The Long and Short Words of Josh Preston

Is that a melodica in your pocket...

2011-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Photo I took of a marching band in Brugges

Hey y'all! Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm living in the land of Facebook all the time now and playing electric guitar, melodica and glockenspiel with Nathan Griffin and Adam Burrows on a near constant basis these days. Please follow these fine gentlemen on Facebook by clicking on their names below. Here are some of their upcoming shows:

09.21.11 - 8pm
With Adam Burrows @ The Basement
1604 8th Ave. S, Nashville, TN (United States)
http://www.thebasementnashville.com
Ages: All Ages
Other Artist: Lance Whalen

09.22.11 - 6pm
With Adam Burrows @ Frist Center for the Visual Arts
Frist Lobby 919 Broadway Nashville, TN 37203 , Nashville, TN (United States)
http://www.fristcenter.org
615-244-3340
Ages: All Ages
Other Artist: Ronny Criss

09.24.11 - 1pm
With Nathan Griffin @ Thompson's Station Fall Festival

Thompson's Station Park
1513 Thompson's Station Road West
Thompson's Station, TN 37179

09.25.11 - 1pm
With Nathan Griffin @ American Pickers & Antique Archeology
1300 Clinton St., Suite 130 (Marathon Village), Nashville, TN 37203
http://antiquearchaeology.com/antique_arhaeology_nashville_tn.html
Ages: All Ages
Description:
Unplugged performance

10.02.11 - 2pm

With Adam Burrows @ American Pickers & Antique Archeology
1300 Clinton St., Suite 130 (Marathon Village), Nashville, TN 37203
http://antiquearchaeology.com/antique_arhaeology_nashville_tn.html
Ages: All Ages
Description:
Unplugged performance

It's been a long time since I rock and rolled..

2011-08-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

Photo by Weldon Godfrey

Well, not really but it's certainly been a long time since my last post. I've certainly been wearing my producer/sideman/record label hat much more as of late. It's fits quite nicely I might add. I also got new headphones but that's neither here nor there.

I'm not about to get all mushy but I'd sincerely like to thank all of the folks that have "Liked" my Facebook page as of late. I'd also like to urge you to like some of the artist I've been working with over the past year or so. In addition to producing and engineering records for these guys, I've managed to shamelessly weasel various bits of my guitar playing here and there on these albums. So in wrapping up this little plug, please check these guys out because they absolutely deserve to be heard (and you'll get a free mp3 from each of them when you click on the links below).

Like Adam Burrows on Facebook

Like Joel Meeks on Facebook

Like Nathan Griffin on Facebook

Here are some of the shows I'll be playing in the coming months. I've managed to squeeze one solo show in the bunch but I hope get more on the books in the coming months.

Upcoming Dates:

Thursday, August 18, 2011
Nathan Griffin @ RAW:Nashville presents FUSION @ Mercy Lounge / Cannery Ballroom
1 Cannery Row, Nashville, TN (United States) - Map
Set: 8:00 PM
21+
Tickets: $10
Buy Now

Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Adam Burrows @ 2$ Tuesdays @ The 5 Spot
1006 Forrest Ave., Nashville, TN (United States) - Map
Set: 8:00 PM
All Ages

Thursday, August 25, 2011
Nathan Griffin @ Shakespeare In The Park (Opening Set) @ Centennial Band Shell @ Centennial Park
2600 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN (United States) - Map
Set: 6:30 PM
All Ages
Tickets: Free!

Friday, August 26, 2011
Josh Preston @ Shakespeare In The Park (Opening Set) @ Centennial Band Shell @ Centennial Park
2600 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN (United States) - Map
Set: 6:30 PM
All Ages
Tickets: Free!

Saturday, August 27, 2011
Adam Burrows @ SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK (Pre-Show Entertainment) @ Centennial Park
2600 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203 (United States) - Map
(615) 862-8442
Set: 6:30 PM
All Ages

Thursday, September 15, 2011
James David Wolf @ Shakespeare In The Park (Opening Set) @ Centennial Band Shell @ Centennial Park
2600 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN (United States) - Map

Thanks again everyone for your ears and your support. I hope to see you soon!

Josh Preston = Thespian

2011-06-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

That's right folks. My acting debut. Look out Peter Sellers! Bean and I created a video for James David Wolf's song "Obliviously Yours" from his album Special.
You can grab a download of this song for FREE by "Liking" his Facebook page.
It's off to Brussels, Bruges and Amsterdam for me in roughly 48 hours. I'll be posting stories and pics from my adventure so check back here.

New Album by Adam Burrows!!

2011-05-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

I'm incredibly excited to relay the announcement of the forthcoming album by singer/songwriter Adam Burrows entitled Tall Tales. To celebrate this new release, he's giving away a free download of the track "Camden" if you "Like" Adam Burrows on Facebook. To get this free download, click HERE!

I've spent the last year co-producing and engineering this album and I honestly can't wait for folks to hear it. I played some guitar and other random things on this album as well. Adam's writing is incredible and if you guys dig what I do, I know you're going to absolutely love Adam's music. If you like the free download, keep checking back for special pre-release announcements (the actual release date is July 26th) and please share this link with your friends.

Tracklist:

1. Just Another Adam
2. Follow Her Around
3. Moments Like Those
4. San Diego Sally
5. Camden (free download!)
6. Me & Olivia
7. One Dimensional
8. Tall Tale Tuesday
9. Recluse
10. Snapshot
11. Alone

A Most Pleasant Apocalypse

2011-05-21T07:10:00.000-07:00

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://joshpreston.bandcamp.com/track/a-most-pleasant-apocalypse"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A Most Pleasant Apocalypse by Josh Preston&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Josh Preston - A Most Pleasant Apocalypse

Without knowing it, I wrote a theme song about this very day. Maybe I'll change my name to Folkstradamus. While you're waiting for the world to end, enjoy this little ditty. Lyrics below:

The last thing you'll hear....

lyrics

I wouldn't miss this for the world

But I might be a little late
I have a hard time getting out of bed these days
You probably noticed

Thanks for saving me a seat
I'm so happy I am able to sit comfortably
I'll try not to move and if I do I'm truly sorry
Please excuse me

The lights start to dim and the apocalypse begins
Hell will make a cameo appearance
What you did was bad but what your neighbors did was worse
Now we're all swimming towards the end of the world

Went once or twice to the DMV
This is really nothing compared to that
The headless horseman don't even need a license
And their f'ing headless

Fire and brimstone are raining down
I needed to go and get new wipers anyway
This used car looked like new now it's a flaming ball of goo
I'm concerned if this is covered by my insurance
Cause all I have is minimum coverage

The lights start to dim and the apocalypse begins
Hell will make a cameo appearance
What you did was bad but what your neighbors did was worse
Now we're all swimming towards the end of the world

Bring extra floaties...you'll probably need them

What Happens Next?: Thoughts on the AmazonMP3 Cloud Player and Amazon Cloud Drive

2011-03-31T06:24:00.001-07:00

In the time I've made a living in the music business (10+ years), I've come to recognize patterns of behavior that the music industry seem to constantly adhere to in the face of technological advances. As my specialty is royalties, I suppose this makes sense: Spending hours pouring over reports looking for pennies has presumably sharpened my skills in pattern recognition. There is one pattern however that constantly presents itself without fail: The music industry's complete inability to ask the very simple question:

What happens next?

The major story in the last few days is the launch of Amazon's Cloud Player and Cloud Drive. In a nutshell, this service allows people to store music they purchased (or otherwise obtained) "in the cloud" and they can playback said music from the web or via an Android app.

Many labels are pissed about Amazon's new offering and there are rumblings of litigation.

The grievance of many labels is two-fold: First, they had their feelings hurt because Amazon didn't tell them this was happening when it launched. Hurt feelings are almost always cause for litigation...

Second, they want somebody - and it doesn't matter who - to pay them every time a customer streams a song from the cloud.

"But didn't the person using the cloud service purchase the music and should therefore have the ability to play it however and wherever they like," you ask?

Well yes, but labels are going to argue that "technically" the cloud from which the consumers are accessing their content doesn't belong to them and therefore does not constitute "personal use".

Ok, so for the sake of argument and - as completely asinine as the "personal use" argument might seem to the layperson - let's assume that streaming music from the cloud (music the customer purchased) is deemed illegal.

What happens next?

Well, Amazon is also one of the single largest retailers of physical CDs in the world.

Let that sink in for a moment.

I'll wait.

Taking this into account, if Amazon's Cloud Player / Cloud Drive service was deemed illegal and forced to shut down, what would stop Amazon from telling the labels that they no longer want to sell CDs? Amazon could make up any excuse they wanted (i.e. overhead is too expensive for physical storage, lack of consumer interest, we don't want to rip off our customers by selling products whose time has clearly passed, etc.). In reality, if Amazon pulled the plug on CD sales, nearly every label would have to pack up shop based on their current business models.

But, as history has shown us, labels have to sue somebody for something. That's what the big labels have spent the majority of their time doing since the dawn of the digital era instead of doing anything innovative or creative but I digress.

Ok, take a drastic leap of faith and assume the music industry doesn't file an injunction to have the service shut down. They instead spin their litigious web in another form: File suit against Amazon to obtain customer information under the assumption that customers have uploaded content they obtained illegally.

Great.

So the labels file suit against Amazon which will be drawn out for a minimum of three years.

What happens next?

If the labels lose, they'll have blown a metric shit-ton of money they really didn't have to begin with, stock-holders will give up entirely and everybody loses.

But suppose after years of litigation and having spent a fortune on suing Amazon - instead of financing artist development (what's that?) - judgement is awarded in the favor of the labels and they obtain the customer data they were seeking.

What's happens next?

Well, they could fire off another wave of lawsuits (if they have any money left after suing Amazon) against the individuals that are suspected of storing music they obtained illegally. For those of you that are unaware, they've been down that road and have collectively lost their asses for the past ten years in trying to sue fans. But that doesn't matter, they keep suing fans. The definition of insanity is….

However, imagine a worse scenario: Imagine Amazon was forced to turn over customer data regardless of whether or not the content a customer uploaded was illegal.

How many of those paying customers do you think would ever buy something from Amazon again if their personal data was handed over the the music industry?

Not one.

And if Amazon was forced into that outcome, could the same thing happen to Apple or Google with their respective music/cloud services?

Who knows but it's an interesting thought.

In addition to completely killing Amazon's music sales customer base in one fell swoop, if the Cloud Service is deemed illegal and is shut down, the only message that will be conveyed to consumers is this: You can only listen to the music you purchased in the manner we (the labels) dictate.

So what happens next?

Well, hopefully labels will let Amazon proceed with their cloud service without so much as a peep but history tells us that is highly unlikely and there's already stirring in the hen house.

