In the world of burgeoning independent musicians, Josh Hoge is sort of the Justin Timberlake of the lot… minus the skit show anthem dedicated to his gift wrapped genitals.

Straight out of Nashville, Tennessee, his falsetto can emit shrieks from the girls who solemnly swear that they came to the concert only “for the music”. His honey-coated Southern drawl is hardly detectable until he talks about his beloved hometown and, rather than apologizing for his pop-infused R&B, he’ll tell you how much he loves Brian McKnight. And whiskey. And women. Which can make things difficult when you’re on tour with Matt Wertz and Mat Kearney and your first stop on the tour is a Christian college. “I have done a couple shows where someone’s come up to me and actually, like a six-year-old, said, ‘We need to make sure that you’re not gonna say anything,’” laughs the 29-year-old singer-songwriter. “But it’s not like I’m fuckin’ Chris Rock. I’m not gonna go up there and just start goin’ nuts.”

II: What have you been up to since your summer tour with Elliott Yamin ended?
JH: Nothing… Actually I can’t say “nothing”. I’ve just been working here at the studio– [tour manager, Zach Crowell] has a studio upstairs– and we’ve just been doing a bunch of new stuff. I’ve been trying my hand at writing completely random songs for other people, so I’m trying to get into some of that. I’ve even been writing Christmas songs for Elliott. Elliott Yamin is doing a Christmas album. I’ve been trying to write those and just trying my hand at writing for other artists. I wrote a lot of my stuff with Ne-Yo and he does a lot of that, so I’m trying to get into that too. Other than that, I’ve just been hanging out, drinking a lot.

II: How has it been writing Christmas songs in the middle of summer in Nashville, TN?
JH: Well, it’s weird in general. I’ve never written Christmas songs. It’s my first time ever trying it. It was fun; we had a good time doing it. Who knows if they’ll make his record. But it’s definitely hot. I think it’s 100 degrees today.

II: So you’ve written with other artists in the past like Dave Barnes…
JH: Yeah, I’ve written with Barnes and Ne-Yo and the majority of the stuff I write, I write with a friend named Ryan Tedder, who is in a band called OneRepublic and that’s kinda starting to happen. He and I write the majority of the stuff that I do together.

II: Do you have a preference when it comes to writing alone, or as part of a collaboration?
JH: Well, I don’t play an instrument so the collaboration thing is easier for me. I’ve started writing more to tracks and stuff like that, where the music’s already supplied. But it’s kinda difficult if you don’t play. I’m a loser.

II: Your first record deal was with Epic and that didn’t work out. Did they release your first album?
JH: Single. They never put the record out. They put the single out last summer, and I just toured and all that. The record was supposed to come out in January and then we split ways right around that time.

II: Is that how you maintained all the rights to your songs, since the album was never released?
JH: Pretty much. I’ve just stayed on the road and I’ve done a little EP just here at the house that I’ve been selling on the road and over MySpace and stuff like that, but I’ve never officially released, like, a real album in stores and all that stuff.

II: Did you learn anything from your experience with Epic that you plan to apply to your relationships with any record labels that you work with in the future?
JH: Yeah. Not to believe anyone. I don’t really believe anyone until I’m sitting there with it… that type of thing. There are a whole lot of shady people in the music business.

II: How did “Work That Body” become attached to the “Biggest Loser” soundtrack?
JH: I guess through Epic. I think they did the soundtrack. That was one of the last songs that I recorded for the Epic record I did. If I make another record like that, it will be part of that record for sure because that’s always been kind of a crowd favorite. It was really cool. That was actually the one song on the record I made that I didn’t write. My friend David Ryan Harris and this guy Mark Ronson [wrote it] and Amy Winehouse did the music for it.

II: When things like that happen, does the record label tell you, or do you just kind find out when you see it?
JH: That one I just kinda saw. They didn’t tell me a lot of stuff at Epic. At the last minute they said, “Hey, we’re letting you go.”

II: The track “Take It or Leave It” features a performance by members of John Mellencamp’s band. How did that collaboration happen?
JH: The guy I was working with at Epic used to work for John and we went down to John Mellencamp’s studio in Indiana and we worked in that studio. His guys were around and sorta just started playing on the song. It was really cool. There’s not a lot to do in Bloomington, Indiana, but we went down for a couple weeks and hung out and cut the record. It’s actually the same studio where they cut The Fray’s record [How to Save a Life].

