I’d never heard of this fella until Darren Woodlief sent me this guest piece.
I think I’ve listened to the Josh Robert & The Hinges material everyday since. I hope y’all like it as much as I have.
I met Josh Roberts back around 1999, when his band, Captain Easy, was still in its infancy. They were all excited because a friend of theirs, Ryan Monroe (now with Band of Horses), was moving back to Columbia to join the band. Captain Easy was a wonderful amalgamation of Ryan’s Elton John-turned-prog style and Josh’s Crazy Horse leanings. Their first album Greatest Hits, was soon released and was amazingly sophisticated and just plain sounded great. Ryan wrote the majority of the songs on this album, but two of its standouts were written by Josh: “Everything” & “Long Gone Mama.”
Josh songwriting continued to improve and his contributions to their second (and final) album, Picture Perfect World. Two of my favorites are “All the Way” and “Book I Found”
After the amicable ending of Captain Easy in 2005, Josh continued writing songs & spent time playing lead guitar for one of Vic Chesnutt’s favorite songwriters – Danielle Howle. Eventually, he put together a new group, Josh Roberts & the Hinges and they’ve released 2 albums of loud, boozy Americana. He has clearly come into his own as both a songwriter and band leader. He’s also a damn good guitar player.
“Slowly, 16 Months” is from the Hinges’ first album The Sugar Bird Test and the other two are from his newest album, My War Cry is Amor. “Hand of Man” in particular is a must-listen. Enjoy!
Captain Easy – Everything
Captain Easy – Long Gone Mama
Captain Easy – All The Way
Captain Easy – Book I Found
Josh Roberts & The Hinges – Slowly, 16 Months
Josh Roberts & The Hinges – Hand Of Man
Josh Roberts & The Hinges – Nautilus
Josh Roberts & The Hinges on myspace, Buy My War Cry is Amor
About Darren: Darren Woodlief is a musician & connoisseur of fine blogs residing in Columbia, SC.
darrenwoodlief@gmail.com – www.myspace.com/darrenwoodlief