In the unlikely event that the labels simply move forward without issue, what could they do in addition to allowing Amazon to proceed?

Well, label subsidiaries in the US could quit screwing around and license their content to Spotify for a US launch and scream from the hills that everyone should check out their service in hopes that steady and rapid growth in the streaming sector will at least slow the rapid decline of music revenues from physical and digital sales.

Additionally - and this might scare the crap out of people - they might even consider instantly ceasing all litigation against fans, disbanding the RIAA and begin a campaign of public apology to their artists and the fans that bought records. In addition, if they didn't hold back any licensing opportunities, and released an album globally instead of staggering releases by territory, they could simply begin a campaign of encouraging people to consume music: Wherever and however they wanted. Because when seamless and affordable options are everywhere (from freemium to premium) and the music people want is available on all mediums simultaneously, the desire for people to steal it will eventually subside. When it's available, there's no need to steal it.

Side note: In the near future however, labels are really going to shit when some kid creates an application that takes the data from a users cloud library and when an album has finished playing, Pandora kicks on and plays similar artists…

From the Vault: Adam Burrows, Sleeveless Meeks & Josh Preston on WRFL

2011-03-10T07:59:00.001-08:00

On March 12, 2010, Adam Burrows, Joel Meeks p/k/a Sleeveless Meeks and Josh Preston performed at Southgate House in Newport, KY and on the way, they stopped by WRFL Radio Free Lexington to chat with James Brown, play some tunes, and spin some records by other Me and the Machine artists.

Adam Burrows, Sleeveless Meeks and Josh Preston play WRFL Radio Free Lexington (mp3 - 112.6 MB)

Playlist:
Adam Burrows - "Coffee In The Morning" (Live)
Josh Preston - "Temptation" (Live)
Sleeveless Meeks - "Up My Sleeves" (Live)
Sleeveless Meeks & The Right to Bare Arms - "Feeling Fine" (from their s/t album)
Josh Preston - "Etchings" (from Exit Sounds)
Adam Burrows - "Tall Tale Tuesday" (Live)
Josh Preston - "Our Ghosts" (Live)
Sleeveless Meeks - "Romulous Wayne" (Live)
Adam Burrows - "Girl Who Cries" (from Never One For Silence)
The New Whole Usuals - "Wake Up" (from Martin Moeh)
Sleeveless Meeks & The Right to Bare Arms - "Bored" (from their s/t album)
Stillhouse Hollow - "Miss Meg" (from Dakota)

Middle Years

2011-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

Well color me inspired. Before I went to bed last night, I began writing a poem around 10pm and I finished it just after waking from a dream around 4am. After a thorough listen to the new Radiohead record, I decided to set it to music. Here is a link to a free download of the fruits of my labor. Enjoy!

Josh Preston's Landmarks Available Today Worldwide!!

2011-02-01T06:24:00.000-08:00

The title track "Landmarks" is available for free on AmazonMP3! Below are links to the EP on some of our favorite stores:

Mog (Subscription Required)

Rdio (Subscription Required)

Also, don't forget to "Like" Josh Preston on Facebook!

LIVE on WDVX!!

2010-12-10T06:30:00.000-08:00

Hey Folks!!

Today is going to be a very exciting day for yours truly! It will mark the release of my new EP Landmarks as well as a live performance on Knoxville's WDVX @ noon EST (or 12:30 EST as the playing order hasn't been finalized).

The EP is available exclusively through my Bandcamp page until February when it will be released worldwide on iTunes and all of your other favorite digital music outlets. Not only will it be available for instant digital download in any format you'd like TODAY but I'll also begin shipping physical CDs for those of you that like to hold music in your hand and smell the plastic. Ok, that's a bit strange but I actually love the way new CDs smell. Too much sharing...

Thanks so much to all of you that have previewed this EP on my Facebook page and if you're so inclined don't forget to become a fan!

I'll be posting throughout the day on Twitter about my travels to Knoxville.

See ya soon!
Josh

Preview my new EP!!

2010-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

Photograph/Cover Art by Heather Love

At long last, my new EP Landmarks can be previewed on my Facebook artist page! This 6 song EP includes the following songs:

1. Landmarks
2. Empty Driveways
3. Actress
4. The Only Town I Know Without A Name
5. Our Ghosts
6. Stages

This EP will be on sale on December 10th, 2010 for friends and fans via Bandcamp. This date coincides with my live performance on WDVX in Knoxville as part of their Blue Plate Special series. You can listen to this performance live on wdvx.com at Noon EST.

Also, you're probably reading this post on my new website! We've added a new tab called "Musings" where I post my poetry and short stories from time to time.

I've got a bunch on new shows on the books and more to follow. I'll be traveling North for the holidays and will be playing a bunch of shows along the way. I certainly hope to see you! On a related note, I am looking for a place to play in both Washington, D.C. and Western Mass (Springfield, North Hampton -ish areas). If you have any recommendations, please post on my Facebook wall!

Enjoy the new songs and thanks for listening!
Josh

Time To Check-In

2010-10-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Photo by Mark Vann

I noticed things were getting a bit ghost-like over here so I decided to check-in! I've been in the studio nearly every night for the past six months producing/engineering records for some of the Me and the Machine artists. Namely Adam Burrows, Nathan Griffin, Sleeveless Meeks and the Right to Bare Arms and yours truly. While I'm neither an engineer or a producer by trade, these records are sounding great! We'll be wrapping up over the next few months for early 2011 releases.

I've also been tracking my EP, which by all accounts, I should have a box set of material in the time it has taken me to record this thing. Regardless, the tracking phase is done and I'll be finalizing it just in time to travel up the coast in December for a bunch of shows! Portland, ME has been booked and I'm working on a show in Lexington, KY, Washington, DC, NYC and somewhere in MA. I'll be posting updates here but you can also always check my tour page for the most recent additions.

Last but certainly not least, please toss a "Like" my way if you have not already. The button should be appearing below.

Newly Added Shows!

2010-10-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

In between hunting dinosaurs, I've added a few new shows. I'll be performing this Saturday, October 7th @ Ugly Mugs in East Nashville. I'm hitting the stage at exactly 7pm.

In addition to that show, I'll be hosting an evening of music @ The Bunganut Pig in Franklin, TN on October 20th. The show starts at 7pm and will feature performances by: Adam Burrows, Joel Meeks and What Patch.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Shakespeare In The Park

2010-08-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

Josh Preston will be performing an opening set on Friday, August 27th @ 6:30pm at Shakespeare In The Park (Map) in Nashville. This year's show is Love's Labor's Lost.

All of the pre-show entertainment this weekend at Shakespeare In The Park will feature Me and the Machine artists. Here are the details:

8/26/10 - Nathan Griffin of Stillhouse Hollow  
8/27/10 - Josh Preston  
8/28/10 - Adam Burrows
8/29/10 - The New Whole Usuals  
(All Set Times are 6:30pm)

Come early, bring a friend and enjoy an incredible evening in the park!

DATE CHANGE for NYC Show!!! Saturday, August 21st @ 8PM

2010-08-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

I just received word from the venue that this show has been changed to Saturday, August 21st @ 8pm due to a scheduling conflict. I'm sorry for the inconvenience and I hope to see you!

The Underground Lounge, NYC (8/20/10)

2010-08-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings! I'll be performing at The Underground Lounge in NYC on August 20th! It's been forever since I've been back to the city and I'm really looking forward to this show!! Hope to see you there!! If I missed you, please RSVP on the Facebook Event Page.

MATM Studios Session w/ Adam Burrows & Steve Wolfe - Pics by Mark Vann

2010-08-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Brilliant evening in the studio last night w/ Adam Burrows and Steve Wolfe. Steve played percussion on a few tracks for Adam's forthcoming EP. Mark Vann popped by and grabbed a few shots of the recording process. I put on my invisible engineering cap and tried to capture it all.

Special CD Release Party

2010-07-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

You're invited to the CD release party for James David Wolf's Special tonight (7/29/10) @ Douglas Corner in Nashville, TN. The show starts at 8 PM and there is no cover. The show will also feature solo performances by Josh Preston, Adam Burrows and Nathan Griffin from Stillhouse Hollow.

Roque Bluffs Historical Society Benefit Concert

2010-06-30T06:47:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

JOSH PRESTON TO HOST ROQUE BLUFFS HISTORICAL SOCIETY BENEFIT

Nashville, TN - On Monday, July, 19th at 7 PM, Josh Preston will host a concert at the Roque Bluffs Community Chapel (near the beach/state park) to raise funds for the Roque Bluffs Historical Society. The concert will feature a performance by Nashville-based singer/songwriter Adam Burrows. Burrows, originally from Ohio, plays modern folk and folk-rock music. His unique finger-picking guitar style provides a complex but relaxing background for his stories about love, loss, life and redemption. To hear Adam Burrows, visit: adamburrows.com

Additionally, the concert will feature Duane Ingalls. Ingalls is a musician & educator in Downeast Maine and his formative experiences include theatre & music work in New Hampshire, California and Massachusetts. For more information about Duane Ingalls, visit: facebook.com/duane.ingalls

Roque Bluffs native Josh Preston will also perform with longtime friend, Machiasport native and Mountain Valley High School Music Director, Mike Prescott. Upon graduation from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, Preston moved to Brooklyn, NY and 5 years later to Nashville, TN. Throughout this time, he proceeded to build a career in the music business as an executive and as a performer. To hear Josh Preston, visit: joshpreston.com

The evening will consist of 30 minutes sets by each performer. There will be refreshments and an opportunity to speak with the artists after the concert. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and there is a recommended donation of $5. For more, visit http://bit.ly/bHdYL7 (cap sensitive)

My iPhone Called Its Own Time of Death

2010-06-23T06:32:00.000-07:00

On June 22nd, when Google announced that it had opened up Google Voice to everyone, I decided to sign up for an account. I opted to simply use the voicemail feature for now as I typically see my emails before I see voicemails (strange, I know). I had no idea what an amazing product it would turn out to be.

This morning, Bean threw laundry in the wash not realizing my iPhone was in the pocket of my jeans. She called my phone from her phone trying to locate it. After realizing the error, she quickly ran to check the washing machine and the screen of my very wet iPhone was flashing off and on. Not good by all accounts.

We threw the phone and a bunch of rice in a ziplock bag in hopes that it would dry out. After holding the bag of phone/rice in the car on the way to work, I noticed that the rice was starting to jam up the headphone jack and the USB connection so I shock the rice out and just held it. Oh, how softly I held it. I got to work and removed the SIM card as it was soaked.

I flipped on my computer and opened my email. I noticed a had an email from Google Voice saying I had a voicemail. I clicked over to listen to it. In frantically trying to locate my phone, Bean forgot to end her call so the final minutes of my iPhone were recorded and then emailed to me. The last words my phone heard was Bean saying, "You might want to let it dry out for awhile."

