Joshua Panda

Artist Information

Biography

Joshua Panda, a twenty-four year-old singer/songwriter from Charlotte, North Carolina, is an exceptional combination of folk and soul, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding, and has traveled with this unique sound to a unique place: Vermont.

Joshua grew up in Huntersville, NC where at age three he started singing gospel music at Rockwell Baptist Church. From the church, he adopted the gospel hand wave, the rhythm, the wailing, and most importantly the embodiment of spirit. Ever since those early days in the choir, Joshua has oozed with uncontainable emotion and passion.

Integrating such soulful energy into his original folk writings, Joshua not only has established an entirely new genre of music, but also has captured a spirit in his performance, which encompasses both the flailing of a fervent preacher and the intimacy of your best friend telling you a story.

Currently, Joshua is playing with any variation of musicians from Vermont, Montreal, New York City, and North Carolina. Typically his band features guitar, mandolin/piano, accordion, drums, electric guitar, pedal steel, and upright bass. Musicians include Lowell Thompson, Brett Lanier, Brian Axford, Ed Grasmeyer, Dan Davine, Spencer Day, Pete Weiss, and Jarrod Attkinson. Joshua’s debut album "What We Have Sewn", released in the winter of 2009, is an album of love and loss that Joshua calls, “my own brand of soul and gospel-based story-telling.” Furthermore, he has just recorded his second album live in the studio in Montreal—a compilation of songs that he deems “pull more from my roots and country influences.” PandaRue Productions will release the LP "Joshua Panda" sometime in mid 2010.

Country influences include Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, and Ian Thomas. Along with these artists, Joshua lists the singing style of Sam Cooke, the performance aspects of Otis Redding, and the lyric writing of Hank Williams Sr. as the most dominant influences on his music. With this diverse range of ingredients, the choirboy from Huntersville has come to Vermont with a truly new flavor that could join the likes of Phish food and Cherry Garcia.

Instrumentation

Joshua Panda: Guitar and vocals
Pete Weiss: Accordion
Brian Axford: Mandolin and Piano
Lowell Thompson: Electric Guitar
Ed Grasmeyer: Bass
Spencer Day: Saxophone
Brett Lanier: Pedal Steel

Discography

What We Have Sewn (2009)

Links

• Facebook
• Myspace

Audio

• Buttermilk Holler
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• Rosie
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• Taiger Lily pt. 1
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• If I Had a Balloon
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• Vineyard Long Song
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Lyrics

• Buttermilk Holler

Video

Slipin' & Slidin'

Photo Gallery

Press

• Thoughts on Panda [+ Show ]
  

  "If one were to take the noun, music, and give it a form--a living, breathing, passionate, rich li...
  "If one were to take the noun, music, and give it a form--a living, breathing, passionate, rich life form in all its shapes, sizes and sounds, it would be delivered in the package that is one, young, Joshua Panda. When Josh sings, plays or performs, there are no boundaries. He weaves his heart and soul into every song, whether it's an original composition created for his solo or band projects, or covering anything from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye to Dylan, The Avett Brothers to The Beatles, there's nothing I can think of, or heard, that he can't do, and do powerfully well. And when he comes to the mic and effortlessly pours out those controlled and commanding vocals, one can only stop, listen...or groove..then ask for more. Music is not only IN Josh Panda's blood, it IS his blood."
  

• Deli Dice on Joshua Panda [+ Show ]
  

  From certain angles, Joshua Panda looks like the Joker from Batman, but not the Jack Nicholson Joker...From certain angles, Joshua Panda looks like the Joker from Batman, but not the Jack Nicholson Joker – the cartoon Joker. He literally looks like he was peeled off a comic book’s page.....but Panda’s music is no joke. -Scott Lazes (Deli Dice)

• Burlington Meets Joshua Panda [+ Show ]
  

