Artist Spotlight: Josh Grider

We always try to introduce you to new music on 99.5 WKDQ, but we can’t put everybody on air. So, I decided to start spotlighting some of my favorite artists just for you! New artists, old artists, in between artists, local artists, TEXAS artists, I’ve got them all!

I want to turn the spotlight on one of my artist from Texas this week. Actually, today is the first day of his album release, so it works out well ;) His name is Josh Grider, a family man with not only a talent for songwriting, but performing as well. What’s really cool about Josh is that it’s ALWAYS music. Josh has been playing music professionally and hasn’t had a fulltime job for nearly 10 years.

Growing up in New Mexico, Josh wasn’t turned onto the Texas music scene until college. He was so accustomed to going to sold arena shows with his dad and seeing legends like George Straight, he couldn’t wrap his head around making it to that level. To him, the dream almost seemed out of reach. Josh went to college in Texas and there he was able to experience a more regional side of musical acts. When in college, Josh was able to form a band and dive into that side of the music scene head first. After college Josh moved to Austin, where he was able to get more involved in the singer/songwriter side of things. He’s performed in all different types of venues, but if he had to choose one, he’d pick the theaters. From a songwriter’s standpoint, what you really want is for people to be able to connect with what you wrote about. In Josh’s eyes, people are truly focusing on him in a theater, oppose to shooting pool in a bar. He feels more of a connection with his fans in that way and loves to be able to interact.

Josh’s career continues to grow day by day, but up until this point, Josh credit’s his biggest musical accomplishment to signing the publishing deal in Nashville. Even with having had 3 number ones on the Texas Music Charts with previous albums, songwriting is a huge part of his life. Josh understands that you are only granted so much time in the spotlight, but with songwriting, you can live on forever. Having the opportunity to write for others is extremely exciting to him and he can’t wait to focus more on that side of the business. The next hurdle Josh would like to work on jumping is from that songwriter’s standpoint. The main goal will always be to have a number one hit, whether he’s blessed enough to be able to record it himself, or if it’s a song he wrote for somebody else. The next hurdle for Josh is to have one of his songs cut by an artist who might be able to take it to a place he couldn’t. One of the best attributes of Josh that I noticed in talking with him was his outlook on this business. He loves country music so much that he doesn’t necessarily care how he fits into it, as long as there’s a place for him somewhere. I can see him doing something awesome with his many talents with an attitude like that.

To me, it’s always interesting to find out how fans act. We all know they can get crazy! Josh LOVES his fans and didn’t really have any crazy stories for me. Well, not yet anyway! I did ask him though what’s a common gift from fans, and he responded with “food.” Now, while that’s an AWESOME gesture, it’s not too realistic. It’s not that he thinks his fans want to harm him, it’s just that his momma taught him to never accept candy from strangers ;) If you do get the opportunity to see Josh perform live and you want to bring him a gift, he loves collecting sports memorabilia. Not necessarily the major league kinds, or stuff from his favorite teams, but local items from around you! For instance, if you ever get the chance to meet Josh around here, take him a baseball cap for the Otters, maybe a jersey from the Icemen. He’d LOVE it!

I asked Josh if it’s hard to leave his kids to be on the road, and when I say he’s a family man, I mean family man! My interview with Josh was on a Sunday night, so I asked him what his Sundays usually consist of. His response? Pizza Parties! Best dad ever! Josh and his wife not only have a newborn baby, but they have a 5 year old as well. Sunday afternoon is usually when he’s getting home from a gig, so Sunday nights are spent relaxing together with pizza and a “family friendly” movie. When the kids to go bed however, Netflix it is! Just from talking with him, I have a feeling they may be a little addicted. Right now, Josh is claiming his favorite show is House of Cards, but he’s learned quickly that once you turn Netflix on, it’s hard to turn it off!

Regardless of what your work life is like, everybody needs a way to wind down, right? Josh is no different. His hobbies consist of golf, spending time with his family, running and hunting. Music is such a huge part of his life though that he even considered music more of a hobby than an actual job. Can’t beat that! With traveling so much, if given the choice Josh would prefer to drive, but with him wanting to visit Europe, somebody might have to break it to him that the road he could’ve used to get into Paris, kiiiiiinda been covered by a huge body of water ;)

If you want to stay connected with Josh and find out what he has going on, you can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.  His album "Luck and Desire" was just released today so be sure to grab your copy! You can download the complete album by clicking here. Josh actually recorded a video just for us below of one of the songs from his album. The song is called "White Van." Leave a comment and let me know what ya think! :)