That song ["Take It or Leave It"] has a kind of down home, almost kind of a country, Southern feel, so his guys stepped in and played on it. It was pretty cool.

II: Have you ever thought about learning to play an instrument? Do you take voice lessons?
JH: No. I don’t do either. I thought about learning, then I realized how impatient I am. If I can’t play the guitar like John Mayer in, like, a week, I’m kinda over it.

II: Tell me about the Bedroom Sessions Vol. 1 EP and how that came to fruition.
JH: Well, the single came out last summer and did pretty well for me and opened up a little bit of a fan base; and I had been touring. I toured all last summer with Ryan Cabrera and we were seeing people starting to wonder who I was and starting to wonder when the record was coming out. So when we left Epic, I was still touring and I started doing this Elliott [Yamin] tour. I’d toured with Andy Davis and Nathan Angelo and I sat down with Zach [Crowell] one day and said, “Man, I gotta have something to sell,” so we just sorta did it illegally, really, because technically I’m a Sony artist still and I can’t really be selling stuff. We kinda did the whole, “If they come after me, that means I’ve sold a whole lot of them.” So we just did it and it is what it is. It was done in a bedroom in, like, a day. It’s six songs, it’s not mixed, it’s very raw. No artwork or anything, I mean, it’s just a CD in a case that we sell but people seem to like it. When I go back around to cities, you see people singing, so when they have something that they can learn and sing along to, it helps.

II: Was this your first experience with releasing an album yourself?
JH: Yeah, pretty much. We just do it at shows and you can get it on myspace.com/joshhoge, but that’s it for right now. It’s not on iTunes and all that. I can’t do all that kinda stuff because it’s against the law. I’m a rebel.

II: Your older brother is Will Hoge, who until recently was an independent artist for years. Were you able to draw on his experiences when you decided to release the Bedroom Sessions Vol. 1 EP on your own?
JH: Yeah. I mean, it was kinda everything. I worked for a record company before I did stuff as an artist, and saw a lot of the sides of the music business. And also, Will was signed four or five years ago through Atlantic and he got screwed, so I watched that whole process. I learned a lot of stuff watching him go through the bad parts of it, then I signed a deal with Epic. I think anybody who signs a deal automatically thinks “I’m gonna be the next big thing”, just because that’s kind of what they tell you and you can’t really help but believe it a little bit. And then, of course, the same thing happened to me.

For me it sucks, but it wasn’t quite as hard as it might be for some people because I’ve at least seen the other side of it. I’ve seen it firsthand and know people who’ve gone through it.

II: When Will found out you’d been signed, what was his reaction? Did he try to tell you what to expect, or just tell you to go for it?
JH: A little bit of both. It kinda crept up on my whole family. I wasn’t really the singer of the family, Will was always kinda the one doing it. I sang at talent shows and stuff like that, then started pursuing it a little bit more, but I think my family thought, “Oh, that’s cute. Josh wants to be a singer, whatever.” And then all of a sudden somebody offers me a record deal. But he and I had talks of, you know, “don’t believe this…”, so it definitely helps.

II: Did he have a big influence on your decision to become a singer?
JH: My family’s just a music family. Our grandfather was a jazz musician, and our father was a rock musician, and then Will, and it’s kinda what I wanted to do. I like Will’s stuff a lot. We’re completely different but I like his stuff a lot. I’ve watched him for years. He definitely had a big influence.

II: You mentioned your father who was involved in a band called The Lemonade Charade.
JH: Yeah, in the 60s. I compare it to, like… he was sorta like Will in the 60s, especially around Nashville and stuff like that. They were the biggest band around here and he still plays. He’s in his 60s and he still plays shows.

II: What advice has he given you in terms of performing or the industry?
JH: He hasn’t given me a lot of advice as far as the performing stuff goes, but it all sorta goes back to the whole industry. We’ve both kinda gotten burned with our first attempts with the industry. But I try not to be bitter. That’s one thing I’ve kinda learned is that it’s not the end of the world.

II: Do you feel that you have a certain set of expectations placed upon you because of your last name?
JH: Sometimes. But it’s not really expectations, it’s definitely in a more funny… I can tell sometimes when I show up and play shows that people expect me to sound more like Will, and I’m more the pop/R&B guy and he’s definitely a rock ‘n’ roller, so I enjoy that. I don’t know if it’s expectations of me, but I see people who I know are like, “Oh man, this is gonna rock!” and then I play, like, some acoustic song and they’re like, “What the hell happened?”