With Google Voice, you can also save voicemails as mp3s. As such, here's the Death of my iPhone (mp3).

Pretending to be an engineer

2010-05-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry for not typing more recently. Things are beginning to return to normal in my hood and I've been in the studio non-stop as of late recording both my stuff and stuff for other folks. New tunes soon if all goes according to plan. Just a quick update for now but more soon.
BTW, Mark Vann took this photo. He's awesome.

Discovering my inner hippie & what to actually do in a flood.

2010-05-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

This rant/narrative is only a snapshot of what is happening around me at this moment.

I'll give you an ever so brief back story and then we'll get to it.

I'm fine.

Now to the important stuff.

Bean (my wife Lisa) and I live in the Riverwalk community in the Bellevue area of Nashville. In our community alone, at least 150 homes "suffered significant structural damage". The communities next to ours suffered loses of around 250 homes according to what our neighbors have told us.

Bean and I went to help people with whatever they needed this evening when we arrived back home from work. Full disclosure: I've never really done this sort of thing in my life. In helping, we discovered that all people affected by this flood throughout the state should undeniably have access to the following items a/k/a List Of Basic Items We Need Now:

Portable cell phone towers - Our community is in a valley between two cell repeaters. Both repeaters were knocked out; leaving cell service very spotty and unreliable. This service is absolutely essential so people affected by these floods can learn about meetings and get updates from friends and fellow community members regarding clean-up and updates regarding the availability of basic services. This applies to all affected areas. We did notice that the most consistent form of communication we had during this time was via text message. So I urge community leaders to start their text message lists and use that as one of the methods to spread information on a permanent basis.

Note to Mobile Service Providers: I'm going to humorously but wishfully declare that whoever makes it to the tops of these hills first can put up their logo next to the tower but only until the cleanup is over. You'll probably have customers for life and have an incredibly loyal grassroots word-of-mouth campaign via the people you helped out. Again, just a thought. Oh yeah, had out your cheapest phones to people who need them. There are freakish amounts of them sitting around being unused.

Note to Community Leaders: Please assume people have no way to communicate with one another aside from postings at the entrances of the communities and via announcements from emergency personnel. Continually assuming people have the internet is continually pissing them off.

Generator Trucks - I go to concerts. I know they exist. This particular area needs about 8 of them immediately.

Flood Lights (to accompany the Generator Trucks) - At this moment, helicopters are flying overhead shining their spotlights on these communities. I know this is seen as an effective way to ward off potential looting and I'm sure it is somewhat effective. More effective however would be be the use of medium wattage flood lights (less than a night game at a baseball stadium, but more than a street light) on the street corners so the folks that have been working all day long to salvage their belongs can at least get a somewhat restful night sleep instead of feeling like their in a police state. A car or two patrolling the area and some flood lights will serve the same means and allow these folks to rest comfortably at night. It would also afford them extra time to clean up.

Mold Fungicides - People need to be made aware that they must immediately throw things away or at the very least, get all wet items out of your house, including carpets and drywall. We tried to research mold fungicides but nobody was laying claim to the best product for the job. I'm a bit shocked that Dow Chemical hasn't figured this out. Maybe they have and we couldn't find it.

FEMA, from now on, whenever there is a flood, this must be made perfectly clear. No excuses. This must be stressed repeatedly. Throw wet stuff away.

Portable showers - The Nashville area is and should absolutely continue to conserve water. HOWEVER, people that are in the process of cleaning their houses and have been exposed to the flood waters, which carry who knows what kinds of contaminants, should have immediate access to portable showers AND should be able to shower for at least 10 minutes. Not only will it allow these people to be clean but it will help prevent the spread of disease. A shower of that length uses less than 50 gallons of water. Here's how it breaks down:

One 18-wheeler water truck can hold 30 tons of water which equals 8000 gallons. That works out to about 160 showers per truck.

We need 2 18-wheeler water trucks per day starting right now.

For the showers themselves: Royal Restrooms, Mobile Restroom Trailer Rentals, Mesa Waste Services, etc. if you are not underwater, come help us out and maybe the people smarter than I can figure out a way to take some of our community funds and pay you back. Get a sponsor of say Fructis or Head & Shoulders to provide supplies and help pick up the cost. Or FEMA will pay you back. It will be paid back, by us, one way or another.

Paper Shredder Trucks - Even though most of the paperwork that people are throwing away is wet, it still contains important personal information that should be properly destroyed. Just a suggestion, sponsorship of these shredder trucks should be provided by any bank or credit issuer that received bailout funds from the government. The bank/credit issuer would be able to write down their potential fraudulent risk assessments (a completely made-up term. I know nothing about banking but I think I'm close.) and the customer (or future customer) could rest easily knowing their credit identity was safe.

Refrigeration Trucks - 6 trucks would be a good start (Budweiser, cough). People will need a place to store their food for the next few weeks because anyone that was affected by this flood probably does not have access to refrigeration and the ice in the cooler isn't cutting it in 80+ degree heat.

Large Tents - It's hot out here and people are going to suffer health problems if they stay in this heat without a cool place to recover. This tent will also be a great place to share information. The tents also need a designated area for people to charge their cell phones.

Gas Grills - Along with refrigerators, stoves are also no longer in working condition. If cleaning utensils are also provided; people can share gas grills if placed strategically throughout the community.

People - We need volunteers to help with the cleanup. We also need volunteers to check on people, help keep their spirits up and make sure they have as much support as possible. People supporting people goes a long way in the recovery process.

With all of that said, the overwhelming thing I heard tonight was not about the material items that people lost. All of that stuff was trivial to both the person throwing it away and the to person to which the items belonged. The most overwhelming thing I heard was "that because of this flood, I met my neighbors for the first time and I've lived here for ___ years". Even if you're not affected by these floods and you are reading this: know who your neighbors are. You don't have to hang out with them all the time. Just meet them, and wave hello when you see them, you know, be a neighbor.

Rebuilding a community really has nothing to do with structures.

Here's the video that partially inspired me to get out and help tonight.

Take care,
Josh

Bandcamp + Me and the Machine Records = Awesome

2010-04-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I've been preaching the gospel of Bandcamp for some time. Recently, they allowed labels to create pages that contain their entire catalog. Not being one to sit on my hands (unless they are cold), I revised the Me and the Machine Records Bandcamp page to showcase all of our albums. If you haven't heard what we're cooking up @ Me and the Machine, you're totally missing out. Pop over and give our records a listen. My hands are now cold so I must cease typing.

Show @ Douglas Corner THIS THURSDAY

2010-04-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone! I'll be opening the evening this Thursday night @ Douglas Corner (Nashville, TN). I'll take the stage at 8pm and What Patch (featuring members of Stillhouse Hollow) will follow me. They will, in turn, be followed by Duncan May & The Resonators. It will be a fine evening of booze and song so pop by!!

March 24th UPDATE

2010-03-22T09:08:00.000-07:00

Devin Williams is now in the 10pm slot. I'm still playing at 8pm. Come out, drink, listen.

12th & Porter Show Announcement - March 24th

2010-03-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to announce that I've been added to a show at 12th & Porter on March 24th. I'll take the stage @ 8pm sharp and will be followed by Nathan Lee and Stephen Cochran. The cover is $5 and doors are at 7pm. I'll be there early to tune my guitar and to answer any questions you might have about the troubles in your love life.

Contrary to the photo in the poster, I've shaved off the bulk of my beard so I no longer look like a homeless lighthouse keeper. If that's not enough of a reason to come see this show, I don't know what is. See ya there!

Berklee Alumni Panel - THANKS!

2010-03-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to Berklee for inviting me to speak on a panel for current students at Warner Brothers Records yesterday. I met some really great people including fellow panelists Maureen Murphy, Ben Strano, Joe Doyle and moderator David Petrelli. I'm encouraged to see how actively engaged these students are in the future of the music business.

Also, I've got a ton of shows coming up in the near future so check out my tour section!

"A Most Pleasant Apocalypse" featured on Nicholas Young's The Machine Podcast

2010-03-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

"A Most Pleasant Apocalypse" was featured on episode 7 of Nicholas Young's The Machine podcast. To download this podcast featuring other artists such as Rex Paul, Harvey Danger, Matthew Barber, and Telling On Trixie click HERE!!

To purchase "A Most Pleasant Apocalypse" on the AmazonMP3 store, click HERE!!

Big Week on the MATM Farm!

2010-02-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

(from Me and the Machine Records & Yours Truly)

What a week for Me and the Machine Records! Five new releases came out worldwide via all of your favorite download spots. There is something in here for everybody. We're booking more shows and recording more music so keep your eyes out. Then put them back in so you can see what we're doing. Hugs & Kisses, Josh

The New Whole Usuals - Every New Whole Usual Will Die (iTunes) (AmazonMP3) (Bandcamp)

Brad Sweitzer & The Young Sophisticates - Dead Beat Dull Drums (iTunes) (AmazonMP3) (Bandcamp)

Nick Shelton - Crazy Jo & Other Stories (iTunes) (AmazonMP3) (Bandcamp)

Josh Preston - The Complex Wooden Heart EP (iTunes) (AmazonMP3) (Bandcamp)

Josh Preston -Josh Preston's Perpetual Bin of Demos and Other Sods You May Have Heard Live But Are Not Live Now (iTunes) (AmazonMP3) (Bandcamp)

Find MATM online

The New Whole Usuals' Every New Whole Usual Will Die - OUT NOW!!

2010-01-04T23:33:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://thenewwholeusuals.bandcamp.com/album/every-new-whole-usual-will-die">Ipso Phanto by The New Whole Usuals</a>

News from Me and the Machine Records
01.05.10
The New Whole Usuals' Every New Whole Usual Will Die is available for streaming and downloading here! The album download comes with a .pdf booklet containing album art, lyrics, and a musician seating chart. Please feel free to share with friends.

I've had the pleasure of working with Andrew and the incredibly talented folks that made this record possible for almost two years. I'm unbelievably excited to share this album with you through my label Me and the Machine Records. I promise you from the bottom of my heart that this album is unlike anything you have ever heard. Again, if you like what you hear, please share it with your friends. I deeply appreciate your time and thank you for listening.

Happy Holidays!!

2009-12-21T08:37:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://joshpreston.bandcamp.com/album/a-christmas-song-solo-guitar">A Christmas Song by Josh Preston</a>

I've spent a bit of time over the past week relearning an arrangement of "A Christmas Song" by William G. Leavitt. According to the date on the music, Mr. Leavitt created this particular arrangement for guitar in December 1966. Mr. Leavitt was also the creator of the first curriculum for Berklee College of Music's guitar department. I received this arrangement from Charles H. Chapman when I was studying at Berklee. Charlie is an incredible teacher and player and he had a profound effect on me as a student.