  Pandamonium!! The monthly early-evening residencies at Nectar’s are one of the Burlington music sc...
  Pandamonium!! The monthly early-evening residencies at Nectar’s are one of the Burlington music scene’s best-kept secrets. Few Saturday-night kickoffs are more pleasurable than dinner and drinks in the legendary venue’s increasingly chic environs. This month, swoon to the silken-voiced ruminations of Charlotte, N.C.-based songwriter Joshua Panda. The eclectic tunesmith has garnered rave reviews up and down the East Coast for his infectious brand of witty, heartfelt, acoustic pop. -Seven Days Magazine (Burlington Vt)

• Joshua Panda at Nectar's [+ Show ]
  

  Gracing the stage at Nectar’s on Saturday, sporting bright shorts that teeter on the tiny edge lying...Gracing the stage at Nectar’s on Saturday, sporting bright shorts that teeter on the tiny edge lying between hot pants and acceptable, was Joshua Panda. Panda, (who apparently has had his own Vermont Teddy Bear made for him) is an eclectic singer/songwriter with a passion for performing. Meandering the well-worn trail between Brooklyn and Burlington, Joshua Panda is a 22 year-old Charlotte native who won’t let go of his roots. He is politically passionate as well, as in to say his lyrics are aware and intelligent when it comes to our generation. At Nectar’s on Saturday, he held a small but intent crowd. As I have seen from his photo albums, he’s been known to don drag – thought we were only lucky enough to get the short shorts, his natural ability as a performer will surely draw more people in next week. Joshua Panda will be at Nectar’s every Saturday this month and even into August, playing in the early evening. - The Deli Burlington

• Joshua Panda: What We Have Sewn [+ Show ]
  

  "What We Have Sewn, the latest album by Joshua Panda, embodies a true testament of compassion, love,..."What We Have Sewn, the latest album by Joshua Panda, embodies a true testament of compassion, love, and life in Carolina. This is a masterfully developed mix of songs that displays a panoramic range of musical styles that are embedded in the celebrations and tribulations of love."...."To say that this is a personal album is an understatement. You feel some of the complex emotions that Panda goes through in this work, but cathartically, the ending always provides the listener with some peace of mind. Panda's latest work is delicate; where you can deduce his influences, the distinction of his uniqueness is evident. More than anything, this is a great album; worthy of exploration."

• Joshua Panda's What We Have Sewn [+ Show ]
  

  "His tender, soulful vocals are often at the forefront of his songs"...."Call him the kinder, gentle..."His tender, soulful vocals are often at the forefront of his songs"...."Call him the kinder, gentler...roots-y, acoustic Panda."

• The Gospel of Joshua [+ Show ]
  

  "...But then the voice leapt powerfully into a higher register and I broke out in goosebumps. I w..."...But then the voice leapt powerfully into a higher register and I broke out in goosebumps.
  
  I walked across the room, overtaken by a feeling of excitement. I opened the window and looked down. What I saw was a young white kid wearing shorts, a short-sleeve button-down shirt, Wayfarers and a fedora. His white tube socks were pulled up to the tops of his calves, and he was grooving back and forth as he chopped out funky chord changes on an acoustic guitar.
  
  For the first few seconds, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; the voice and the image didn’t match. But the hair on my arms was standing on end, and I had a smile on my face. My girlfriend walked across the room and asked what I was doing. Without turning away from the window, all I could say was, “I think you should come over here.”..."We’re talking about his new album, What We Have Sewn, and what it’s like to have a voice that turns heads."..."And that’s what Panda and friends do on What We Have Sewn, which hops genres from the simple folk of “If I Had a Balloon,” to the art-pop of “Diamonds in the Sand,” to the R&B of “Egyptian Princess.” That last track is so hot that, when the band finishes, you can hear Panda yell, “Oh, that was it! Let’s get nekkid!”
  
  

Setlist

Setlist

Joshua is, by nature, an original act and enjoys playing his own music, but he can't deny his influences and occasionally enjoys covering their works.

Recent artists he's covered:

Sam Cooke
Bill Withers
The Flying Burrito Brothers
The Rolling Stones
John Prine
Ryan Adams
The Band
The Grateful Dead

and various time honored traditionals

Basic Requirements

Calendar