II: You’ve mentioned that a lot of your current influences come from the records that your father passed down to you and Will. What music did your parents play while you were growing up?
JH: Kinda everything, really. Mom listened to a lot of country when we were little. Dad listened to everything from R&B, to rock, to country. I know Will sort of went towards his rock collection, but I went a little bit towards… I mean, I’m obviously from the younger generation but I definitely liked some of the R&B stuff. From that, growing up I kinda picked up on the Boyz II Men and all that kinda stuff; Jodeci and all that. That’s what I was into: the 80s and 90s R&B.

Dad did love Michael McDonald.

II: Wait, how old are you?
JH: I’m 29.

II: Given that some of your influences are derived from your father’s record collection, are there any prevalent artists from our generation that you want to be sure to pass down to your new nephew or the next generation?
JH: I don’t know if the father of that baby would enjoy these influences so much because he’s not that big into this kind of music, but… I don’t know. I’m a huge R&B fan; everything from Brian McKnight to Boyz II Men and all that stuff for sure, but… I only really think that there’s only one artist that will be around for our kids and that’s John Mayer. I think he’ll be the equivalent to, like, a James Taylor for us. I don’t think there are many artists who will be around when we have kids, but I think John Mayer will be. So I would say him. I would pass him on.

II: It seems as if the Chickenbucket Tour was the first part of your career to really solidify your fan base. Was this the first tour that featured you as a headliner?
JH: I don’t really say it was a headlining thing because it was really the three of us, but it was really me and Andy. Me and Andy put the whole thing together. We had another guy who was gonna come, but he couldn’t do it, so we had Nathan Angelo join us. We sorta just did a co-headlining thing and depending on where we were, we’d see who would headline. It was actually a good experience. It was the first time I’d ever done a tour independently without help from a label. We did that all on our own. It worked out, though. It was really good. It was very… surprising. We just [played] some small acoustic rooms and stuff like that. We talked about doing it again in the beginning of January.

II: So you basically just called Andy Davis and asked him to do a tour?
JH: I was trying to find somebody from around Nashville and he wanted to do it. Originally our friend– there’s another guy named Rob Blackledge, who’s from Nashville, who was going to do it, and he ended up not being able to. We couldn’t find anybody. We asked all kinds of people: Ernie Halter, Curtis Peoples, Tony Lucca, a lot of people like that that I had done stuff with; and then Nathan kinda was coming through and didn’t have anything going on so he jumped on with it. But we’re definitely gonna do it again.

II: Do you have a favorite venue or city to visit now that you have a few places under your belt?
JH: It’s actually funny. This last run we did with Elliott Yamin, I officially now have been kind of everywhere. The venue thing is hard, there are so many. I’ve had the pleasure of playing a lot of House of Blues shows, which you really can’t go wrong with those. There’s a place in Birmingham called the WorkPlay Theatre that’s amazing. We just played a placed called… I’m trying to think where I love more. There’s a really cool place in Seattle that was really cool. I really, really enjoyed Seattle a lot. That’s one of my new favorites. I love Colorado. It’s funny because I’m actually a big Yankees fan, but I love Boston.

II: You’ve said that you’ve lived in L.A. at two separate times in your life. What took you out there each time?
JH: The first time was a girl that I was dating that most of the negative songs I’ve written are about. I went out there with her because I was an idiot. The second time I went out there, I was making my record.

II: Does this ex-girlfriend know she’s the inspiration for these songs?
JH: Oh yeah.

II: How does she feel about that?
JH: I don’t think she feels good. When I was going around promoting “360″, which was the first single and is about her, I got a few texts here and there saying, like, “I heard you talking about me on the radio. Would you stop doing that?” I was like, “Well, you shouldn’t've… you shouldn’t've cheated.”

II: What was the first song you ever wrote?
JH: I think it was actually a song called “Crazy for You”. It was just, like, a total Brian McKnight rip-off. A cheesy love ballad; and that was pretty much the hook. [sings] I’m a little crazy for you. It was really cheesy.

II: How old were you when you wrote that?
JH: I think I was probably, like, 15 maybe?

