-
Josh Damigo: A Trolley Show
[+ Show ]
You’re going to have a rough time finding someone who embraces the quintessential San Diego sound mo...You’re going to have a rough time finding someone who embraces the quintessential San Diego sound more than Josh Damigo, who’s been a CityBeat friend for a long time. Though he wasn’t born in Southern California, his easygoing acoustic tunes drip with sunshine, flip-flops and day-drinking at the beach.
In this episode of A Trolley Show, Damigo’s finger-popping guitar work and smooth vocals mask dark lyrical content on “Pocket Change,” which gives the song (like much of Damigo’s material) an intriguing duality. The blues never felt this sunny.
-
North Park News
[+ Show ]
Winner of the 2009 San Diego Music Award for “Best Local Recording,” Josh Damigo is certainly one of...Winner of the 2009 San Diego Music Award for “Best Local Recording,” Josh Damigo is certainly one of the most gifted singer-songwriters the area has seen in some time. The tunes from his award-winning disc, “Raw,” will likely get the night’s biggest response, but he’s an engaging, crowd-pleasing performer, whether in acoustic mode or with a combo. Damigo adds a slight pop edge to his songs that makes his music a bridge between the acoustic stylings of Jason Mraz and the rock of Switchfoot.
-
Josh Damigo Demonstrates the Power of Collaboration on RAW
[+ Show ]
Written by John Philip Wyllie
While he used to tell his childhood friends that he one day wanted ...Written by John Philip Wyllie
While he used to tell his childhood friends that he one day wanted to become a rock star, Josh Damigo might be more remembered by his San Jose high school friends for his athletic prowess. A three-letter guy in high school, Damigo went on to star for the San Diego Christian College Soccer Team and entertained thoughts of playing professional baseball once he graduated. A torn ACL/LCL/meniscus in 2004 put those dreams on hold. The injury however, turned out to be an unexpected blessing in disguise.
"That is where music really started for me. I was sitting on my couch bummed out that I wouldn't be able to play the next season and I just started writing some music and singing. Then I put it all together," Damigo said on the eve of his May 15 Raw CD release party at Lestat's.
It wasn't quite as easy as all that. At the age of six, his achievement-oriented parents decided that he should take piano lessons. While he hated the steady diet of classical music, scales, and chord progressions, he now admits that learning to play the piano was a key to unlocking his creative potential.
"After learning to play the piano, I was able to move to any other instrument, pick it up, and go with it because of the foundations my teacher had set up for me. After the piano I went on to the trumpet and then to the baritone. Then I picked up a guitar at the age of 16 and taught myself to play that."
Coming from a conservative Christian home, Damigo spent years performing in church choirs and worship bands while listening to the mostly Top 40 pop and classic rock sounds of the Beatles and Beach Boys. Both the musical influences and the participation in various church ensembles had a positive effect. He still performs weekly at the Fellowship of San Diego on Park Blvd.
"I attribute a lot of my skill to being allowed to play in the church every Sunday. Church music has a place in my life and my own music is kind of a separate thing. The hard thing for me sometimes is differentiating between my Christian life and my music life. I have always had pressure and comments that I should be doing Christian music full time, but my heart is really into writing and telling stories through my own music."
As a songwriter, his early classic rock and Top 40 pop exposure were bound to come out in his songs.
"I only listened to popular oldies tunes as a kid. My writing style comes from listening to non-stop hits on the radio. I tend to judge all of the music that I write by the Top 40 music that I have heard. I go back and I rewrite and rewrite and rewrite tunes that I think have potential. I am never really happy with a song until somebody can sing along with me after the first verse."
Damigo's participation in sports provided him a competitive edge and a level of relentlessness rarely seen. He found that that relentlessness transferred well to music as he began to take it more seriously.
"I did a program that I call "52 Songs in 52 Weeks." Basically, I just challenged myself to write a new song every week. I posted all of the lyrics on my blog. Out of those 52 songs I think I like about three or four of them."
Songs like "Sleeves" and "Pocket Change," which are featured on Damigo's new CD, Raw, demonstrate that there is no substitute for hard work. The entire CD benefits from clever songwriting, meaningful lyrics, and Damigo's unique ability to switch gears. It captures Damigo doing what he does best: performing, not just singing.
