‘Call In Whispers’ – Available NOW

Find it here: 

iTunes – itunes.apple.com/call-in-whispers

CD Baby – cdbaby.com/callinwhispers

Spotify – open.spotify.com/callinwhispers

About Josh Johnstone:

For the past 12 months Josh has been busy in the studio writing and recording his debut album ‘Call in Whispers’ with Eskimo Joe’s Joel Quartermaine Producing . The now completed album was released in April 2016 and is by far Josh’s best work to date. The first two singles from the album, ‘Rain Dancer’ and ‘Front Light,’ have been servicing radio and were added to various station playlists, including National and Local ABC shows.

Taking cues from the sounds of Boy & Bear, The Temper Trap, Matt Corby, and Bob Evans, Josh marries them with the pop sensibilities of acts like Foster The People and Empire Of The Sun. His experience writing for a range of stylistically different projects – as well as co-writing with Joel Quartermain (Eskimo Joe), Davey Lane (You Am I), Steve Parkin (Basement Birds), and Jen Chloer – has given him the perfect education to meld rock and pop together in sublimely diverse and catchy ways. Make sure to pick up a copy of ‘Call In Whispers’ today!

Heres a recent Interview with Josh –

QnA with Foghorn Media

Foghorn Media: What inspired you to become a singer/writer? Who are your early influences?

Josh Johnstone: I guess like many songwriters, it all began when you were growing up and maybe in the car going on family vacation and changing the words of popular songs on the radio to be about your own silly personal jokes.  I come from a long line of musicians on my father’s side of the family. Making up silly songs around the lounge room fire was one of the most fun, interactive, bonding, and mentally stimulating things you can do with your family and friends. Early influences would be my parents record collection; Tom Petty, The Rolling Stones, Kinks, Lovin’ Spoonful, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Cream, Leadbelly, Taj Mahal, Traveling Wilburys, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Lennon.

FM: Tell us a little about how you write. How do the songs come? What gets you going creatively?

JJ: My writing comes in bursts. Often I’m on tour/playing five or more shows a week for most of the year. During this time you see so many other bands, amazing performances at festivals, you meet hundreds of interesting and inspiring people, you experience all these different cultures. So there is so much inspiration for song writing. However, with the hectic tour schedule, I don’t really feel like writing much. When I finish a long tour and have a week or two off, it all comes out then. I pretty much wrote the crux of my album in two separate week bursts. I guess its all about giving yourself a lot of great experiences and people to draw creativity from, and then allowing yourself the space and time to let those things come out.

FM: What is the first record you bought and why?

JJ: I was a 90’s kid; the first time I bought my own CDs was in my early teens. I got a five stacker CD player from Cash Converters and the nice guy there said “why don’t you pick five CDs from the rack to fill that new CD player of yours,” So I took ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magic’ by RHCP, ‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana, ‘The Real Thing’ by Faith no More, ‘Vs.’ by Pearl Jam, and ‘Gravediggers Union’ by Soul Asylum.

FM: What current OZ acts inspire you? International acts?

JJ: I really love Boy & Bear, The Temper Trap. But on an up and coming scale, The Elliott’s (Melbourne), Timothy Nelson (Perth), and Eli Schoen (Perth). We have a lot of talent out there. Go see a live a band, real music made by real musicians.

FM: Tell us a little about your music and what a crowd can expect at a live show.

JJ:  All I hope is that they enjoy themselves, the songs, the music, the band and the atmosphere.

FM: Favourite artists of all time?

JJ: Picking a favourite is too hard. It’s like asking a parent to pick a favourite child. I guess I would maybe say Tom Petty, John Lennon, or the collective works of the members of Traveling Wilburys

FM: Favourite film? Place? Animal or pet?

JJ: Films: ‘The Big Lebowski,’ I’ve seen it way too many times. As I have with ‘The Castle,’ I prefer comedy to drama. My favourite place to tour is Eastern Europe (Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania) and favourite pet is my parents’ dog, Millie.
FM: Where do you see Aussie music heading?

JJ: I think the general public needs to support local bands a lot more than they do. Xfactor, The Voice, and Idol are all continuing to destroy the music industry and creating short term throwaway gimmic songs and artists. Something needs to change if you ever want to see classic artists with 20 year careers and countless hit songs again.

FM: What are your future plans for 2016/2017?

JJ: I have just completed all of the launches around Western Australia for my album. The regional touring was a heap of fun and the city shows were more like massive parties with new and old friends than anything else! I am now in Melbourne about to play a launch here, and then I head off on a 2 and a half month tour of Europe, USA, and parts of Asia. It also looks like another tour is already being set up for the USA in March next year. Aside from that, I am planning to make a music video for every song on the new album: five down, five to go. I will be releasing them over the next few months so keep an eye out!

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