It's been many, many years since I've played music like this and it was incredibly refreshing and rewarding. Maybe I'll spend a bit more time in this field of study. Maybe not. Regardless, I truly enjoyed relearning this tune and I'm happy to be able to share it with you. If you like it, please pass it along to your friends and family.

If the player in this post isn't appearing, you can get to this download by clicking here.

I hope all of you have a wonderful holiday and I'll see you in the new year!!

THE LIST: TOP 15 ALBUMS 2009

2009-12-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings!! It's that time of year again folks! I'm not sure why, but this year's list seemed to present itself without too much back and forth. It was a great year for music and 2010 is shaping up to be even better. If you missed any of the bands/albums listed below, I strongly encourage you to check them out. If there's anything you think I should hear, shoot me a note on Twitter. Thanks for reading and happy listening!

1. Stillhouse Hollow - Dakota (AmazonMP3 Link)

2. The Swell Season - Strict Joy - (AmazonMP3 Link)

3. Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest - (AmazonMP3 Link)

4. Andrew Bird - Noble Beast - (AmazonMP3 Link)

5. St. Vincent - Actor - (AmazonMP3 Link)

6. Floating Action - Floating Action - (AmazonMP3 Link)

7. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca - (AmazonMP3 Link)

8. Kevin Devine - Brother's Blood - (AmazonMP3 Link)

9. David Bazan - Curse Your Branches - (AmazonMP3 Link)

10. Sea Wolf - White Water, White Bloom - (AmazonMP3 Link)

11. The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin - (AmazonMP3 Link)

12. A.A. Bondy - When The Devil's Loose - (AmazonMP3 Link)

13. Yo La Tengo - Popular Songs - (AmazonMP3 Link)

14. Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Elvis Perkins in Dearland - (AmazonMP3 Link)

15. Various Artists - Dark Was The Night - (AmazonMP3 Link)

Albums I'm really looking forward to in 2010:

The New Whole Usuals - Every New Whole Usual Will Die

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More

Jonsi - Go

Beach House - Teen Dream

Dan Reeder - This New Century

The Thanksgiving Experiment

2009-11-26T19:52:00.000-08:00

Cranberry Barbeque Sauce - Whole Foods Recipe

So, this year, Bean and I are cooking up a storm. We just finished up the Cranberry Barbeque Sauce and were so excited about it that we're taking pictures and I've been summoned to keep a written record. Pumpkin, who is our house guest in the form of a dog is also keeping an eye on things but hasn't said all that much about what she's seen.

Before we kicked off the cooking this morning, our neighbor Mark brought over some homemade chocolate chip cookies that were amazing! They served as a brilliant pre-breakfast snack (and they later saved the dessert portion of the meal when the pumpkin pie flopped).

So yeah, the Cranberry Barbeque Sauce. After some fairly high heat, a few pops and cracks, some mildly painful burns, it is done and it smells incredible. It's the first time we've ever created something in the kitchen and put it in a glass jar. I believe people refer to this as canning. Canning is magical.

Roasted Tofu with Sautéed Apples - Whole Foods Recipe

Next up, we marinaded the tofu. It's the first time we've ever cooked with tofu so while we're not speaking much about it, there is an ire of concern that we're going to screw it up. I ate the hell out of some awesome tofu dishes this past weekend so the stuff we're cooking up now has got some mighty big shoes to fill. Do they make shoes out of tofu? I bet you could.

While we scored some murky turkey on the way home last night and we're going cook that up with the Cranberry Barbeque Sauce, the tofu is the main meal. It's all riding on this.

Just as we wrapped up the Cranberry Barbeque Sauce, Mark brought over some homemade pralines! They are freakishly good and I'm afraid they will definitely be gone by the end of the day. They might be gone by the time I finish typing this.

Initially, there was euphoria in the kitchen when we thought we didn't need to peel the sweet potatoes. This notion was dashed when we read further down the list. It's ok. We're moving past it now.

The sweet potatoes have proven to be the enemy of the meal. We cooked them but they didn't get cooked quiet long enough so we decided to throw them in the oven. Then, at some point in the last 30 minutes, I accidentally turned off the oven. Not sure how. I probably should just avoid being in the kitchen all together. After taking stock of the situation, we determined that it was only a minor setback and we're still on track.

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms - Whole Foods Recipe

We're now prepping the Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms. The smells from the other items we've cooked is rocking my world right now. I'm not sure it has ever smelled this good in the kitchen.

Coconut-Marshmallow Spiced Sweet Potatoes - Whole Foods Recipe

Ok, I could live on these. Probably not for very long because of marshmallow poisoning but I could make a strong showing. What started out shaky turned into the hit of the meal.

Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds - Whole Foods Recipe

The almonds ended up piled in the plate but these tasted delicious. Incredibly fresh and the shallots added a great kick.

Kale Salad - Whole Foods Recipe

This stuff was great and I could easily eat this stuff for lunch a few times a week. It just tastes so fresh. The dressing is really simple but the lemon juice combined with the chili powder really brought out the flavor of the kale.

Mark and Roz ate with us and brought over an incredible zucchini casserole and stuffing. The sage in the stuffing brought everything in the meal together. We're so lucky to have such awesome neighbors.

All in all, the meal was an incredible success. It's always a bit scary to cook new stuff for the first time but we held close to the recipes and everything turned out great. I'm gonna go nap. Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

Now you can put me in your pocket...

2009-11-14T21:23:00.000-08:00

matmcreative.com created a version of my site that can be easily viewed on your mobile web browser. If you're out in the world and want to know when I'm playing, just bookmark this URL on your mobile phone:

http://www.joshpreston.com/mobile

Also, you can add "/mobile" to any Me and the Machine Records artists' URL and you'll go to a mobile version of their site as well. Sexy.

Yes, clearly we're having a hot Saturday night. Drink one for us as we'll be coding. See ya soon!

Common Folk Meadow reviews The Complex Wooden Heart EP

2009-10-12T10:26:00.000-07:00

What a great way to start off a Monday! The kind folks over at Common Folk Meadow alerted me to this very generous review via Twitter. Here's a quote referring to my songs: "Even if you are not humming them, you just need to hear one note of them and you know it is Josh Preston." Wow!! Thanks guys!!

If you have a moment, you should check out the rest of this review and their site by clicking here. Also, don't forget to follow Common Folk Meadow on Twitter.

And if you have somehow missed my relentless self-promotion, you can download ALL of my albums for FREE by clicking here.

News of a Much-Needed Makeover

2009-09-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I hope all is well! I'm still on the mend but I'm making progress. Speaking of progress, MATM Creative recently updated my website and other social networking sites with an all new look! There have been many trials and errors but I think we've finally dialed it in. Take a poke around!

New tunes are forthcoming and new shows are listed in the tour section! See ya soon!

Thank You

2009-09-12T17:47:00.001-07:00

I'm finally lucid enough (well, at least that's what the pain pills are leading me to believe…haha) to compose a thank you note to everyone that has called, sent notes, "liked" my Facebook status and sent positive thoughts. Thanks so much everybody. I can't even begin to express how much it means to me. I'm an unbelievably lucky guy to have such amazing family and friends.

While I was really nervous and stressed out about having this operation, it's now very clear that I needed my gallbladder out. The semi-short version of the story is that apparently it wasn't functioning properly for years according to the surgeon's assessment and it was starting to fuse to the other organs and internal bits surrounding it. I must say that it's a relief to finally know what has been bothering me all this time. Oh, I forgot to mention that after asking all the doctors and nurses involved in my day yesterday, none of them would allow me to keep it :( Sorry to disappoint those of you that are as twisted as I am but I'm sure it's living on a farm somewhere with a nice family.

Today, I'm still incredibly sore (I'm not nearly as invincible as I thought I was) and I'm moving about as fast as bingo night at the old folks home. Bean is taking great care of me and I'm going to do everything possible to make sure I heal properly and not jeopardize my recovery. So, with all that pain medication induced rambling finally coming to a close, I love you guys and I hope to see all of you again soon!!

Here's what I'm listening to...

2009-08-27T14:49:00.001-07:00

More so lately than in recent memory, folks have been asking me what I've been listening to. Here's a 12 song playlist that should carry you for a few weeks or at least until I remember to create a post of this nature again. Many of these tunes have been culminated from various music blogs around the web. Many of these are available on iTunes and you can probably also find them if you conduct a quick search on elbo.ws. Here's the list:

AA Bondy "I Can See the Pines are Dancing" from the album When The Devil's Loose

The Swell Season "In These Arms" from the album Strict Joy

Blitzen Trapper "Black River Killer" from the album Black River Killer EP

Malcolm Middleton "Carry Me" from the album Waxing Gibbous

Gregory Alan Isakov "Evelyn" from the album This Empty Northern Hemisphere

Port O'Brien "Sour Milk / Salt Water" from the album Threadbare

David Bazan "Bless This Mess" from the album Curse Your Branches

The Mountain Goats "Genesis 3:23" from the album The Life of the World to Come

Fruit Bats "The Ruminant Band" from the album The Ruminant Band

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros "40 Day Dream" from the album Up From Below

The Silent Years "Taking Drugs At The Amusement Park" from the album Let Go

MT. EERIE "Stone's Ode - Nick Krgovich" from the album Wind'S POEM

Great Plug from Munich!!

2009-08-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

I love the internet. I stumbled upon this via Twitter. A blog in Munich called das klienicum wrote some words about my music and plugged my records!! Pretty cool! I ran the piece through Google Translate and this is what it returned:

"na, the josh preston I do not refuse, although his last note to the world from the 08 november comes. is therefore contrary to my aktualitätswahn, but it is part of the therapy (not always just the hypes to follow). I know a lot about the guy with his guitar not only that I am close to what he and what he has to sing. the (below), there are player for each of his four albums (+1 ep). as always, listen to yourself!"

So cool. Have a great week and thanks for sharing!

Complex Wooden Heart EP was reviewed by Record Dept. Music Reviews

2009-07-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Record Dept. Music Reviews for reviewing my Complex Wooden Heart EP. Thanks guys!! Here's a link to the review:

:: Review of Complex Wooden Heart EP by Record Dept. Music Reviews ::

If you don't have a copy of this EP, you can listen to it, share it and/or download it for FREE via the player below!!

<a href="http://joshpreston.bandcamp.com/album/the-complex-wooden-heart-ep">Safety Feels The Exit (Acoustic) by Josh Preston</a>

New site and a new show!

2009-07-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

MATM Creative overhauled my website yesterday! Poke around and let me know what you think!