Damigo once saw other musicians as the competition. He initially wrote all of his own songs and showed little interest in collaborating with anyone. He has since done a complete 180 in that regard. Raw is the beneficiary.
"A lot of people around San Diego used to know me as somebody who wouldn't play unless there was money involved. I think people used to see me as cutthroat because I would see them as competition. What I came to realize about a year and a half ago is that music is supposed to be shared with everybody. It is better if it is. A lot of songwriters in Nashville, L.A., and other places, even though they have that cutthroat (mentality), still collaborate with other writers. I wrote most of the songs on this album by myself, but four of the stronger songs feature Rob Deez, Allegra Barley, and Jeremy Rubolino. There is no way that I could have written any of them by myself, they just aren't my style. Sometimes writing with somebody else takes all the pressure that I usually put on myself off of me. There is a give and take with ideas. Sometimes the more people you have working on a project, the better it turns out."
Shawn Mayer adds her beautifully pure voice to "Something's Telling Me." Damigo co-wrote "Sugar" and "Cougar" with roommate/ rapper Rob Deez and co-wrote "Indescribable" with Allegra Barley. The 14-song Cd's final cut, "Shooting for the Sun," is another collaboration, this time with Jeremy Rubolino. The different styles of Mayer, Deez, Barley, and Rubolino make Raw interesting and varied.
Damigo credits producer Aaron Bowen with capturing his live sound on the album.
"People have been hearing me around town for the last three years (and prior to Raw's release) and the only thing I could give them was a little six-song EP that I made, using one take. I had never recorded anything so the EP wasn't really anything that I wanted to get out, but it did. It got on to iTunes and I sold 1,000 copies. That was great, but then I got emails from fans saying that they loved my show, but when they heard my CD they were really disappointed. With this CD I wanted to give back to anybody that had given me anything and I wanted to make it sound the way that I sound when I am doing coffeehouses. It is basically just guitar, a little bit of fluff, like cello and lap steel, and the raw vocals. We didn't auto tune or do anything special. There is not even a whole lot of reverb on it. All of the songs on the album sound the same way as they would if I was playing them in your living room. It is done, though, to a level where it still has the professionalism that I am looking for. Aaron Bowen was really a great choice to produce the CD because that is what he is all about."
The charm of Damigo's music is in the way it reaches people. He is somehow able to impart the emotion he feels when he is performing a song. There is an authenticity in his delivery and a sincerity in his voice that clearly comes across. Damigo is obviously at home on stage. He knows how to work an audience and have them eating out of his hand by show's end. But then maybe that is not surprising. After all, Damigo has had lots of practice helping people to get in touch with their inner feelings. He has been playing at church since his youth.
"At church your goal is to make people in the congregation experience a spiritual high through the music. What I learned from that is when I get up on stage to be the master of all my movements. Everything that I did had a purpose. Now when I get up on stage my goal is not just to play a song and get on to the next one. It is to really take my time and help people to understand the emotion behind it and the feeling. There is little that comes out in my show that hasn't been thought through. I am not really one who likes to experiment a lot on stage. Every move that I make has been played over in my head three or four times a day."
Having already performed with such celebrities as Jason Mraz and Jon Foreman of Switchfoot, Damigo would love to be the next San Diegan to follow in their successful footsteps. With talent to spare, plenty of charisma, and a deep-seated desire to excel at everything he does, Damigo may soon realize his long-held dream.
-
The LIST Magazine
[+ Show ]
Once in a while we're lucky enough to run across an artist that immediately evokes 1 of 2 reactions....Once in a while we're lucky enough to run across an artist that immediately evokes 1 of 2 reactions. Either you're convinced you've already heard him on the radio ... or you're convinced that you're about to. Josh Damigo is one of these gems and it only bolsters our excitement to find his facetwitspace hometown set to: San Diego.
With the voice of a pro, the soul of a vet, and the look of star ... just remember where you heard the newest addition to The LIST Music. We found him first! (and reserve the rights to dibs)
The LIST: How'd you get into music?