II: What was the last job you had before officially deciding to become a musician?
JH: Selling shoes. Me and Elliott Yamin have sort of the same background: we both managed Footlockers. We’re the same age, we totally grew up on the same music, he loves all the same stuff, and we both were shoe salesmen. But I hope I never do it again.

II: You’ve called yourself the “Colin Farrell of pop music”. Care to elaborate on that?
JH: That just kinda all came about in the sense that I don’t really live like a– I mean, I am a pop singer, but I kinda live like a rock ‘n’ roller. I definitely drink too much, and cuss too much, and chase girls around too much. I think I was like, at Nickelodeon doing an interview one time and they were just kinda like, “This is never gonna work.”

II: When was the first time you sang in front of a crowd?
JH: In the 8th grade. I sang a Boyz II Men song for a pep rally in my junior high school and I was scared to death. It was total… it was shit. It was me and another guy and just a dude playing drums. It was a big band, lemme tell ya.

II: Do you have that on video?
JH: I don’t have that on video. I do have a 9th grade talent show somewhere on video. I sang “One Last Cry” by Brian McKnight, and I do have that.

This is a little off-subject tidbit trivia, but when I went through high school, I was a little bit gangster-ish, like I thought I was a gangster. I had the lines in my eyebrows and wore outfits and I was like Vanilla Ice; and in this video for “One Last Cry”, I was actually wearing an outfit and I kinda started undressing myself onstage. And girls thought it was cool. It was really cheesy.

II: But it worked.
JH: That’s what it was all about.

II: How many tattoos do you have?
JH: I have 10 or 12. Just on my arms. I’m just an arms guy.

II: Are you going for the sleeves?
JH: I am, yeah. As you can see, I do family names and friends’ names, and I’ve gotten into tattooing peoples’ names on me. So I’m getting ready to do my nephew’s name and some other stuff, but I’m definitely gonna sleeve my left arm and half-sleeve my right arm.

II: How’s the nephew thing working out?
JH: It’s good. He’s fat. Yeah, he’s huge. I’m not very good at thinking kids look like who they look like, but he’s kinda starting to look like Will a little bit, so that’s kinda funny. It still freaks me out every day that there’s a child that calls Will “Dad”, but it’s good. I think it’s good. He’s back on the road now. I’m assuming it’s a little bit hard for him. I have a dog and that’s hard enough.

II: What kind of dog do you have?
JH: I have a pug. I’m a pug owner. Her name is Nelly Pugtado. I used to work for DreamWorks Records, where Nelly Furtado was an artist, so I named my pug after her.

II: What’s the status of your next album?
JH: I hope I get to do one that comes out early next year. The new stuff I’ve been doing is really crazy. It’s nothing like “360″ or any other kind of the more pop [that I've done]. It’s definitely kinda more down and dirty and gritty and sort of arrogant. It’s hard to explain, but it’s sort of just a mix of– I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s definitely, like, rock and hip-hop and a little bit of, like, Gnarls Barkley. It’s just random stuff but we still have some things that are, you know, the ballads and stuff like that. It’s kind of a little bit darker, but I’m really happy with it.

II: Does that make you nervous at all, going a completely different way with your music?
JH: Yeah, because that’s what I’m used to. That’s what I’ve always done, the whole acoustic and Babyface-y kind of stuff. But this was just something we started, and I’m working with some guys here who actually did “360″, but they also did a song called “Home” for Marc Broussard, they did the new Robert Randolph stuff, they did all the India.Arie records, so they’re really known for that deep South, soulful stuff; so I’ve been working with them and it’s great. I’m really excited for someone to hear it and sorta see if they like it or not. People are gonna be like, “This is really cool,” or like, “What the hell is this?”

II: Is this what’s going on in the background?
JH: That’s some of it. I’m doing some stuff here, just on my own. This is a song that I’ve been playing on tour called “Shadow” and I’ve decided to finally record because everyone’s like, “When are you gonna put that song… When are you gonna record that song?” So it’ll be fun. Hopefully within the next few weeks I’ll be able to put some new stuff up on the ol’ wonderful world of MySpace that you can check out.

II: Do you have any preference as to playing live versus recording?
JH: I hate the studio. Yeah, I hate it. It’s just boring. Plus, I don’t play so I just end up sitting there. In a perfect world, I would have a producer and a band that did the whole record and called me and said, “Hey, we just need you to come in and sing the record.” That would be fine. But just sitting around is so boring to me. I love touring. I actually never thought I would, but I like it a lot.

