Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Ottawa's Joshua Morin has gotten around this summer with performances at Westfest, Perth's Stewart Park Festival and elsewhere. That's a good thing, not just for Morin, who has to earn a living, but for indie rock fans partial to a guy who can write a great car song (Blue Volvo), a poignant meditation on the daily grind (Simpler Life) and a scratchy-voiced celebration of bar-crawling irresponsibility (Drunk Stoned or in Love), all of which Morin includes on his sophomore album. A distinctive tenor, Morin also has a nicely understated sense of humour and self-irony. The disc was recorded in the sundry Ottawa basements with Morin and Fred Gravel handling most of the instrumentation, programming and editing, a textbook indie effort executed with aplomb. - Patrick Langston - Ottawa Citizen
Joshua Morin is not now nor has he ever been the owner of a blue Volvo. But that did not prevent the local singer-songwriter from penning an ode to the vehicle for his second CD, Drunk Stoned or in Love.
"My songs are pretty fictional," Morin says of the collection of tunes that range in approach form radio-friendly pop like Stay away from Me or pub-friendly slur along songs like the wry title-track.
"But my Mom did own a blue Volvo once upon a time. So I guess there's some truth in there."
There is certainly craftsmanship and determination in DSL.
Morin wrote the bulk of the songs last year during a stint in South America, deliberately eschewing the temptation to "meld the music of Ecuador to my style" and instead honing his skills as a writer.
"People go to a job nine-to-five," he explains. "I had to get away to see whether I could make that sort of routine work for me.
"I don't want to be the guy who, 20 years from now, says, 'Oh yeah, I made a couple of albums too.'
"I want to still be making them."
- Allan Wigney - Ottawa Sun
Discography
Drunk Stoned or in Love - 2006
While you were out - 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Not only has he been performing in major festivals, been heard on commercial radio, been raved about in newspapers across the region – even appearing on national television – Joshua Morin is breaking into and gaining momentum in the music scene with his signature style of music he calls ‘indie rock with a story.’
If you haven’t heard him yet, you’re missing out on a “multi-talented… writer, singer, musician and showman,” as described by Caroline Boyce of Magic Dolphin Music.
It’s clear why this Ottawa native has been given such praise! As a multi-talented writer, Joshua pens a fresh, new style of music he calls ‘indie rock with a story.’ A combination of folk story-telling and indie rock, it came from Joshua’s love of entertaining by telling stories, and his musical roots – which include jazz and blues, as well as rock and folk. Joshua’s lyrics understand that it’s the simple life moments – about love, loss and leaky cars – that make up the depth of life itself, ingeniously marrying these themes with rock’s raw emotions. His clever twists are mischievously unapologetic and his stories are wittily ironic. They leave listeners sometimes laughing and commiserating, both at the same time!
Musically, the blend of rock and folk is masterfully seamless, yet satisfyingly distinctive. Joshua’s guitar can go from solid electric riffs to festive acoustic lilts; and his tempos from swaying calypso to foot-stomping drives. His vocals master the full range of emotions from soft candlelight to raspy hecklers. “A distinctive tenor,” writes The Ottawa Citizen’s Patrick Langston, who exhibits a “nicely understated sense of humour and self-irony.” A multi-talented singer and musician indeed! Joshua’s music is truly “something you would want to listen to over and over,” as Harvey Glatt, Director of Canadian Music Development, once wrote.
Finally, as a showman, Joshua’s performances are incredibly versatile. Whether energetically lifting the crowd to their feet with his five-piece band, or connecting and sharing more intimately as a solo act, Joshua consistently attracts the attention of every audience. “I love getting better at connecting with all kinds of audiences, learning to read them and know what entertains them,” he says.
This phenomenal multi-talent definitely does not go unnoticed! Amazing for an up-and-comer, Joshua has performed in three major festivals in the Ottawa area this past summer – Westfest, Stewart Park Festival, and Canada Day Festival. There is no wonder that Joshua is also grabbing the attention of the media! He’s performed on CTV’s national program “Good Morning Canada,” and the local Rogers TV, as well as having commercial radio play on CHUM’s Bob FM and CKCU. News articles have featured Joshua and his music in the Ottawa XPress, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Sun, and Ottawa Metro. Joshua Morin is certainly no stranger to Ottawa’s music scene! He’s repeatedly commanded the stages of popular venues like The Black Sheep Inn, Zaphod’s Beeblebox, Manx Pub, Rasputin’s, and many more; and he’s pumped about reaching out beyond the national capital region. In fact, he’s already performed at The Yellow Door in Montreal.
Joshua has two full-length CDs. The first, entitled “While You Were Out…,” was released in 2004 and received rave reviews. For example, The Link wrote, “The self-produced album is remarkably done.”
“Drunk Stoned or In Love” is the title of Joshua’s second CD, which was recently released in June of 2006. It represented for Joshua a milestone in defining his musical identity. It was in writing the songs on this album – which he did traveling through South America – that Joshua learned to harness the musical inspiration he only spontaneously felt before. It was in creating this album that he learned to tap into the drive that made him push his music further to stay true to the kind of music that he loves to write and perform. Allan Wigney of The Ottawa Sun commented, “There is certainly craftsmanship and determination in ‘Drunk Stone or In Love;’” while Patrick Langston of The Ottawa Citizen commends, “a textbook indie effort executed with aplomb.”
Joshua’s already excited about working on his next album!
There’s undeniably a momentum building for Joshua Morin and he’s exploding into the music scene with a driving passion, a natural talent and a confident uniqueness! Along with his instinctive ability to connect with audiences of all kinds, his snowballing presence in the Ottawa music arena, and his continued praise for his genius, Joshua Morin is on the brink of launching into the greater Canadian scene with the same driving momentum!
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