I've got a show coming up this Friday evening at Kimbro's in Franklin, TN. It's my first time playing live in many months so there will be a new tune in the set along with some other tricks. Show starts @ 7:30 and Stillhouse Hollow goes on after me. If you haven't seen them live yet, you're in for a treat!

Great Article About The Complex Wooden Heart EP by You Crazy Dreamers

2009-06-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

The incredibly kind folks over at You Crazy Dreamers did a great post about my EP The Complex Wooden Heart EP. You should definitely take the time to poke around their blog! Really great stuff! Here's a link!

Monday after Bonnaroo. Hence the short post. See ya soon!

"Fire" on Slowcoustic

2009-06-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

Calgary, Alberta, Canada based blog Slowcoustic included a link to my tune "Fire" in a post over the weekend! The post included some great tunes so check it out via the link below!!

:: Slowcoustic - Thinking Warmer Thoughts With "Hot" Playlist: June Snow in Calgary Mix ::

My Interview for The Billy Block Show / New Jazz Tune?

2009-06-05T08:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! So when I'm not out making a racket in some club, I'm running a little record label called Me and the Machine Records. I was recently asked to be on The Billy Block Show where Billy and I discussed Twitter and other social media elements as they relate to the record industry. Check it out if you get a minute!

On an utterly unrelated note, per the gentle coercion of Andrew Dolfie of The New Whole Usuals, I might make a jazz record. I've started demoing/writing some stuff and I thought I'd share my first half-baked number with ya. I'm curious to know what y'all think so please feel free to shoot me some feedback. Here's the mp3 for your listening pleasure (right-click on the link below to download it):

:: Josh Preston - "lower case j" ::

Have an awesome weekend everybody and I'll see ya again sooner that you'd probably prefer!!

Muxtape is Back!!!

2009-04-21T21:04:00.001-07:00

My new Muxtape page is LIVE!! You can check it out at joshpreston.muxtape.com.

Me and the Machine Records received an invite today and it was like winning the lottery. These guys are absolutely awesome and they were without a doubt my favorite way to discover music when they first came on the scene.

We've built pages for Stillhouse Hollow and The New Whole Usuals as well so please check them out. We'll have pages for the rest of the gang by tomorrow night so keep on the lookout!!

Ugly Mugs Wrap Up!

2009-04-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone that made it out to the Ugly Mugs show on Saturday night!! I had a great time!! Playing with the big door open was awesome! I'm hoping to secure a copy of an audio recording from that show and when I do, I'll definitely share it with y'all!

So as I've said in previous posts, I'm going to take a break from playing live shows for a bit to focus on writing my next record and to gear up for the Me and the Machine Records' incredible 2009 release schedule. Keep an eye out for Stillhouse Hollow's debut album Dakota to drop at the end of June (but fans and friends will be able to get it at live shows starting next week)! Then near the end of September, keep an ear/eye to the ground for The New Whole Usuals' sophomore release. Many more details on these records will be coming down the line soon and definitely pop over to Me and the Machine and join the mailing list.

While you're waiting for new music from me, check out Words and No Music for exactly what the title describes and also follow @shortandabsurd on Twitter for the other side of my writing.

That's it for now so...

Until whenever!

Words and No Music: An Introduction

2009-04-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

I'm spending much more time writing these days so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share what I've been working on. Over time, these words may find themselves in my songs but until then, they'll live here as a collection of written works. One day, I hope to compile these into a poetry book of sorts but we'll cross that bridge once it's on fire.

Now that formal introductions of this new endeavor are out of the way, I'm playing my last show for awhile this weekend at Ugly Mugs (6pm, free) in East Nashville. It's a great little room and I hope to see you there!

:: Words and No Music ::

Reinventing the Short and Absurd

2009-04-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's always fun to try something new. Today I revived a Twitter page I started many moons ago when I was sick and stuck in bed. It's a twitter page and it can be found @shortandabsurd. I'm attempting to compose mini-novels in the span of 140 characters. Some will be funny, some will be sad, but they'll all be short and absurd. Pop over and check them out!

Speaking of twitter, I've spent some time recently thinking through a revised top5albums.com. While it has yet to be fully realized, I think we're on to something. If you visit it now, you will see a page that refreshes every 15 seconds based on a search of the word "album" as mentioned on Twitter. There's a greater explanation at the top5albums blog. If there are any developer among you that would like to help out with this project, please contact me!

Josh Preston's Station on Pandora Radio

2009-03-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Hey this is new! I realized today that I've got a Pandora Radio station. If you've got a free Pandora Radio account and you're inclined to hear bits and bobs of music that Pandora thinks sound like me, click on link below!

:: Josh Preston's Station on Pandora Radio ::

:: Pandora Radio iPhone App ::

Tomorrow Night! MATM Artists and Friends @ Edgehill Cafe Studios

2009-03-19T08:03:00.000-07:00

(from meandthemachine.com)

Tomorrow night Adam Burrow, Josh Preston, The New Whole Usuals and Stillhouse Hollow will be coming at you live from Edgehill Studios Cafe as part of the new monthly Me and the Machine Records residency! The show starts at 7pm, it's all ages and it's free!!

If you live in the greater Nashville area, we've made it extremely easy for you to attend. However, if you live further than say, 65 miles away from the venue, we're going to attempt to bring the show to you LIVE via the internet. You can watch the show via Me and the Machine Television. Hell, you can watch Me and the Machine Television now!! Let us know what you think via Twitter or whatever else you crazy kids communicate with these days.

And to keep the LIVE train rolling, Me and the Machine Television will be broadcasting LIVE from South Street Studios on Sunday morning starting around 10am. You can tune in to check out The New Whole Usuals recording woodwind parts for their forthcoming album (due out Fall 2009)!! We'll be chatting with viewers directly so get your questions about the intricacies of the bass clarinet ready now.

Oh, and one last bit about the show: This picture is from the new iPhone app called Bandloop (iTunes Store Link). If you have an iPhone and love live music, this little pocket buddy will change your whole scene. It's still a bit buggy but it will grow and in the process, you will slowly go deaf.

We'll see you or you'll see us this weekend!!

My Reasons for "Going Free"

2009-03-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

In a sleepy haze in the wee hours of the morning on Monday (3/9/09), I began pondering the idea of giving my music away for free. So after careful consideration the next day, I changed the status in all of my bandcamp.com players (if you haven't heard about bandcamp.com, check them out. They're the closest thing to the future of music distribution I've seen to date) and took the plunge. At this very moment, many of you are probably thinking I'm crazy. Many of you are probably correct but not for this action alone.

It comes down to this: I've composed these songs so people could hear them and hopefully enjoy them. I've been in the music business going on ten years now as both a performer and as an entrepreneur so I've seen almost everything there is to see on both sides of the fence. Free music just seems to be the next logical step in the evolution of the business for singer/songwriters like me that are a self-contained diy operation. I'm intrigued by the ideas that are beginning to swirl around via folks like Chris Anderson and these ideas are only going to be more finely tuned in the coming months; especially in light of the current economic climate. While it's certainly not for everyone, "going free" just makes sense for me right now.

Some of you may feel as though I'm devaluing my catalog. I view my decision as being the contrary. If people can't easily discover and share these songs, then they would have no value to me anyway. I've never gotten rich from the music I create and I never will. That's not why I do this anyway. I do it because I truly love writing and performing and making people think when the chance arises.

To date, I've made my records in my house with very little overhead. I'd much prefer that, if you like what you hear, come to a show and buy a t-shirt and say hello. Hell, if you want a CD, I'll still sell you one because those cost me money to manufacture. I put stuff on CD as a convenience more than anything. If you're completely and utterly freaked out by this and feel the need to pay for my music online, I'll probably attach a PayPal "donate" button in the music section of my website down the road.

In wrapping up this little diatribe, I do want to stress that my decision to make my own music free online has no bearing on Me and the Machine Records or the artists other than myself on this label. The artists on Me and the Machine Records are creating music that they're passionate about and there are expenses involved in the creation and distribution of their art. If for my next record, I go into a studio I need to pay for, I'll re-evaluate my need to charge something for whatever it is I create in that environment. We'll cross that bridge if/when we get there.

If you've ever had the urge to buy one of my songs (or have this urge moving forward), download my music for free from my website and then please consider purchasing music from another Me and the Machine artist. If you have any questions that I haven't addressed here, certainly feel free to follow me on Twitter and I'll be more than happy to continue this conversation. Thanks to everyone that is reading this right now for your continued support and I hope to see you again soon!!

Introducing Me and the Machine Television!!!

2009-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

(from meandthemachine.com)

Sometimes, completely frustrating experiences lead to brilliant results. Let me back up and give you the story...

On Friday February 20th, we decided to conduct a test to stream live video/audio on the web via Ustream. We did this test because we were preparing to broadcast my show from Asheville, NC on the following night. For the test, we posted a status update on Facebook and essentially said that we were going live in 3 minutes. By the time we turned on the broadcast, 20 people were waiting to view it. That's right: with 3 minutes notice, 20 people tuned in. Needless to say, Bean and I were freakishly excited!! I played a few tunes live from MATM Studios and we had a blast.

The following night in Asheville, we got to the club early, set everything up and the broadcast continually dropped out. I believe people were able to see roughly one minute of that show. We were bummed but we chalked it up to a strange wi-fi connection.

On February 24th, we attempted to broadcast my performance from The Basement here in Nashville. Again we got to the club early, set everything up properly and again the broadcast failed. Instead of showing the performance, Ustream continually broadcasted commercials. We were super bummed because again, a bunch of people showed up to view this performance online and again it crapped out.

We returned to MATM Studios after this second bust and felt pretty defeated. Bean put out a request on Twitter to get suggestions about an alternate streaming service we could use. A friend from my TVT days, Tom Mullen, recommended we check out Mogulus. From the second the page loaded, we were completely blown away...

Over the past few days, we've begun to compile video footage from the vaults and create production spots. After many long days and sleepless nights, today we are launching Me and the Machine Television. I can honestly say I haven't been this excited since we launched the label. Me and the Machine Television will feature videos, interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, concert footage AND LIVE BROADCASTS!! We'll also feature videos from friends of the label and MATM's Video of the Week. Over time, Me and the Machine Television will grow and evolve with the label and we'll continually add content. We've spent the past two years recording nearly every live performance from every Me and the Machine artists so we'll have plenty of material!!!

I'll step out of the way now so you can check out Me and the Machine Television for yourselves. Please feel free to chat on the page but also send your comments and critiques to us via email or the social network platform of your choosing. We're incredibly new to the world of television so any help from you will be greatly appreciate. Thanks again for your support and enjoy Me and the Machine Television!!!