II: So it’s just you guys recording upstairs?
JH: It’s me and Zach. He kinda does all of the stuff. We just have some of the guys who play with me come over off and on and lay stuff down and try to keep it going.

II: Your guitarist Steve Miller just split off to do his own thing, right?
JH: Yeah. He’s from Dallas. He joined me, but he played with Ryan Cabrera last summer. Then when Ryan wasn’t doing anything, Steve came and played with me for actually, the last year or so. But he just really wants to do studio work at home and just stay around Dallas, so he’s doing that now. I’ve got one guy who might be my new guy. If not, I guess I’ll go looking through the classified ads for my new guitar player.

II: Is that how you do it? Is that how it works?
JH: I guess. I don’t know. I’ve been lucky enough to just know a couple people, which is so damn stupid because I live in Nashville where there’s tons of musicians, but I can’t think of any guitar players.

II: What else do you have coming up during the next few months that people can look forward to?
JH: In October, for two months, I go back out with Elliott Yamin again and that’ll probably take me through the end of the year. In January, we’re talking about either doing another Chickenbucket Tour or possibly going to do a small club tour with Ernie [Halter] and maybe somebody else.

For a list of Josh Hoge’s upcoming tour dates, visit his MySpace at myspace.com/joshhoge.

Photo by Jeremy Thompson

II: What song of yours do you feel best defines your overall sound?
AM: The one that seems to go over the best is “She Falls Away”.

II: How old were you when you began singing/playing music?
AM: I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I used to listen to my father harmonize to songs on the radio and I picked it up pretty quickly. I started playing percussion when I was 12, guitar when I was about 17, and piano a few years ago.

II: What was your primary influence in making the decision to forgo a desk and a cubicle to play music for a living?
AM: Well, there are unfortunately a lot of brilliant musicians out there that still have to work behind a desk everyday. I just happen to be lucky at the moment. 2007 has been a very kind year to my musical wallet thanks in part to some TV placements through Fox. And yet, I’m still broke. :o) Who knows? Next month I may have to sit behind a desk again. But I’ve been “cubicle free” for a good while now. (In a cowboy voice) I aims for me to keeps it adat way. We shall see…I don’t think there’s any musician who has a day job that wouldn’t rather just be doing music full time. I’m very lucky. But I do work very hard too.

II: As an artist who is known for his insightful lyrics, does it annoy you when people sing along to your songs at live shows?
AM: I have insightful lyrics? I’m glad you told me. :o) I don’t think I’ve heard that before. I’ve always found my lyrics to be very basic. And as far as singing along to my songs when I play them live, that’s pretty much like giving me a hug while I’m on stage. I don’t think I could ever grow tired of that. I wish ya’ll sang louder. And yes, I do have a few musical pet peeves: people who pay to see a show and then talk through the entire thing, people who clap on one and three (STOP IT!!!), and I hate it when people don’t bring me Jameson while I’m on stage. :o)

II: Currently, you aren’t signed to a record label. Is this something you’re hoping to change in the future, or is this a conscious choice for you? Why?
AM: Well, that’s a REALLY tricky question. I would very much like to be on what they call a “major indie”, which means a good and professional independent label. Major Labels are dying a slow death and they have no one to blame but themselves. They’ve been shoving musical McDonald’s down our throats for decades and now they’re upset that people don’t want it anymore. Boo hoo! As for me, I think it’s all about what a label is willing to do and what they want out of the deal. If a reasonable deal came along, of course I’d be interested in it. But I’m not going to sit around and wait for one. I’m going either way. :o)

II: Do you have any plans to play shows outside of the Northeast area?
AM: That’s one thing I don’t get to do nearly as much as I’d like to. I have a LOT of people asking me everyday “When are you coming to…”, and I don’t think they understand how expensive it is to tour. I’m doing a little now, and I want to do a LOT more as soon as I can.

