Josh Mease
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Josh Mease

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Band Rock Singer/Songwriter

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"JOSH MEASE (Self-Released)"

I hereby officially start my "Best of 2007" list here. Josh Mease is responsible for one of the best records in my collection (Superiority Complex's I Can't Complain). And now, bandless, he's raised the bar even higher. Absolutely fucking beautiful. - TLChicken.com


"And Speaking of Nilsson..."

I couldn't understand why Josh Mease (above) had sent me an unsolicited request to be friends on MySpace back in November. I had never heard of this Brooklyn singer-songwriter, and I was pretty sure he didn't want to be friends because of my profile's photo of me in a paper Dolly Parton mask (don't ask) or my YouTube video of Klaus Nomi vamping his way through "Lightning Strikes."

Then I started looking at the comment field on Mease's profile. There were others who had accepted his friend request, and most of these people had one thing in common: We all had listed Harry Nilsson in our music category.

Turns out Josh Mease worships at the shrine of Nilsson, not to mention Stevie Wonder, John Lennon, and Elliott Smith. Those are all apt touchstones for Mease's new self-released debut, an infectious collection of shimmering pop songs that pay homage to Nilsson's most intimate work.

You can judge for yourself here. Mease says he doesn't have any Boston gigs planned yet, but when he does, this Nilsson (and Mease) fan will be attendance. - Sound Effects: Music News and Reviews from The Boston Globe


"Superiority Complex (Former band of Josh Mease)"

This is the pill you place in your player to find yourself back in the day, five years old, watching Sesame Street and The Electric Company, lacing up your sneakers to play double dutch or just plain run around until you collapse with exhaustion. This is Kool-Aid and Happy Meals, with soul music blasting out of your mother’s record player while she vacuums the rug. This is sunshine, sandcastles, snowmen, and Christmas morning. This is everything that allows you to wax a hazy shade of nostalgia, and smile in the process. And it’s only four songs long.

Superiority Complex plays a rare sort of pop music hand-plucked from the Sixties and Seventies, but reinterpreted with modern sound. It’s intensely well-crafted pop songs played by three gentlemen with jazz backgrounds, allowing them to effortlessly veer away from all-too-traditional song structures, while still keeping things catchy. It’s a slightly less-funky Sly and the Family Stone; a sexier Scapegoat Wax; the harmonizin' love child of Stevie Wonder and The Beach Boys.

And like I said, they do all this in only four songs-- an E.P. called I Can’t Explain. It’s a strange, new, sweet little record that would make radio something worth listening to. And that’s the magical, musical ticket for your daydream train back to recess, Pudding Pops, and when you didn’t have a worry in the world. - TLC Chicken


"Jason Moran Quote"

"Josh Mease has synthesized complex melodies with pop sensibilities. The result is a unique perspective that pleases the brain AND the heart. He's a true original."

--Blue Note recording artist Jason Moran - N/A


Discography

Self-Titled Album (2007)

Photos

Bio

Imagine a world where colors are a little bit brighter and the sky looks like a million Lite Brites. This is the world of Josh Mease. A singer/songwriter living in Brooklyn, Josh writes unique songs that have been praised for their originality and melodic beauty. Imagine a combination of Stevie Wonder, Wes Anderson, M. Ward, The Muppets, Cole Porter, Silent Film Scores, JoÃo Gilberto, and Willie Nelson, to name a few.

Brooklyn singer/songwriter Josh Mease's recent self-titled album is a cross section of the oddities living in his brain - from Bossa Nova-tinged grooves ("Keep Me Warm") and summery-swing singalongs ("Days Like This") to pensive, atmospheric pieces ("Illusion") and a Nintendo-inspired experiment ("Baby Brown Eyes"). The album displays both his imaginative songwriting and instrumentation as well as his diverse musical influences. Top it off with a voice that hints at what might happen if Chet Baker got it on with all four Beatles.

The peculiar musical journey of Josh Mease began when he was growing up in Houston, Texas. As an only child, Josh spent much of his youth with just his parent's record collection to keep him company. At the tender age of 11, he was writing, singing and recording songs on a 4-track in his bedroom mostly to entertain his friends when they came over to play. By the time Josh was in high school he had, a bit obsessively, jumped headlong into studying guitar. This eventually brought him to New York City, where he studied jazz at the New School. It wasn't until he was in his early twenties that he dusted off the old 4-track and started singing songs again.

Josh's music has earned praise from the likes of Blue Note recording artist Jason Moran, and the Boston Globe has described his album as "an infectious collection of shimmering pop songs." Currently, Josh is busy playing throughout the Northeast with a band of like-minded musicians.