Joshua Bosniak

Cutting his first ever EP, "That Road" due out in late June 2007, Joshua Bosniak is calling all venues to book gigs. "Have van-will travel," J.B. says, eager to showcase his work from now until then.

Born in Philly, raised in Southwest Virginia - Floyd County and home of Floyd Fest, that is, this eclectic young man is a mix of North meets South/East meets West musician. This progressive rock meets strum and pick player sings like a bird and writes the songs, too: "My parents listened to absolutely everything when I was a kid. Mom had a cabinet that was filled with tapes, and I would peel through Roy Orbison, Aretha Franklin, Revolver, Peabo Bryson, Bach's Greatest, all the old hits..."

Moving from the hustle and bustle of "the friendly city" in PA, Josh's parents chose an 'alternative' approach to living: "My parents were hippies, man, you know...we lived in a 16x32 foot one room board and batton house, with no electricity, no indoor bathroom, no hot running water of any kind (we heated water by a propane Coleman camp stove), and a wood fire place, which of course for my father meant a heap of work in an environment that was foreign and exhausting...at first...but we had 23 three acres...and it became paradise."

Weilding an acoustic/electric guitar, Joshua Bosniak is a singer and songwriter that draws on a variety of influences and experiences that shape him as a musician: "I was maybe eight or nine, and one day I was in the outhouse singing away (at that time I had this Sesame Street sponsored mix tape with James Taylor on it, which I loved). I guess my Mom was listening in, because when I came back in the house I was informed that I was the newest member of the Radford Children's Chorus. After the initial shock and embarrassment of it all, I halfway enjoyed it...only later, when I was again harangued into school chorus by the greatest of the great, Sandra Smith, (Floyd County High School's longtime chorus teacher) did I really come understand the joy and value of artistry in music."

In 1998, J.B. participated in the Virginia All-State Chorus in the 1rst Tenor category: "I really learned something's there, and in the training leading to that experience. It was a lesson as well in the capabilities of vocal production: our conductor's name was Dr. Charles Robinson, a man of immense knowledge and devotion to music..and this guy would first show the bass how it should sound in a smooth legato, relaxed and full, then the tenors in whatever mood the music called for, then the altos with hardly a falsetto break if you heard one at all...then the sapranos...and I mean to say that this man had the right to critique their tone. His ability, and his joy in sharing this unique gift he had plucked from the miracle bin, became my inspiration and goal. I decided to devote my life to music - to become a versatile and dynamic sound that no one had ever heard before."

Embarking for college in New York City, Joshua turned his thoughts towards acting: "I went to school at Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) on 71st and 3rd Ave., and I did four maintstage shows, but I could never get the same feeling from the stage as an actor that I got from connecting to the audience through music. I found myself going down to the subway with a hand drum (he's a percussionist, too) and rocking 42nd St. Times Square...There's a guy in Santa outfit every year that plays this huge Pearl set out on the New York City street, and I used to go and sit in with him...I'd even stand at the 59th N and R stop and sing a cappella."

An important experience at MMC changed Josh's course as a musician: "I was in an abstract adaptation of a story by Franz Kafka called "A Country Doctor" (Len Jenkins), and the distinguished director David Lee, genious, insisted that I learn to play "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen (who comes and plays in Floyd County, VA) the everlasting version recorded by the late, great, Jeff Buckley. I had never played a guitar in my life until that show; I have been playing ever since."

Adding to his ever-growing body of work has been a changing process throughout his career as a singer/songwriter: "My dad is a longtime writer, professor of engish, poet, so I had it coming. I use to just write. Words to a rhyme scheme, crank em'out, plan a melody line, and go from there. When the guitar came into play as a tool, I became riff and counter riff oriented - finding the melody line and simple 1, 4, and 5/5-7 chords to dance through, and then writing the lyrics to that. Now I feel my playing has become a little more complex and layered, and the writing and the playing are becoming symbiotic and more coincidental. I am pouring my heart out a little easier these days..."

That could be one way to phrase J.B.'s sound; this kid fills a 30 to 45 minute set easily with a host of original music that is soulful and intelligent. Get ready folks, because this professed "John Smith" makes magic in the ballroom.

J