Damigo: I have always been musical. My mom forced me to play piano when I was growing up in San Jose, CA, and I sang everywhere I could. I taught myself how to play guitar at 16 and started playing in my small church. It was only a hobby, but people told me I was good. I was too involved in sports to really care though. I moved to San Diego to play soccer at San Diego Christian College. My Junior year, I tore my ACL, MCL, Meniscus, bruised every bone in my knee and shin, and broke my wrist in a basketball game. I ended up sitting on a couch for about 2 months and was unable to do much more than yell at my roommates to kill spiders. Sitting on that couch I decided that to kill time I could write songs, and after cutting off the wrist cast with a butter knife… (Ya... that took a while) I got at it. I think I wrote 3 or 4 in that week, and someone told me I could play my songs at an open mic. I tried the open mics out, and Johnny C. from Twiggs gave me my first show a week after I played there. Ever since then I’ve been playing wherever they’ll pay me! (Lestats is my favorite venue in San Diego)
The LIST: Who are some of your influences?
Damigo: My biggest influences are Shawn Mullins, Jim Croce, Damien Rice, Dierks Bentley, and Brad Paisley. They are all amazing and completely different song writers who are also great storytellers. I’m a huge fan of Jason Mraz’s style, and have incorporated it in a few songs, but I think my strongest tunes come from my days of listening to oldies.
The LIST: What have you been up to recently?
Damigo: I’ve been starting to tour. I just got home from Arizona, and played in Phoenix and Tucson this weekend. It was good times! I got a phone call from Chuck Cannon out of Nashville today (he wrote, “I love this bar” by Toby Keith, and “The Way You Love Me” by Faith Hill) and he invited me to come hang out with him and Shawn Mullins at their show in a few weeks. Two seconds after I hung up I received a call from Matt from KRUZ 97.5 out in Santa Barbara. He asked that I do a show for their radio station, and they will be playing my songs on air all week! (is my brag on loud enough??? It hurt my foot when I dropped those names… fyi…)
I just released a new album entitled Raw (available online at i-tunes, CDBaby, or at any shows). I worked with Aaron Bowen on the album, and it is an acoustic, full length album. Jeremy Rubolino recorded the last track, “Shooting for the Sun” and it is getting lots of buzz. The San Diego Troubadour is doing a special article on me in one of the upcoming months, and hopefully some of the other local papers will be writing reviews about the album. I’m not expecting them to say much good though, because I’m very pop. And I don’t think they like pop around here… =)
The LIST: What's next for Josh Damigo?
Damigo: Hoping to work on a new album soon. (ya… another one.) This will be my first full studio album. I’d love to be nominated for a San Diego Music Award, but we’ll see how that goes… =) While I’m at it I’d also like to win a Grammy. If The LIST could hook that up, that would be awesome. =) "I'm about to take off on a Midwest tour, headlining in Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and Covington!" Please check out my website, www.joshdamigomusic.com for all tour dates, and find me on i-tunes and cdbaby.
-
CD Review for Raw
[+ Show ]
Josh Damigo
Raw
Website: http://www.joshdamigo.com
Written by Will Edwards
Josh Damigo's first...Josh Damigo
Raw
Website: http://www.joshdamigo.com
Written by Will Edwards
Josh Damigo's first full-length record, Raw, is unusual. It plays a bit like a diary and a live show rolled into one. The songs thread together and flow well throughout the playlist and the lyrical message typically explores reflections and sentiments on young love, lust, and overcoming personal challenges. So, is this a "been there, done that" record? In short, no it isn't. Permit me to answer a cliché question with a cliché answer. There's more to Josh Damigo than meets the eye.
My favorite song on the whole album is "Sleeves." As a cynic, I like it because it reminds me that sometimes we're misunderstood and life is hard. How many of us like a song just because it lets us brood? Track 10, "Rain," echoes a similar mood and ironically the melancholy tone makes me feel… well, better. When I thought about why I liked those songs most, I discovered something unexpected - that most of the other tracks stray into unfamiliar territory for the genre. They're positive and optimistic. Is a singer-songwriter allowed to be so content?
There are many common themes here, particularly songs that describe the kind of young love characterized by long walks on the beach and awkward moments that make for spontaneous laughter. Many of us have come to the conclusion that love is a double-edged sword. Damigo doesn't follow that cliché but instead directs our attention toward the "good times" side of the love story that I was willing to abandon my cynicism (albeit temporarily).
