Secondhand Saints

01/21/2003
The Pennsylvania Musician Magazine Selects 'Speak to Dream' from Josa Step as a Top 10 Record of 2002

GREENCASTLE, PA -- Jan 21, 2003 -- Josa Step (http://www.josastep.com>www.josastep.com) announces that their album, 'Speak to Dream', has been selected as the number 10 record of 2002 as directed by Alex Greenberg of The Pennsylvania Musician Magazine. 'Speak to Dream' is the self-released CD from the modern rock band, Josa Step, which features ten songs of heart and therapy and is about subjects ranging from personal tribulations to inspiration for creativity and thought. The CD has been reviewed by a number of publications including Origivation Magazine and The Pennsylvania Musician Magazine.

"A dark horse, but edges out others by virtue of a hint of a compelling vision behind music that is both ballsy and atmospheric," said Alex Greenberg, reviewer from the PA Musician. "...dense electric guitar progressions over quick, informed drum and bass, juxtaposed with long lyrical phrasing and expositional vocal work that varies between howling repents and almost falsetto confessions."

The CD is available at Attitude Records and ODDIO Records, as well as, many other online portals. Singles from 'Speak to Dream' receive radio airplay and have been featured on compilation albums, such as the widely distributed 'Positive Youth Foundation'.

About Josa Step

In 2001, Josa Step was created by Sean Grove, Sean Clever, Matthew Cole, Klaus Funk to exemplify their commitment to each other and produce original, alternative music. The band has signed on with ODDIO Records with a release and tour scheduled in April. John Wagoner was selected to produce their sophomore effort. The band has recently performed at BJ's in Pittsburgh; Fat Tuesday's in Fairfax, VA; Coyote Hardware Bar in Harrisburg, PA; and Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA

- PA MUSICIAN

JOSA STEP - PEARLS (Oddio Records) Josa Step emerged from Greencastle in 2001 with their critically acclaimed debut CD, Speak to Dream, which introduced the group's edgy, guitar-driven modern rock sound. The group builds and expands on that sound on their sophomore offering, Pearls; in the process crafting a cerebral, sonically stimulating set. The group's base sound features jangling, echoing guitar undercurrents reminiscent of peak U2; serving as the platform for ambitious, experimental melodies and arrangements sometimes suggestive of Blue Oyster Cult. Singer/guitarist Sean Clever, guitarist/keyboardist Klaus Funk, bassist Sean Grove and drummer Matt Cole craft songs that gradually build in sonic intensity into full-out, oceanic walls of sound. Cole's varied, intricate drum rudiments and rhythms help give each song its own distinctive flavor. Clever's soaring vocals sing dark-edged, cerebral lyrics diagnosing relationship mind games, destructive personalities, self-examination and more. The results are frequently captivating and intriguing. Highlights include the opener "Hope" as it builds into explosive, acidic crescendos; the escalating arrangement of "Sophie," the oceanic ebb and wane of "Alone" and "The Minimal;" "Mention" with its brash, punk-edged choruses; and the album-closing "Saving Us From Me" with its tranquil, ethereal homestretch. Produced by the band and John Wagoner, Pearls is continually busy and engaging, with constantly layered guitars and voices, varied ethereal effects and detail, all converging to maximize the overall impact of each song. This is intelligent, yet accessible and ultimately captivating, music. Pearls clearly shows Josa Step as a band with a clear concept and focus, and the chops and adventurism to take their musical vision to a higher level.

~ Jim Price ~ Pa Musician / Q-94

- JIM PRICE

Pearls review from the PA Musician:

"This, the Greencastle area quartet's first full-length with Oddio Records is produced by The Worry Knot producer/guitarist John Wagoner, and the choice was inspired. Josa Step generates the type of internalistic and textured music that Wagoner thrived on with The Worry Knot. There is some scary good stuff on this CD that bolsters my rather equivocated suspicion after the band's EP Speak to Dream release last year that these guys are something special: check out the playing on the breakdown on "Anonymity;" the delayed guitar solo on the excellent "Lacerta;" the overlapping rhythm's breaking into the primal scream in "Alone." More accessible without sacrificing identity, and more demonstrative of the outstanding playing chops of this band, Pearls is, in the re-working of some material, more refined than Speak. . . and showcases the emotional spectrum of Sean Clever's vocal mettle. Josa Step is a compelling combination of spacy emotional atmosphere, muscle, skill, and lyrical depth that I would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere on the scene. I must also emphasize that, at least for purposes of this album, John Wagoner should be considered a member of this band. His work coloring the material with gated sounds, texturing guitars, stripping and layering vocal harmonies, swinging the sledge when necessary with tidal waves of sonic force, even the way the very last sound of the CD is recorded, seems to be a labor of love. A labor not possible, however, without a band that has the vision, skill, and defiant originality to make his work a dream. "

-- Alex Greenburg

- ALEX GREENBERG - PA MUSICIAN

Steve Morrow of the PA Musician Magazine had this to say about our live show at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, PA:

“These guys were great -- a mini mosh pit erupted during the middle of their performance. The audience fed off of their tremendous energy on stage.
- PA MUSICIAN