mead's soul/choral backing, cardboard box drum loops, 10-watt Gibson amps, a string section, metal ductwork on 2 and 4 and a belief that all these folks you never heard of sound better than the famous ones, the priveleged anointed ones. Here's to friends and 'Mad July.'
'Mad July' follows 2007's 'Under the Scorpio Moon', 2004's 'I Can Hear the Windows of Your Heart Breaking' and the 2002 debut, 'Welcome to Your New Life.' All three received very favorable reviews in national media and extensive airplay on AAA radio stations, most ntably WFUV in NYC, WXPN in Philadelphia, WNCW in Charlotte, NC, KUT in Austin, WRNR in Maryland, WMNF in Tampa, KXCI in Tuscon and XM Satellite Radio's Cafe' Channel throughout the US and were lauded as an impressive showcase of Rathbone's songwriting skills.
Joe has appeared on 'The Mountain Stage' and tours in the US and UK, opening for Shawn Colvin, Chuck Prophet, Rock Four, Peter Mulvey, Robbie Fulks, Jeff Lang, Amy Rigby, Greg Trooper, Jim Lauderdale and Ben Weaver.