Raw ends with a surprise spectacular - a track co-written and produced by Jeremy Rubolino, called "Shooting for the Sun" - and the only track not produced by Aaron Bowen (who also produced Damigo's 2007 release, Pocket Change). While Bowen's production style is very conservative, Rubolino's approach couldn't be much more flamboyant. Each approach has its virtues and while "Shooting for the Sun" stands as an obvious reflection of standard pop design, it is a great closing song. In summary, the song is about breaking through and making it. That, too, is a cliché, but it's also at the very heart of why many creative people have created anything at all. Of all the songs on the album, this final track has the best shot at radio success (a fact not lost on Rubolino and Damigo, I'm sure).
Damigo is ambitious and he wears it on his sleeve. Throughout the record, he delivers more natural performances that demonstrate considerable growth vocally and performance-wise over his 2007 EP. His lack of cynicism makes him different and may align him with a broader listening audience. Someone once said, "Country music is great because you can always sing along the first time you hear it." One could say that Damigo often states the obvious as a songwriter, but on the other hand that, makes for a lot of common ground with his listeners. On track seven Damigo admits, "Come on, sing it, it's really easy. I don't write complicated [songs]." Eventually, I agreed with him and am happy to sing along.
-
Concert Review
[+ Show ]
Donning a baseball cap, t-shirt, and jeans, Josh Damigo looked more like your regular joe at a sport...Donning a baseball cap, t-shirt, and jeans, Josh Damigo looked more like your regular joe at a sports bar with the exception of his acoustic guitar in hand. He starts off with a bouncy upbeat tune and immediately gives a cheeky grin when he’s done with the song. “That’s about as manly as it gets. It’s all love songs from here.” Damigo switches gears and goes from sports bar joe to romantic balladeer. But wait, this isn’t your regular coffeehouse crooner. Fluidly poetic and warmly soulful, Josh Damigo is finally the fresh and uplifting talent that San Diego so desperately needs. His lyrics have heart, which are accompanied by the sweet light guitar sound that touches the spirit. In May, he will be releasing a new album called Raw. But although he admitted on stage he played mostly love songs, it didn’t mean all his songs were romantic in nature. His track “Saves the Day” is more about the true heroes in life—not just soldiers and emergency personnel, but the everyday heroes in everyday life. But then again, he did hit the head on the love nail with a tune he called “Crazy” about two of his best friends who fell in love. He starts off with a bit of humor playing “Part of Your World” from Little Mermaid and progresses into his song which, needless to say, was incredibly sweet. If the looks on the audience member’s faces were any indication, Damigo didn’t have to worry about being so manly with his music. . .it takes a real man to make real good music. And it was.
-
Interview with the San Diego Reader
[+ Show ]
I Want to Be in a Boy Band
By Jay Allen Sanford | Published Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008
Text siz...I Want to Be in a Boy Band
By Jay Allen Sanford | Published Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008
Text size: A | A | A
Send to a Friend | E-mail the Editor
Printer Friendly
I Want to Be in a Boy Band
“Lestat’s is my favorite spot to hang out and perform,” says singer-songwriter Josh Damigo. “I’m pretty much there every night. I’m a huge fan of acoustic music, and the soundman Louie Brazier and I just sit back and talk about life and music and catch up on the latest celebrity gossip. I love ordering their Snickers latte, which has hazelnut, chocolate, and caramel.”
Damigo grew up in San Jose, where his musical career began when his mother signed him up for piano lessons at the age of 6. “I absolutely hated piano because my teacher kept giving me classical pieces,” Damigo says on his MySpace page. “I quit [piano] when I was in sixth grade…at 16 I taught myself to play guitar. Two weeks after that I had my first show. I was playing at churches. I was mostly singing [because] I was a much better singer than a guitar player.”
Damigo appears Saturday, September 27, at Lestat’s.
WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?
1. Third Eye Blind, Best of Third Eye Blind. “I’ve always been influenced by this band; they’ve been my favorite group since junior high. ‘Motorcycle Driveby’ is my favorite track because of its honesty and transparent lyrics.”
2. Ben Harper, Live from Mars. “I’m not usually big on concert CDs, but the crowd is really amazing on this. If you see me on the freeway rocking out and swerving lanes, I’m probably playing air guitar to this CD.”