Josh Preston
Me and the Machine Records/Television

:: CLICK HERE TO VIEW ME AND THE MACHINE TELEVISION NOW!! ::

TONIGHT!! Live @ The Basement (New Faces Night)

2009-02-24T09:55:00.001-08:00

live performance at Westville Pub in Asheville, NC

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Westville Pub in Asheville, NC on Saturday night and a special thanks to Leo johnson & The Space Heaters for allowing me to open the show!

I'll be playing a few tunes tonight at The Basement in Nashville as part of their New Faces night. There's no cover and there are always some great bands on the bill. The show starts @ 8pm.

More shows are being booked now so check back often!!

Edgehill Studios Cafe - 2.13.09

2009-02-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

(from meandthemachine.com)

(The New Whole Usuals, Josh Preston, Stillhouse Hollow)

Thanks to everyone that came out to Edgehill Studios Cafe last night! The place was packed, the sound was great and the bands (in my humble opinion) were awesome! We will let you know when we do it again, but until then, here's some additional dates for the bands that played last night:

Feb 17, 2009 :: Adam Burrows :: Dan McGuinness Pub :: Cool Springs, TN :: w/ various artists

Feb 25, 2009 :: Adam Burrows :: Cafe Coco :: Nashville, TN :: w/ various artists

Feb 21, 2009 :: Josh Preston :: Westville Pub :: Asheville, NC :: w/ The Space Heaters

Feb 24, 2009 :: Josh Preston :: The Basement (New Faces Show) :: Nashville, TN

Mar 10, 2009 :: Stillhouse Hollow :: Dan McGuinness (Cool Springs) :: Franklin, TN :: w/ various artists

Mar 13, 2009 :: Stillhouse Hollow :: Utopia Coffee House :: Spring Hill, TN :: w/ Josh Dragoo

We'll see you again soon!

New Song!!

2009-02-03T20:32:00.000-08:00

<a href="http://joshpreston.bandcamp.com/album/josh-prestons-perpetual-bin-of-demos-and-other-sods-you-may-have-heard-live-but-are-not-live-now">streetlights by Josh Preston</a>

I finally recorded a new song I've been working on for a week or so this evening called "Stretlights". You can download it free via the bandcamp player in this post. There are a bunch of other free songs in this player as well so go nuts. I decided to post the song using this player so that way, you can pick the type of file you'd prefer. Enjoy!!

A Quick Thanks!

2009-02-02T21:30:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post a quick thanks to everyone that came out this weekend!! I had a great night @ both Loudhouse Coffee in Greenbrier, TN and Ugly Muggs in E. Nashville, TN.

I've got more shows coming up and I hope to see you there!!

LA Times Story About Warner Music vs. YouTube and my friends The Whappers

2009-01-27T09:56:00.000-08:00

(Originally posted on meandthemachine.com)

Imagine our surprise this morning when we read about Will Chatham of The Whappers in the LA Times! The LA Times wrote a piece about the on-going and fan-alienating battle between Warner Music and YouTube. You can grab the details from the story link below but in short, Warner Music is issuing take down notices for any videos containing music that they (Warner Music) publishes. After you've finished the story, don't forget to check out The Whappers site and definitely see them play whenever you can because they're amazing.

:: LA Times - Warner Music vs. YouTube casualties include a banjo-playing 'Star Wars' fan ::

:: The Whappers ::

My road-trip mix tape

2009-01-23T14:35:00.001-08:00

Giving plinky.com a shot and thus fair it has inspired me to generate this post.

Big Trucks by Pedro The Lion

It's about the journey not the destination...

German Motor Car by Margot & The Nuclear So And So's

The title of the song is "German Motor Car" silly computer.

Effington by Ben Folds

It's loosely about a town seen from the highway and every time I hear this tune it reminds me of the small towns I've seen when driving around the country. Plus, this dude is just a brilliant writer.

Do You Remember The First Time? Bullz-eye's First Concert Memories

2009-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

So for those of you that don't know, I sometimes write reviews for Bullz-Eye.com. It's a great place for incredibly honest and often side-splittingly funny music reviews (although, it truth, it's been a long damn time since I've written any reviews). Anyway, they asked their writers to write about their first concert experience a few months back so I jumped at the chance!! My story is near the bottom of this post but definitely check out the other stories as well. They're great!! Below is the link. Have a great weekend everybody!!

:: Do You Remember The First Time? Bullz-eye's First Concert Memories (contains explicit language) ::

From toothpastefordinner.com

2009-01-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

toothpastefordinner.com

It's Friday and I'm wondering where the nearest Chuck E. Cheese is...

Have a great weekend everybody!

Thank You Loudhouse Coffee

2009-01-12T09:22:00.001-08:00

Josh Preston @ Loudhouse Coffee, Greenbrier, TN

I just want to take a second to thank Loudhouse Coffee for inviting me out to play last night. I had a blast and I look forward to playing there again soon.

Also, check out the folks I played with last night: Josiah Jones and John Davey.

More dates are being all the time so don't forget to check the tour section on joshpreston.com.

Last Minute Show @ Loudhouse Coffee TONIGHT!!

2009-01-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

I'll be performing at Loudhouse Coffee in Greenbrier, TN tonight @ 6pm. It looks like a great venue and I'm really excited to be playing there. So excited in fact, I'm going to go take a shower and trim my beard. Hitting the road in a bit and I hope if you're in the neighborhood you'll pop by!!

The Longest Soundcheck Ever!!

2008-12-18T15:18:00.000-08:00

Josh Preston @ 169 Bar, New York, NY

(Written 12/18/08)

It has been an incredible couple of days!! The show at 169 Bar was absolutely incredible! It was so amazing to see so many friends and the fact they came out in the middle of a blizzard was just awesome. Thank you so much and it really made the trip to see all of you!!

We left New Jersey at around 10am on Wednesday and got to my sister's house at around 7pm last night. Most of the trip was really straight ahead but the last few hours got super hairy. It actually got so cold our windshield wipers froze and the cars and trucks were slinging freezing sleet onto our windshield.

Check out this great article in the Bangor Daily News about the tour and Me and the Machine Records!!

:: Bangor Daily News - Musician from Maine wants to make most of visit home ::

(Written 1/8/09)

Wow. That was a long sound check...haha. I started writing this post just before my sound check in Portland @ the North Star Music Cafe and just never got back to it until now. The show at the North Star was great except for the fact that I broke a string during my first tune! Luckily, I was only a few bars in, I stopped the show, changed the string with the agility of a NASCAR tire changer and dove back into the set. Everyone was incredibly receptive and the food there was incredible!!

Mike Prescott and I performing @ Mountain Valley High School, Rumford, ME

The final performance of the tour was in Rumford, Maine @ Mountain Valley High School with my great friend and brilliant teacher Mike Prescott. We closed out his Christmas concert by playing my tune "Please Tell Me You'll Be Home For Christmas". It was a really special way to close out the tour and Mike's students are amazing. I was shocked by some of the tunes they played.

I spent the remainder of the week with family and Bean and I drove back on Saturday the 27th of December as well as that Sunday. It's a 24 hour drive from my folk's house back to Nashville.

So, I'm back in Nashville and enjoying the warmth. I'm adding new dates now for 2009 and I can't wait to see all of you again very soon. Thanks to everyone that let Bean and I couch-surf over the few weeks we were traveling!!

A recap of the goings on thus far!!

2008-12-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I think the last time I had a chance to sit and post was Saturday in Huntington, WV at Java Joint. I've been posting little bits on Twitter throughout the run but it's nice to be able to sit and recap using more than 140 characters.

So after the Java Joint show, Bean and I hung out with Nick's friend Russ at his place for the afternoon. We were pretty damn tired from the lack of good sleep from the night before so we just watched TV and Nick told us the story about his snake Lamar from college. Really good stuff.

Nick Shelton @ Shamrock's Pub, Huntington, WV

We left Russ's around 8pm for load in and then just hung out in the club. When we first got there it was cold as hell in the back but they had this thing that looked like a flame-throwing canon that they fired up for about 45 minutes and it warmed up really fast. The performance space at Shamrock's Pub was incredible and the sound was awesome. Nick started playing a short time after 11pm and I think I went on around midnight or so. I was really floored by the response of the crowd and it was the perfect way to kick things off.

Josh Preston @ Shamrock's Pub, Huntington, WV

After the show, Bean and I loaded up the car and drove through the hills of WV. We pulled off the highway around 3am (so help me god, I still have no idea where we were) and crashed until they kicked us out at 11am. Being as tired as we were we really didn't sleep at all.

We finished the second half of the trip to DC and pulled in around 4pm. Along the way, we kept telling ourselves that as soon as we saw a Starbucks, we'd pull off and grab coffee. I'm pretty sure that we found the only 200+ mile stretch of road in the universe where there wasn't a Starbucks.

Josh Preston @ The Wonderland Ballroom, Washington, DC

We stayed with our friends Para and Emily in DC. They turned us on to all kinds of incredible stuff like royal jelly and raw chocolate and goji berries. The show in DC was at The Wonderland Ballroom which was really close to their place. The room was packed!! It was our first time in DC apart from layovers at the airport and it was cooler than we could have ever imagined. In our typical turbo-tourist fashion, we blazed by all of big ticket items and headed for NYC.

We arrived in NYC in mid-afternoon and spent a much-needed day of relaxation with Fabrice. Their place in Jersey City is gorgeous and when Jerry arrived home from work we ordered some of the best damn Chinese food I've had since Bean and I moved to Nashville four years ago and checked out pics and videos from their recent trip to Venice. I laughed so hard it hurt. They should have their own travel show. Really, really funny shit.

We drove over to Williamsburg for the Pete's Candy Store show around 9pm and we had a chance to check out our old neighborhood. Architecturally, the changes that have occurred in that part of the world in the last 4 years is nothing short of miraculous. Our old apartment building was still there but next to it in what used to be an abandoned lot was this gorgeous new modern building. While it was pretty shocking, it's really great to see how much attention is being paid to building design in this area.

The show at Pete's was fun as hell and equally as hot as seen in the picture below. Pete's was the first room I ever attempted to do the "guy w/ acoustic guitar" thing in so it was really special to play there again last night.

A wildly gross and sweaty post-show Josh Preston @ Pete's Candy Store, Brooklyn, NY

I guess that's it for now and I'll have another post very soon. Thanks to all the friends that have let us crash on their couches and all of the venues that have let me yell into their microphones for 30-45 minutes. See ya tonight at the 169 Bar in NYC!!

Night One and Show One: Check

2008-12-13T10:31:00.001-08:00

Wow. It's been a lively 24 hours. We pulled into Huntington around midnight or so I guess. The roads were really starting to get slick but we avoided the bulk of the snow. Ok, boring. Moving on.