II: You list Ben Folds as one of your influences. Is your song “Sara With No H” a reference to his song “Zak and Sara”?
AM: Indeed, it is. It’s funny when people say to me, “You know that Ben Folds has a song called that, don’t you?”, to which I have to quickly point out that no, he doesn’t. In “Zak and Sara” (which is a GREAT song by the way), his character Zak is playing a song called “Sara with no ‘h’” on a guitar. I was headed to a rehearsal and I thought, ’someone should write that song’. So I did. As Ben gave no indication of what the song was about (except for the name), it left a lot of options. I had the hook really fast and the rest all came together. I can still see her in my head. But she doesn’t really exist…except to me. Nice.

II: How would you describe the experience of recording your first solo album, Music For A Bright Moon Sky?
AM: Well, recording that album took me a LONG time because of the money factor. And I kept writing better songs so I have quite a back catalog of songs that never made it onto the album. I did a lot of co-writing with an artist named Ryan Doyle who is in a group called More Than Me. He and I work together really well. Some of our newer songs will be on my next album which I’m working on now. And I remember the session where we brought in Dave Meyer, the cellist on the album. When I first heard “Stars” with the cello on it, I knew that was special. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the album. Michael Rorick and Mark Mattrey who did all of the recording are both great people to work with. I’m still very close with them. Overall I’m very proud of the album and I think that for a self-financed and self produced album it’s pretty good. But the one I’m working on now is already much better. :o)

II: When you’re doing a show, is there a specific song you most enjoy playing?
AM: We normally close our sets with a song called “I haven’t seen you for so long”. That one is great to play because it’s very upbeat (which is strange for me) and happy. People really vibe on it. I love playing “How am I to Know” because my vocalists are so damn good. They are really on and it sounds so sweet to me. But my absolute favorite to play right now is a song called “Nothing’s As Good” which will be on my new album. I play it heavy and hard.

II: What can we expect to hear on your next cd?
AM: Well, it’s already VERY different from Music for a Bright Moon Sky. Obviously, it’s important to grow as a songwriter and as an artist. I have a good chunk of it done already. It still sounds like me, but it’s a different me. It makes sense. We all change in every way. I really think it sounds a lot better. The songs have an honesty that really comes through. I can’t wait to finish it.

myspace.com/andymac

Photo by Steph Grant

After her show at the Blue Cafe in Huntington Beach, California, In It Magazine got to spend five minutes with singer-songwriter, Kristi Jo. We talked about her hopes, dreams, aspirations and, of course, MySpace.

II: Do you usually play shows here in Huntington Beach?
KJ: Not too often, actually. This is the only venue I’ve really played in Huntington but I’m familiar with the Blue Cafe through the Long Beach bar. I play a lot there. They’re really friendly to me but I love Huntington, you know? It’s a nice place.

II: Have you always been a solo artist?
KJ: It goes up and down. Some shows I’ll do solo, some I’ll put a band together. It just depends a lot on the place. Right now I’m doing a lot of acoustic stuff.

II: I got to see you at the Living Room Show hosted by The Hub here in Huntington Beach…
KJ: Oh, cool. Those are all the people that I’m just in awe of. They’re a step above for sure. So I hope to be able to hang with them someday and be able to play shows and do that kind of stuff.

II: How long have you been playing?
KJ: Let’s see, I’ve played guitar for about 12 years and I started singing when I was 16 or so and I just turned 23. I was in bands and I decided I couldn’t really do what I wanted to do with a band. I just kinda wanted to write my own stuff, so I flew solo and I’ve been solo ever since.

II: Have you gotten to branch out from the So. Cal. area yet?
KJ: It’s actually in the works. Between that and recording a CD, I have some San Diego venues that I want to play at, as well as Texas, Colorado, and Seattle. I can just stay [with friends who live there] and hit all the local coffee houses and stuff. I want to branch out, definitely want to get people to the MySpace and check out my music from outside of just Southern California.

II: As a new artist, has MySpace been beneficial for you in creating a fan base?
KJ: Yeah, I’m just starting to kind of put some effort into it. I think– telling people about it and using things like The Hub– I think it could be a great tool, I just need to promote it a little bit more. But, yeah, it definitely is a help with posting shows and that kind of thing.

II: You’re an indie musician, right?
KJ: Yeah. Not signed, no label. I’m out there looking.

II: So you are looking to get signed?
KJ: Definitely. I’m working on taking the next step but it has to be the right fit. I’m working with a manager but mostly just playing shows and trying to write songs. I’d love to do co-writes with people and just get my name out there and then record an actual CD. I’d like a full band.