3. Bushwalla, Autodidactical Freestyle & Radical. “Billy ‘Bushwalla’ Galewood has been such an inspiration and good friend to me. His new CD absolutely rocks, and his song ‘Gangsta’ with the line ‘It’s hard to be a gangsta with a basket on your bike’ reminds me of my own struggles trying to be a G.”
4. Jason Mraz. “I can throw in any of his CDs, and I’ll probably sing every word. I may be a little behind the vocals, but I’m pretty sure I get most of the words right.”
5. Switchfoot. “They’ve always been a huge influence, even before I moved to San Diego. I never thought I’d get to meet them, but I’ve been able to on a couple of occasions. Jon Foreman’s lyrics are amazing.”
DESERT-ISLAND DVDs?
1. Three Amigos. “Possibly the best movie ever.”
2. Once. “I have watched this musical movie at least ten times in the past year. In the title scene, when Glen Hansard is singing ‘Say It to Me Now,’ I find that to be a pure example of a songwriter putting his whole body, heart, and soul into a song.”
3. Across the Universe. “I think the music and performances in this movie are top-notch. If you haven’t seen it, quit reading this article and get to Blockbuster.”
4. Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. “I shot milk out my nose twice during this movie.”
5. Casino Royale. “I’m a bit of a 007 fan.”
BEST CELEBRITY ENCOUNTER?
“I played at Stateside in Santa Barbara, and an older man came up to me after the show and said, ‘Young man, don’t you ever stop playing, you’ve got something special,’ and he walked away. My friend came up to me and asked how I knew Kenny Loggins. I honestly couldn’t remember who Kenny was. When I got home, I freaked out when I realized he’s the guy who wrote and performed the music in Top Gun.”
LAST BOOK READ?
“I started reading How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie, but I didn’t finish it. It had more than a hundred pages, and my ADHD kicked in.”
MOST VISITED WEBSITES?
“I’m addicted to MySpace, Facebook, and Fuzz.com. I mostly search for new music on those sites.”
TOP FIVE GUILTY PLEASURES?
1. Grand Theft Auto IV
2. Cheetos Puffs
3. Brownies or cookie dough
4. Yogurt Mill in El Cajon
5. Lestat’s chocolate chip cookies
SECRET SHAME?
“I want to be in a boy band.”
RECURRING DREAM?
“I have a weird dream that I’m a character on Saved by the Bell, and then I get drafted by the Boston Red Sox.”
WORST JOB?
“I had to work as a door-to-door salesman for a company that was similar to Staples. I lasted four hours before I quit. I felt like a human pop-up ad.”
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU FEW WOULD KNOW OR GUESS?
“I can name all the U.S. presidents, in order.”
-
Most Downloaded Song - April 2009
[+ Show ]
“Sugar,” by Josh Damigo and Rob Deez, was the most downloaded MP3 from SDReader.com during the m...
“Sugar,” by Josh Damigo and Rob Deez, was the most downloaded MP3 from SDReader.com during the month of April. Follows is an interview with the duo.
Sounds as if you’ve got a Jack Johnson–meets-spoken-word style going on here with this song. What inspired it?
Rob: I would say it was inspired by Jack Johnson and spoken word. But seriously, I was just hoping to get a couple phone numbers. That’s why I do music.
Josh: I’m pretty sure we wrote the chorus and decided we should just tell a story about going out and picking up chicks. By combining my hooks and Rob’s lyrical style, “Sugar” came into the world at 3 minutes and 40 ounces.
The “Macarena” makes an appearance in “Sugar.” What made you put that in?
Rob: That’s what she said. What’s the “Macarena”?
Josh: The chord progression has been used in hundreds of songs. We usually alternate between the “Macarena” and “Mmmmbop.”
How does the “sugar” line work on women outside of the song?
Rob: It doesn’t work at all. I’m single, and I like chicks that read. Wink, wink.
Josh: I usually don’t have to use the line.… I usually just hum a couple bars of “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid and I’m set.
-
Winner of Four HAT Awards
[+ Show ]
...In a city where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a singer-songwriter, balladeer Josh Da......In a city where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a singer-songwriter, balladeer Josh Damigo took home four awards amid the 21 categories...
-
Conversations with San Diego's Emerging Artists
...Josh Damigo has the energy of 3 musicians...
