Joshua McCormack
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Joshua McCormack

Schererville, Indiana, United States | INDIE

Schererville, Indiana, United States | INDIE
Band Alternative Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Thinking Outside the Box"

03/10/2006 - Any artist that describes his music as "poppy, jazz-inflected, gospel-blues-country rock-and-roll punk" is bound to be beyond categorization.

But that doesn't mean I didn't try.

The first song I heard at Joshua McCormack's recent performance at The Blue Room Café in Highland was "Muse," a seven-minute acoustic number that features McCormack's primal, anguished, wailing vocals alternating with a deep croon – all reminiscent of Jeff Buckley.

"Right," I thought, "I've got this guy pegged."

A few moments later, McCormack picked up an electric guitar and joined a bass player and drummer as they promptly pounded out another very different original track, "Moonman." Then they ripped the lid off the place with a Misfits cover.

Somewhere around the third or fourth genre, I just stopped and listened. What I heard was a soulful musician who connected with the audience despite the fact that no one knew what was coming next. They simply went along for the ride.

This particular evening featured a few more potential bumps for McCormack and the audience, including supporting musicians (Paul Cullen on bass and Jay Will on drums) who had never practiced with McCormack until the day of the show.

"That band was something I pieced together for this show. I usually play solo, but I've always wanted other participants for shows," McCormack said. "Now that I've played with actual live musicians I don't want to revert to solo shows."

The band performed well together and only ran into a few hiccups. They easily bounced from rock to punk to blues/country with ease and brought urgency to the performance that's missing at times from McCormack's latest album, Holiday Girl.

The album also defies easy labels, but is at its best when featuring McCormack's bluesy Americana sound on tracks like "Unmarked Bill," "Roland, Darling!" and "Amelia." It still draws on his several different musical influences, from Tom Waits to the Beatles.

"It's like taking everything that may or may not be of interest and throwing it into a garbage disposal, then reaching one's hand in to find out it's turned into a shiny diamond with a little bit of food stuck to it," McCormack said.

I think Holiday Girl would be stronger if McCormack channeled all his energy into his Jack White meets The Clash moments. Piano-driven ballads "Jack the Dashing" and "Simple Aurora" feel somewhat disconnected from the rest of the album.

But by the end of his Blue Room performance I was floored by McCormack's versatility and musicianship. He is one of the most talented singer-songwriters in the Region.

But I can't really tell you what he sounds like… you'll have to find out for yourself.

Check out upcoming shows and listen to tracks from Holiday Girl at www.myspace.com/joshuamccormack
- NewSlang


"Joshua McCormack"

With straightforward songs and unpretentious lyrics, McCormack’s music is as accessible as it is easy to listen to. As his MySpace page says, “To put it simply, if Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits and the Beatles formed a band.”

His musical path started at the age of 11 when he started playing guitar. He eventually started playing in bands, mostly metal, before he found himself turning to the Beatles and a mellower sound. That doesn’t mean he isn’t still experimenting. McCormack’s music pushes the limits of genre, mold and music that has come before him.

“You’ll hear something, a certain sound someone has, and you want to shoot for that, but it becomes more of a hybrid of what you’ve heard before,” says McCormack, who is from Schererville, Indiana. “There are some people that say they want to sound exactly like someone else and they do that, but when I try that, it always sounds different.”

For his new album, The Funeral of the Siren, McCormack gathered the collection of songs he had written and let them naturally flow and order themselves. Then, he decided to put a handful of “more poppy” songs on an EP titled The Paris EP.

He recorded at home, splitting his time between family and trying to find new items to make unique sounds—like glass bottles filled with water. Limited by the number of tracks he could record with, McCormack realized that he had to find a delicate balance between creative sounds and being too noisy.

“It was a learning process,” he says. “You build this musical surrounding, but you have to separate and make melody.”

Ever evolving and carving out his own musical sound, McCormack is already looking forward to writing and recording his next album. For his current fans and future ones, that means another access point to great music with no strings attached.

To listen to McCormack’s music, visit myspace.com/joshuamccormack. His albums can be purchased at his live shows and on cdbaby.com.
- Shore Magazine


"Joshua McCormack"

With straightforward songs and unpretentious lyrics, McCormack’s music is as accessible as it is easy to listen to. As his MySpace page says, “To put it simply, if Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits and the Beatles formed a band.”

His musical path started at the age of 11 when he started playing guitar. He eventually started playing in bands, mostly metal, before he found himself turning to the Beatles and a mellower sound. That doesn’t mean he isn’t still experimenting. McCormack’s music pushes the limits of genre, mold and music that has come before him.