II: Do you prefer performing live or do you prefer the recording side of things?
KJ: That’s a good question. I don’t know… both. Live, you get a reaction. If it’s a good crowd and people are liking what you’re doing, it’s so much fun. But recording, you have the opportunity to really be more creative, especially if you’re using a band. I think that’s really fun and it’s challenging.

II: Do you have any weird quirks or anything you do before you go on stage?
KJ: No. I kinda psych myself out. I just sit… anywhere, wherever it is– bathroom, whatever– and you just tell yourself, “You’re gonna have a good show. Do your best. Act like this is the last one…” It’s like a little mental pep-talk. It works.

II: Being a new artist and having been able to play shows with some of the more known indie artists like Andy Davis and Ernie Halter, have you received any good advice about recording or touring?
KJ: Ernie Halter mentioned something about writing, which I was really excited about, and that’s just a compliment in itself to have someone like him be interested in writing together. I’m just getting started writing with other people. I’ve always written by myself. That was great, but not so much advice. It just felt good; it was a nice little compliment. He’s on tour right now, but when he gets back, I’m crossing my fingers that that happens.

myspace.com/kristijo, kristijo.com

Dayplayer
Dayplayer is pleasant in a very Top 40 sort of way but remains relatively unknown, despite the fact that their lead singer was the main character on the cult classic NBC television show Freaks and Geeks. A five-piece band based out of Los Angeles, most of the songs on their MySpace player are still free for download.
Recommended Track: “Peak”

Scott Sharrard
If you need an excuse to get drunk on wine by yourself in your apartment in the middle of the day, New York soul singer, Scott Sherrard, just became your best friend. If you can hide your slur, your mom might even compliment your sophisticated taste in music when she comes to visit.
Recommended Track: “Paris”

Shawn Pander
Shawn Pander does a very good job of walking the incredibly fine line between country music and folk rock, a distinct blend of his two homes: Houston, Texas and Los Angeles, California.
Recommended Track: “Tell Mama”

Moedog Darling
Moedog Darling is really Marisa Predisik and based out of Long Beach, California. Her album I’m the Queen, You’re the Pauper was released just this summer but she has been kind enough to make all of the songs on her MySpace page available for download. Her music teeters gracefully between poetic and pretentious, but it works.
Recommended Track: “Rolled In Paper, Wrapped In Rubberbands”

I Hear Sirens
I Hear Sirens is an ambient band based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Their music is powerful and expressive, whether they choose to include vocals on their tracks or not. Somehow this band makes ambient music seem bad ass.
Recommended Track: “Like a Leaf From a Tree In Its Dying Season”

These links will direct you to various media sites, allowing you to hear the tracks or view live performances of each featured song.

( Side A )

“Good Life“, Andy Davis

“Hard Sun“, Eddie Vedder

“How These Days Grow Long“, Brandi Carlile

“She“, Kalai

“Evaporate“, Chris Ayer

“Handkerchiefs“, Winterpills

“Swelling“, Sarah Jaffe

“Wildfire“, Aron Wright

“Phatty’s Revenge“, Jason Vinluan

“Terra Firma“, The Daylights

( Side B )

“He Got It“, Brooke Rose

“Man Who Killed Love (Live)“, Will Hoge

“Ego“, The Sounds

“Born To Do“, Everybody Else

“Tell Me Soon“, Rooney

“How Am I to Know“, Andy Mac

“Best Thing You Never Had“, Butch Walker

“Shadow“, Josh Hoge

“Carry On“, Kristi Jo

“When the Lights Go Down“, Ernie Halter

Photos from africanchildrenschoir.com

The African Children’s Choir has had the career that most musicians strive for. Founded in 1984 by Ray Bennett, they have performed for world leaders, been featured on various movie soundtracks, and shared the stage with Paul McCartney. Through their music and live concerts, they have raised millions of dollars and are using the proceeds to help ensure a brighter future for themselves and their communities. Currently helping to provide support for nearly 7,000 African children, the money the children have raised has helped to build schools, cure the sick, and aid those in poverty. They, in short, are showing us all that music really can change the world.

If you would like to see the African Children’s Choir perform live, they are currently on tour in the U.S. and will be continuing on to Canada in January 2008. Tour dates, donation opportunities, and more information on the Choir can all be found on their website, AfricanChildrensChoir.com.