Before we left Nashville, Bean and I bought zero-degree sleeping bags for our trip. Very brave and rustic and whatnot, I know. We had this romanticized picture of the trip in our minds of maybe sleeping in the car in a Walmart parking lot and just being hippies and subsist on the granola we bought at Target. Real American Pioneers.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that that probably wouldn't work out given we are in a Toyota. We clearly mismanaged the leg room situation and the sever lack of television. We really gave it a shot though. We managed to find a Walmart after Willis (our GPS thingy) struck out on the first set of directions we plugged in. We got into our sleeping bags and tried like hell to sleep but it simply wasn't happening. Around 2am we peeled our sleeping bags off and hit the Quality Inn down the street which was across the street from two gentlemen's clubs. I had no idea the demand was that high in this down economy.

Let's just say the the word "Quality" in Quality Inn at this particular franchise was nothing short of completely misleading. We ate our vitamins, caught a little Law & Order and slept in our clothes.

Ok, show one is done and we're off to see the town. Thanks to the folks that hung out and listened and we'll see ya in a few hours at Shamrock's Pub up the street.

MATM Artist Pics from Edgehill Studios Cafe (12.10.08)

2008-12-12T08:25:00.001-08:00

(From Me and the Machine Records)

This post is the first of many posts to come in the next few days. Tomorrow, Friday December 12th, Josh Preston hits the road with Lisa for a string of shows up the coast. Don't forget to check the "Tour" section of meandthemachine.com and/or joshpreston.com and if you're in the vicinity of any of these locations, please pop out and say hello!! MATM would like to extend a special thanks to I Am Pazuzu and Adam Burrows for playing with The New Whole Usuals and Josh Preston at Edgehill Studios Cafe on December 10th. Check out the pictures below!!

Here's a pic of Andrew from The New Whole Usuals parting the seas and blowing the minds of the curious onlookers.

Here's a pic of Josh Preston playing and singing with the laptop firing on all cylinders.

"A Most Pleasant Apocalypse" and other fun facts...

2008-12-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Image by ucumari via Flickr

First, this picture has nothing to do with this song. Well, on second thought, maybe it does. I'm not saying seals are the reason for the impending apocalypse but we should keep our eye on them. I'm just saying...

I wrote a new song a few nights back and I remembered it the next day so I figured it was worthy of recording. It already has a few different names depending on where you're listening to it but for the purposes of this post it's called "A Most Pleasant Apocalypse". There's an mp3 below for your listening pleasure and remember, don't trust the seals. They're up to something...

:: Josh Preston - "A Most Pleasant Apocalypse" mp3 ::

New Video for "Counting Backwards"!!

2008-12-01T08:23:00.000-08:00

Josh Preston - Counting Backwards from meandthemachine on Vimeo.

This week's video was finished about 45 minutes ago!! It's a video compiled by MATM Creative for "Counting Backwards" which can be found exclusively on joshpreston.com for free download and for purchase in the "Music" section!! Enjoy!!

Live on WRVU "Positive Spin" on Monday Night!!!

2008-11-19T08:46:00.001-08:00

How cool is this?!? I'll be playing live on WRVU on Monday night at 9:30pm CST!!! I'll be playing a few tunes and talking about my upcoming tour. Even if you're not in the Greater Nashville Area (and I mean "great" because this station has an incredible reach!!), you can listen live online by clicking on the link below.

Also, I'll be in Black Mountain, NC on Saturday night with my college buddy Mark Burin and his band The Whappers at the Town Pump Tavern! If you're in the area, pop by!!

More dates on my newly redesigned tour page (thanks ArtistData)!! See ya soon!!

:: Listen to WRVU 91.1 ONLINE!! ::

"Counting Backwards"

2008-11-10T10:49:00.001-08:00

Hey everybody! I hope all is well and thanks to those of you that came out to the show in Bowling Green on Saturday night!! It was a great time and Stillhouse Hollow torn the roof off the place! We can't wait to get back and play there again!

Yesterday, I sat for a bit and wrote a new song called "Counting Backwards". I almost titled it "The Space Song" but that just didn't feel right (Bean totally vetoed that title anyway...haha). Below is a link to an mp3 demo. Hope you like it and please share it with friends!!

:: Josh Preston - "Counting Backwards" mp3 ::

Mobile Technology Piece on PerformerMag.com

2008-11-07T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! I want to share an article in the October issue of Performer Magazine in which I was quoted about the benefits of utilizing social networks focusing on Twitter in particular. It's a great article so I hope you check it out via the link below!!

:: Article-Mobile Technology and Indie Artists: Succeeding Where Big Business Failed? ::

:: Follow Josh Preston on Twitter ::

Live TONIGHT on WWHR - Local Shots

2008-11-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

I'm playing live TONIGHT on WWHR-Local Shots in Bowling Green, KY @ 10pm CST. You can listen live by clicking on the link below!!! This appearance is to promote a show I'll be playing with Stillhouse Hollow @ Bread & Bagel in Bowling Green, KY on Saturday!!

:: Josh Preston - Live on WWHR Local Shots 11-5-08 10pm CST ::

On a separate note, Bean made Obama cookies last night and they were delicious.

Tons of New Tour Dates!!

2008-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

That's right folks!! I'll be hitting the road in November & December to see friends and play some shows. We're adding dates all the time so please check out the tour section of my site. Below are the dates we've got on the books so far!!

10.28.08 :: Josh Preston :: Dan McGuinness :: Cool Springs, TN

11.08.08 :: Josh Preston :: Bread & Bagel :: Bowling Green, KY

11.22.08 :: Josh Preston :: Town Pump Tavern :: Black Mountain, NC

12.13.08 :: Josh Preston :: Shamrock's Pub :: Huntington, WV

12.16.08 :: Josh Preston :: 169 Bar :: New York, NY

12.18.08 :: Josh Preston :: North Star Music Cafe for the Maine Songwriters Association :: Portland, ME

New Song!! "Too Drunk"

2008-10-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

I said last week that I was going to write a song over the weekend but I never got around to it. I finally got a chance to sit and work on an idea that's been kicking around for a bit. Bean and I were at The Swell Season show a few weeks back and she said, "I hope I get too drunk to cry". Needless to say, I thought that could be an awesome song lyric. Below is a link to what I did with it:

:: Josh Preston - "Too Drunk" ::

Huff Drugs

2008-10-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

I drove by this sign on my way back from Blue Ridge, GA. I found this photo on Flickr and am still kicking myself for not stopping to take a picture. Incredibly funny.

Tweeting and not blogging

2008-10-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I just wanted to drop a little note as it has been a long time since my last post. Getting ready to go check out the IBMA Awards this evening at the Ryman. It seems as though I've been at the Ryman a lot these days. I just caught The Swell Season there not too long ago. Brilliant show!!

I've been using Twitter more and more these days so definitely follow me on Twitter using the link below.

Heading back into the studio this weekend so keep an eye/ear on this site for a new tune shortly.

Check out the show page for upcoming dates and I hope to see you soon!!

:: Follow Josh Preston on Twitter ::

The Goat is Dead! Long Live the Goat!

2008-09-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, the goat is dead. Friday night I went out for the first real haircut I've had since college. While I was being fitted with a new haircut, we removed the goat. I say "we" because the removal was witnessed by a stunned crowd of onlookers. I swear to you on my life that the girl cutting it was shaking a bit. In hindsight that totally makes sense because upon meeting someone for the first time, it's downright rude to ask them to remove your goatee.

The first few hours were freeing indeed! We rolled the windows down in the car on the way home so I could stick my head out the window and feel the warm autumn breeze on my newly shaven chin.

I had "phantom beard" for a spell but it passed quickly. Bob Flowers had offered earlier in the week to take some new photos for me on Saturday so the timing worked out quite well. The photo above is from Bob.

I guess the most poignant moment came on Sunday morning when I was eating toast and I realized how wonderfully the goat use to capture the crumbs from the bread hence saving them from my shirt. I will tame you once again toast.

On Sunday I also recorded a song called "Guilt" that I had written a few weeks back. As this was the weekend for new adventures, when I tracked this song, I approached it in a way that I've never done with any other song I've recorded. There's an mp3 below so please feel free to check it out.

:: Josh Preston - "Guilt" ::

Say It With A Song!

2008-09-06T19:12:00.000-07:00

My set for Shakespeare In The Park got rained out last night. Looking forward to trying again next year!! To sum it all up w/ a song, below is a link to a song by Travis called "Why Does It Always Rain On Me". More shows happening soon so don't forget to check the Tour section on joshpreston.com!!!

:: Travis - "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" on iTunes ::

Josh Preston opens for Shakespeare In The Park TONIGHT!!!

2008-09-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Josh Preston will perform the opening set tonight for The Nashville Shakespeare Festival's presentation of CORIOLANUS in Centennial Park, Nashville, TN!! The show starts at 6pm so come early for a good seat as this is the last weekend of performances!!

(Please note: It's been raining here in Nashville this morning but the show is still on as of right now. If you're planning on coming out and want to make sure it's still on before you leave, please check out http://twitter.com/joshpreston for up-to-the-minute info!!)

RIP Jerry Reed

2008-09-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Jerry Reed was the man. One of the many reasons I married my wife was because she could sing all the words to "East Bound and Down" unprompted. Above is a clip of him playing with Chet Atkins. 10-4 Good Buddy.

How I Killed The Planet on My Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T08:41:00.000-07:00

I'm fairly certain that posts of this nature will be few and far between but I'm not promising anything. This little tidbit has been burning me up all weekend and I figured this was a good a place as any to share...

So, this weekend Bean and I decided to celebrate our anniversary as our real anniversary date fell in the middle of the week. Sunday, we packed ourselves into our slightly-larger than compact car and drove the speed limit to the Cool Springs Mall.
I know. Clearly a very "un-rock" thing to do but it's getting harder and harder to hide my growing lameness.

After a leisurely stroll through the aforementioned mall and stuffing ourselves on faux Italian food, we decided to head over to the Barnes & Noble so I could grab a few copies of the most recent Vintage Guitar magazine featuring the review of Exit Sounds (one for the MATM files and one for my mom. hi mom). I also grabbed a UK design magazine that we've come accustom to purchasing. For those of you keeping track at home, that's three magazines.

So, I've got my magazines in hand and I'm heading toward the checkout. In this Barnes & Noble, there's a long line of cashiers and in order to get to the "Please Form Line Here" sign, I was able to scan the cashiers and many of them looked like pleasant and intelligent people. Of course, when it's my turn to check out, my cashier looked as though she was longing for the days when she used a ruler to slap the sh*t out of the hands of children. But hey, I try not to "judge a book by its cover" so - like nearly all social situations I encounter - I greeted her with a pleasant smile and a hello. When the response from our angry antagonist was not reciprocated, I knew this exchange was going to get weird.