“You’ll hear something, a certain sound someone has, and you want to shoot for that, but it becomes more of a hybrid of what you’ve heard before,” says McCormack, who is from Schererville, Indiana. “There are some people that say they want to sound exactly like someone else and they do that, but when I try that, it always sounds different.”

For his new album, The Funeral of the Siren, McCormack gathered the collection of songs he had written and let them naturally flow and order themselves. Then, he decided to put a handful of “more poppy” songs on an EP titled The Paris EP.

He recorded at home, splitting his time between family and trying to find new items to make unique sounds—like glass bottles filled with water. Limited by the number of tracks he could record with, McCormack realized that he had to find a delicate balance between creative sounds and being too noisy.

“It was a learning process,” he says. “You build this musical surrounding, but you have to separate and make melody.”

Ever evolving and carving out his own musical sound, McCormack is already looking forward to writing and recording his next album. For his current fans and future ones, that means another access point to great music with no strings attached.

To listen to McCormack’s music, visit myspace.com/joshuamccormack. His albums can be purchased at his live shows and on cdbaby.com.
- Shore Magazine


"Concert review: A Tribute to The Beatles 2008 at The Blue Room Cafe"

Being artistic or loose has never been a problem for Joshua McCormack's annual segment. This year he appeared as part of a "power trio," with a rhythm section of acoustic bass man Paul Cullen and drummer Jay Will who expertly followed McCormack wherever his sonic adventures took them. And it produced the most memorable music of the night. McCormack led off his set with a song dedicated and sung to his son, "Beautiful Boy," but the lullaby was no real indication of what was to come. A reworked "Eleanor Rigby" and closing "Let It Be" were in the same relatively understated vein, but "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" became a Latin music ditty during its chorus. McCormack the musical actor eventually screamed the lyrics. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was morphed into the instrumental "No. 9" for a new creation. Electronic effects simulated station changing on a radio dial. It was high effort performance art with great rewards for the audience.
- newSlang


"Concert review: A Tribute to The Beatles 2008 at The Blue Room Cafe"

Being artistic or loose has never been a problem for Joshua McCormack's annual segment. This year he appeared as part of a "power trio," with a rhythm section of acoustic bass man Paul Cullen and drummer Jay Will who expertly followed McCormack wherever his sonic adventures took them. And it produced the most memorable music of the night. McCormack led off his set with a song dedicated and sung to his son, "Beautiful Boy," but the lullaby was no real indication of what was to come. A reworked "Eleanor Rigby" and closing "Let It Be" were in the same relatively understated vein, but "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" became a Latin music ditty during its chorus. McCormack the musical actor eventually screamed the lyrics. "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was morphed into the instrumental "No. 9" for a new creation. Electronic effects simulated station changing on a radio dial. It was high effort performance art with great rewards for the audience.
- newSlang


Discography

The Phantom King - 2011

The Paris EP - 2008

The Funeral of the Siren - 2008

Joshua McCormack presents Holiday Girl - 2005

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Bio

Forced to repeatedly move a pile of wood at an early age, Joshua McCormack none-the-less took time to figure out this contraption called music. Indoctrinated at a young age in the art of hair-metal fretboard wizardy, he grew older and sought alternate paths through the grand peaks and valleys of song. He hung around dirty pubs to watch Filipino country-blues masters, he crooned in front of Harley riders to test his resolve, he joined a modern gospel choir to hone his skills. He picked up the mannerisms of literary personas, he taught himself to play department store lap harps, he subscribed to news weeklies to find the songs within their pages.


He's had a few decades on this earth so far and now he looks to the present to leave his mark. So he writes and sings and writes and sings some more, always seeking the wringing of the phrase, the twisting of the hand, the ebb and flow of spectacle in song. He's self-taught, an explorer of many instruments, a master of none, a pusher of all. He's always on the go musically, always arranging, rearranging, constructing, expressing. His notation is playing in his head as a film in which all the intruments animate themselves and know precisely which tone to sound next.


He tries to keep the diary songs to a minimum... occasionally. Sometimes the facts of his life slip into the cracks in his character's personalities, but sometimes they just walk on by and leave footprints on the vocal track. He's assembled a few mates here and there to provide back up sonic canvas to his aural foregrounds. Utilizing any techniques necessary, they will assemble from ashes the very fine trimmings of a poor man's penthouse. They serve as his comrades and his defenders, his family and his army. Now he sends this letter to you...

Band Members