ABOUT:
JOSH OLMSTEAD BAND, established 2005, is an independently owned & operated Philadelphia-based rock and roll group. Josh Olmstead Band's original material draws from various musical roots, including the blues, country, folk, jazz, gospel, prog rock and soul. The band's live performances reveal an adventurous and dramatic spirit, marked by evolving arrangements, instrumental explorations, novel cover selections spanning musical genres and eras, and ultra-high energy balanced by Zen-like serenity. Marked by riveting dual lead singing, lush backing vocal harmonies, transcendent guitar and Wurlitzer/Rhodes counterpoints and solo breaks, as well as vibrantly raw drum and bass, audiences are often struck as much by the band’s intense musicality, as its solid songwriting, organic approach to recording, and communal spirit.
Originally formed as a 3-piece outfit to perform and record Olmstead’s early pop/folk oriented solo material, over time the band has grown into an increasingly collaborative sextet, comprising musicians and artists of various backgrounds and interests, including documentary film composition, fine arts, classical guitar, architecture, experimental video/film, farming and gardening, and jazz. The members come together for the collective nature of Josh Olmstead Band, finding in the music a formidable and unified voice for the players’ respective talents and world perspectives, as well a vehicle for subsisting as artists who strive to integrate beauty and harmony into an everyday way of life. They may be called the Josh Olmstead Band, but that’s just because the potluck happens to be at Josh’s house, so to speak, everyone still brings their own dish to the table. On some occasions when JOB vocalist Natalie Butts performs one of her original songs acoustically, or when drummer Matt Scarano takes a mid-set drum solo, Josh isn’t even necessarily at home, but around the corner picking up more fixings. That’s just the nature of this band.
With such a seemingly freewheeling approach, and devotion to roots music, some would say Josh Olmstead Band favors a particular rock and roll aesthetic, which reached its musical and countercultural apex between 1968-’72. Still it is difficult to dismiss the band’s ability to consciously push creative boundaries - taking their original song arrangements and melodies to interestingly modern places, and mapping out unconventional, sometimes supernatural lyrical and thematic terrain - even while working within an essentially classic rock template. “Our latest arrangements are much more likely to take scenic detours to get where they’re going,” says Olmstead. “Achieving some kind of dramatic arc in our music outside the norm of a hook-driven 3-minute pop song is what’s important to us. Sometimes that requires a little soul searching within a song, so we explore improvisation, and populating our sometimes traditional rock arrangements with unexpected twists and turns, all sorts of little preludes/interludes/postludes.”
Two releases into their recording career, 2007’s Charms, and 2010’s Purple Mountain Majesty in the Antlers Hotel, the Josh Olmstead Band is poised for continued exploration and collaboration with plans for touring and recording a live studio album of all new material in 2011.
MUSICIANS: Josh Olmstead Band's 2010 line up includes Natalie Butts (backing vocals & percussion), Tyler Case (electric piano, vocals), Josh Olmstead (vocals, guitar), Kevin O'Neill (bass), Joseph Primavera (lead guitar, vocals), and founding member Matt Scarano (drums).
PERFORMANCE HISTORY:
Josh Olmstead Band has performed in various venues in Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, sharing the stage with such bands as Alberta Cross, B.C. Camplight, Bitter, Bitter Weeks, Blood Feathers, Kenn Kweder, Hacienda, Hoots & Hellmouth, J-Ruddy Walston & The Business, Jesse Malin & St. Marks Social, Lucero, Mural and The Mint, North Lawrence Midnight Singers, and Truth & Salvage Company. In 2006, the band was invited to perform at a special WXPN hosted Fringe Festival Event. The band has also performed at Penn's Landing Great Plaza as part of 2009's 6th Annual Art Star Craft Bazaar. JOB member Natalie Butts has toured the Eastern United States and Germany with the Paul Green School of Rock, performing the music of Frank Zappa, and alongside Jon Anderson of Yes. Josh Olmstead has toured England, Scotland, Germany and the Netherlands as the lead guitarist in B.C. Camplight (One Little Indian Records), and has performed as a solo artist in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and New York. JOB lead guitarist Joey Primavera has done extensive regional touring with his several other projects including What Monsters, The Looks of It, and Grubby Little Hands. Matt Scarano, JOB’s drummer and percussionist, has toured the Eastern, Western, and Southern United States with Pepi Ginsberg (Park the Van Records), as well as performed Chris Brubeck’s “Travels in Time for Three” with the Portland Orchestra and the Boston Pops.
STUDIO ALBUMS:
Josh Olmstead's debut studio album Charms was recorded in the winter of 2006 at Miner Street Studios with Producer Brian McTear and Tape Operator/Engineer Amy Morrissey, who have worked with such notable artists as Apollo Sunshine, Meg Baird, Bardo Pond, BC Camplight, Danielson, Dr. Dog, Espers, Matt Pond PA, Mazarin, and Sharon Van Etten, among many others. Josh Olmstead's debut featured guest contributions by pedal steel guitarist Mike Brenner (Slo-Mo, Magnolia Electric Co, Marah) and pianist/organist Brian Christinzio (B.C. Camplight), in addition to former JOB bassist Joshua Machiz, and founding drummer Matt Scarano. The album was released in September 2007, twice earning WXPN’s Philly Local Pick of the Day, as well as a number of positive reviews.
In late 2008, sessions began for Josh Olmstead Band's second full-length album Purple Mountain Majesty in the Antler Hotel. All guitar, bass and drum tracks were recorded live to tape, with vocals, keys, and minimal additional lead guitar parts being overdubbed. Once again Brian Christinzio of B.C. Camplight� joined the recording sessions to perform all Hammond B-3 organ and acoustic piano parts. Completed in the fall of 2010, the album consists of over 50 minutes of all new songs, many of which have been integrated into the band's live show over the years. Purple Mountain Majesty in the Antlers Hotel will be released digitally 16 Nov 2010. XPN Welcomes Josh Olmstead Band’s record release show 19 Nov 2010 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia.
PRESS: Press for Josh Olmstead's debut included:
"On Josh Olmstead's debut we hear not just him but his amazing friends--B.C. Camplight, Slo-Mo, Amy Morrissey and Brian McTear--each of whom imbues the proceedings with enough sprightly freshness to win over folks who usually avoid singer/songwriters. Olmstead is breathy and upbeat even when taking his subjects to task: "And oh, how you lie right through your pretty teeth/You must qualify for some statuette from the Academy." His country-kissed folk-pop resonates with honesty, from its flawed characters to true-to-life conflicts, and--as expected from any local musician worth their salt--there's the requisite Philly shout-out in the form of "40th and Baltimore."
- Doug Wallen, PHILADELPIA WEEKLY
"Complex, lit-pop promises to be the tear in the beer of '06"
- A.D. Amorosi, PHILADELPHIA'S CITY PAPER
"After an extended Adirondack adventure, Josh Olmstead has quickly developed into an integral part of the Philadelphia music community. From playing with BC Camplight to enlisting the talents of such local heroes as Slo-Mo and producer Brian McTear, Olmstead had readied himself to produce a terrific album. His debut solo release features unique, cheery and layered songwriting dubbed "complex lit-pop" by the City Paper. Olmstead and his ever-growing solo band continue to bombard the nation on tour, performing the album in it's entirety, and are currently planning an album release event."
- Helen Leicht, WXPN RADIO
"Do the sit back thing, and enjoy some good vintage sounds and 70's revival rock"
- PULSE WEEKLY
