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Musical Bio


I've been writing and performing original songs ever since I was a kid. You can watch videos of some of them on this website, and I'm available to come sing them for you! My path to now has been quite interesting, so read on to learn more.

Bio Photo 1 - Josh w_ Guitar age 2_edite

Born in Washington DC, I started playing music at an early age. My parents piped Musical Theater albums into my bedroom at night, giving me an education into the amazing lyricism and musicality of a unique period in American culture. 

At age 9, we moved to Malaysia, where I formed my first group, “Josh and the Jolly Jumpers,” consisting of myself, my brother Jonathan, and a local Malaysian friend. 

After Malaysia we moved to England, where my siblings and I attended the famous alternative “free” school, Summerhill. I started writing original songs at this time, and the whole school of 60 pupils gathered once a week to watch “Top of the Pops,” the countdown of the top 20 hits of the week. What a musical education that was!

After returning to the States, I wrote a book about about my experience at Summerhill, and gave a number of lectures at colleges around the country. 

Then I moved to San Francisco where I performed my original songs in a duo with Max on guitar and harmony, playing small live houses around the city. I delivered WESTERN ONION singing telegrams to make a living, which made for a number of entertaining stories!

After studying music in college in Vermont for a number of years, I moved back to SF, this time joining with Roger, a wind player who excelled on everything from piccolo to tuba and everything in between! This inspired me to take up the flute myself. 

And then, in a fit of intuition and inspiration, I moved to Japan, working as a voice talent in all genres, recording songs and original commercials and performing my music in local clubs with a Japanese band.  
(Samples on the Audio Tracks page!)

Graphic by Lamb & Lion Studio

I even studied the Shakuhachi flute!

For another adventure, I adopted the persona of Johnny Volcano, singing R&B, Boogie-woogie and Classic Rock covers with a band of American and English musicians. That was so much fun!

After moving to New York City, I wrote and performed a number of funny radio commercials. (Samples on the Audio Tracks page)

Wanting to stay connected to Japan and elsewhere abroad, I decided to focus my creative energy and vocal expertise on developing an original accent modification methodology to help foreign speakers have an easier time with English pronunciation.  (info on Services page)

I also offer an “English Pronunciation for Singers Course”, consisting of over 30 short original a cappella songs that focus on every aspect of pronunciation.
(info on Services page)

In recent years, I made two colorful, energetic music videos of my original songs, “Japanese Food” and “It’s a Beautiful Day.” 
(Watch on the Music Video page)

Currently I'm performing my original songs in NYC solo with guitar. Want to hear a few? Go to the SONGS page in the menu!

 

If you want to book me or be notified of future gigs, get in touch and let me know!

What's Next?

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