First, like all B&N cashiers are trained to do, she asked if I was a card-carrying member of the B&N Discount Club. I cheerfully stated that I was not and that I was not interested today. This, clearly, was a completely unacceptable answer. With a prolonged sigh, Madam Frustrated told me that if I spent $25 to sign up, I would save 15% on my purchase. Again, I declined. Then, angered again by my unbending presence, insisted that I purchase a reusable shopping bag - adorned with a tasteless pile of B&N logo - so that I might "go green". Ok, at this point I'm at my limit but I continued to play the part of kind shopper. Again, I declined and then came the statement that will haunt me for the rest of my days....

"Can I at least get you to 'Go Green' by not giving you a bag?!"

Let me get this straight because I am a simple man with a simple understanding of the world in which I exist... You, Frigid Lady of The Register, emphatically insist that I 'Go Green' when you make a living from and are surround by A MILLION F***ING DEAD TREES!?!?!?!

I've given up on common sense and am buying a Kindle.

Hugging a tree,
JP

You can learn alot from someone by knowing what they read

2008-08-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

As I often am, I'm once again enthralled by yet another new site called Shelfari. Shelfari allows you to keep track of the books you've read, the books you're reading and ones you'd like to read. I feel that the right books can really help define a person. I hope you do as well. Please feel free to check out my collection and start you own and be my shelfari friend!!! I'm still getting started so be gentle... Happy reading!!!

:: Check out Josh Preston on Shelfari ::

ArtistOne Analytics interview w/ Josh & Lisa of MATM

2008-08-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Josh and Lisa Preston recently did an interview with ArtistOne Analytics about the state of the record industry, running an independent record label and various other bits!! The interview was conducted digitally via Skype!! The interview includes music from the Me and the Machine catalog. To check it out, click on the link below!!!

:: ArtistOne Analytics interview w/ Josh & Lisa of MATM ::

Vintage Guitar Magazine reviews Josh Preston's Exit Sounds

2008-08-18T12:57:00.001-07:00

Check out this quote!!!

"Preston placed himself in the arc of usually British guitar troubadours that has people like Ralph McTell and Roy Harper on the folky end, Richard Thompson on the rockier one, and John Martyn, Nick Drake, and Preston himself somewhere in the middle."

Unbelievable!! This issue (Oct 08) is on newsstands now!! To subscribe, click on the link below!

:: Subscribe to Vintage Guitar Magazine ::

Josh Preston's "We Are Alone" Video featured on Vintage Guitar Magazine's "The Hit List"

2008-08-14T15:35:00.000-07:00

The video for Josh Preston's "We Are Alone" is featured on this month's "The Hit List" on the Vintage Guitar Magazine website. To check out this video and the rest of the video's that made this month's Hit List, click on the link below.

:: Josh Preston's "We Are Alone" video on Vintage Guitar Magazine's "The Hit List" ::

New Site Design for joshpreston.com

2008-08-10T21:46:00.001-07:00

We're working on a new site design for joshpreston.com. You can view it now @ the link below. Click around and let me know what you think!!!

:: New Site Design for Josh Preston ::

Josh Preston to play the Livin' The Music Benefit on 8/7/08

2008-08-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Josh Preston will be performing at the Livin' The Music Benefit @ 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville on August 7th!! Here's a bit about Livin' The Music:

"Livin’ the Music was founded on the idea that music can, and will, change the world ~ the purpose of Livin’ the Music is to use music to bring light, love & hope to those in need. On Thursday, August 7th, we will be hosting a songwriters night at 3rd and Lindsley to raise awareness for The Lili Claire Foundation, a non-profit organization helping children living with neurogenetic conditions, while providing hope and resources to the families who love them. Livin’ the Music wants to do whatever possible to help the Foundation achieve their goals in Nashville. They will be opening the doors to their brand new center here in Nashville around the 7th, so this event is key to their success in the community."

Please come out and support this great cause and enjoy an incredible night of indie artists!!!

:: Livin' The Music on MySpace ::

Bread + Bagel, Bowling Green, KY - Thank You!!

2008-07-19T13:19:00.001-07:00

I've first got to say thanks to Jeff Dehut for the incredibly cool sketch you're looking at right now. He's got a website @ www.explosivelines.com.

We had a great time at Revolution 91.7 on Wednesday night and at Bread + Bagel on the following nights. The food was incredible, the had Brooklyn Lager (which, living in the South, BL is seemingly scarce) and the bands the The New Whole Usuals and I played with were really an amazing group of people.

Thanks to everyone that called into the station and that came out to the shows. We'll be back soon!!! - JP

Josh Preston @ Bread & Bagel, Bowling Green, KY TONIGHT

2008-07-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

Fresh off a two evening stand in the land of the Lost River Cave, Josh Preston will be appearing @ Bread + Bagel this evening with The Mack, Jordan Pendley and Such Tall Buildings. Saturday, he will be sleeping in. Thanks again to Revolution 97.1 for a great time on Wednesday night!! The MATM Crew will see y'all again soon!!

:: Josh Preston - Exit Sounds on iTunes ::

Southeast Performer reviews Exit Sounds in July Issue

2008-07-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

The all-out, full-contact love fest continues between Me and the Machine recording artists and Southeast Performer Magazine. Check out this quote from the review of Exit Sounds : "Preston’s greatest strength lies in his voice and in his intelligent lyricism." Yes, we will marry you!! Click on the link below and scroll down to check out the rest of the review for yourself!!

:: Southeast Performer reviews Exit Sounds ::

:: Josh Preston - Exit Sounds on iTunes ::

Minor7th.com Reviews Josh Preston's Exit Sounds

2008-06-27T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hit the link below and scroll down a bit. There you will find another great review of of Exit Sounds. Enjoy!!!

:: Minor7th.com Reviews Josh Preston's Exit Sounds ::

:: Josh Preston - Exit Sounds on iTunes ::

Exit Sounds review in Moors Magazine, The Netherlands

2008-06-10T15:50:00.001-07:00

How cool is this??

"Josh Preston schrijft poëtische liedjes die hij ingetogen zingt, met fijnzinnige arrangementen. Muziek dus die niet meteen een verpletterende indruk maakt, maar meer muziek die je de tijd moet geven om binnen te komen. De zang en ook de arrangementen doen soms wat denken aan Tim Buckley, al was diens stem wat nasaler en daardoor irritanter, en waren diens arrangementen wat jazzier.

Preston is wat bescheidener, ingetogener, maar net zo fijnzinnig en geraffineerd. Met strijkers die heel voorzichtig pizzicato worden ingezet bijvoorbeeld, of met subtiele tweestemmige zang die soms wat aan de sixtiesband HP Lovecraft doet denken. En met name de arrangementen zitten heel fraai in elkaar, al hoor je dat pas goed als je de cd al een aantal keren gedraaid hebt.

Wat dat betreft geeft het hoesje een goed beeld van de muziek - je moet goed kijken voor je alles gezien hebt, er worden onverwachtecombinaties gemaakt, er zitten subtiele details in en het levert een smaakvol geheel op."

No idea what this says?? Us either. Thanks to Google Translate however, we've managed to get at least the basics...

"Josh Preston writes poetic songs he sings subdued, with sophisticated arrangements. Music so that not one overwhelming impression, but more music that should give you time to gain entry. The singing and the arrangements do sometimes think of Tim Buckley, although his voice was what nasaler and thereby annoying, and what were his jazzier arrangements.

Preston is more modest, ingetogener, but just as subtle and refined. With very careful pizzicato strings that are deployed, for example, or with subtle two-singing sometimes what to sixtiesband HP Lovecraft reminiscent. And in particular, the arrangements are very attractive in each other, all you hear that only good as the CD you already have commented several times.

In this respect gives the jacket a good picture of the music - you must look good for everything you've seen, there are onverwachtecombinaties, there are subtle details and the book provides a tasteful whole."

:: Josh Preston's Exit Sounds review in Moors Magazine, The Netherlands ::

Josh Preston performing "Safety Feels The Exit"

2008-06-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a video of Josh Preston performing "Safety Feels The Exit" live @ The 5 Spot in East Nashville on June 1st, 2008. Enjoy!!!

:: Josh Preston - Safety Feels The Exit on iTunes ::

MightFX's No Moss reviews The Complex Wooden Heart EP

2008-06-03T16:12:00.001-07:00

Wow!! The reviews just keep popping up!! Here's a quote: "He sings like he's crying while conjuring poetic visuals at the same time." To read the rest of the review, click on the link below!! Also, don't forget to check out the tour page. Josh is playing all over Nashville this week!!

:: MightFX's No Moss reviews The Complex Wooden Heart EP ::

Southeast Performer reviews The Complex Wooden Heart EP

2008-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

It goes without saying that we love the wonderful folks at Southeast Performer. This review is nothing short of magnificent. Click on the link below to check it out. Also, click on the link below the review link to grab your free copy of the EP!!!

:: Southeast Performer reviews The Complex Wooden Heart EP ::

:: Josh Preston - The Complex Wooden Heart EP (Free Download!! .zip file, 35 mb) ::

Blogcritics reviews Exit Sounds

2008-06-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

Here's a quote: "Preston has a sharper sensibility than the typical singer-songwriter.." To check out the rest of the review, click on the link below!!

:: Blogcritics reviews Exit Sounds ::

:: Purchase Exit Sounds by Josh Preston on Amazon ::

The Trades reviews Exit Sounds

2008-05-20T14:44:00.001-07:00

Neat!! Here's a quote:

"Much of Exit Sounds deals with the darker side of love, whether being caught in love's web, as described in "Addict," or just quiet bemusement with relationships, as with "Thousand Years." - The Trades

Check out the entire review below.

:: The Trades reviews Exit Sounds ::

:: Digg this review ::

Metro Spirit (Augusta, GA) reviews Exit Sounds

2008-05-14T07:47:00.001-07:00

We're kinda speechless. This review is amazing. If you have a second, check it out by clicking on the link below!!

:: Metro Spirit (Augusta, GA) reviews Exit Sounds ::

Listen to Exit Sounds on Last.FM or buy it at: (iTunes) (Amazon MP3) (Rhapsody) (eMusic)

New design for joshpreston.com!!!

2008-05-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Tuesday release of Exit Sounds, joshpreston.com has been redesigned and relaunched!! We'll be adding a slew of new things in the coming days so definitely don't forget to check it out.

:: The newly redesigned joshpreston.com ::

Cosmos Gaming reviews Exit Sounds

2008-05-02T21:23:00.000-07:00

Cosmos Gaming wrote an absolutely stellar review of my new record Exit Sounds!! There are too many great quotes from this review so we'll just let you check out the entire thing for yourselves!!!

:: Cosmos Gaming reviews Exit Sounds ::