"Josh Holmes is a Musical Sponge"

Karen Taylor
ktaylor@jrpress.com

Josh Holmes leads a life devoted to music.

He's been slogging away at it for years, after inspiration from
legend Ritchie Valens drove him to pick up and learn guitar at age 7.

Holmes, 26, tried several projects before branching out on his own in 1998. His first release, "At the End of the Tunnel," spawned from these efforts and he never looked back.

Four more albums followed including the 2004 release of "A Table for One," a highlight of a year of incredible accomplishments.

Holmes toured tirelessly in 2004, venturing to more than 250 shows and traveling more than 50,000 miles across the Midwest, including Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio — a feat many artists never come close to reaching in a year.

That's not all.

The year also brought Holmes a new contract with Oarfin
Distribution. The album, "A Table for One," became part of the
Oarfin family, which includes artists such as Jack Johnson, Prince
and Johnny Lang.

On stage he is disarmingly funny and performs with such intensity
that fellow artists in the soul rock genre, such as Howie Day, John
Mayer or Guster, appear lackluster in their efforts.

Off stage he is a sponge for any chord progression to pass by his
ear. He constantly is adapting to and improving his own personal
style.

While most notably influenced by Motown and soul rock, such as the Temptations, a peek into his CD player at one particular moment reveals a buffet including Ben Harper, Boyz 2 Men, Prince, Howie Day, Guns 'n' Roses, Meatloaf, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel and Metallica.

After five released and countless gigs, Holmes reveals a weathered side of himself after spending years in the music industry. "The industry has taught me the difference between making it big and being happy," he said. "I guess I have a somewhat negative outlook on making it big. You should play for yourself, for the right reasons. It takes away your innocence."

In a society where "popular" music is often dictated by record
labels and radio play, Holmes expresses a cynical side regarding the state of the industry.
 

"People who are in charge of the 'audience' have probably never
played an instrument in their life. It' like having a basketball
coach who has never played basketball. When we think we're getting smarter, we're getting dumber," he said.

Clashes between record companies and artists are nothing new, but the booming dispute between artists and consumers — in the form of downloading music for free ‚ has caused an uproar among both parties.

"Downloading music has caused a lack of appreciation for the
consumer," Holmes said. "Therefore, it belittles the value of the
song."

Holmes said many artists today are labeled by one song, instead of an album or collection of albums. Consumers rarely purchase an entire album; they simply want one particular "song of the hour."

"Before the Internet, music was a way of life. I think full albums
were a reflection of people, not a song. You used to identify with
an entire band, not just one song," he said. "I bet you can name
almost every single song off of Metallica's 'Black' album, but how
many songs can you name from Jason Mraz? Or Howie Day?"

After Metallica's widely publicized squabble with Napster, the
music-sharing industry was never the same, but Holmes says it's not the "big name" artists who are hurt by free music sharing.

"It's really a simple formula," he said. "Downloading results in
less record sales. Decreasing record sales result in weaker labels,
which results in fewer artists getting noticed. So you're hurting
the little guy, not the famous bands."

He said downloading options should be left up to the individual
artists.

In an industry sometimes crumbling with corruption, Holmes remains humble and realistic. He encourages the next generation of musicians to aim high.

"Your music should speak louder than your image," he said. "Keep your standards high and strive to stay true to yourself — no selling out." Holmes stressed the importance of respect for the people who have invested time into mastering their instrument — from guitar, to voice to piano.

Too often, he says, inexperienced musicians never take the time to technically master the guitar. They learn song by song (thanks to easily obtainable tabulature) and never find the basics. Take, for example, grunge music, he says.

"Grunge musicians mastered their instruments but got tired of
playing commercial rock. They changed their style to be more raw. People who look up tot hem only mastered up to the level of that grunge music. Therefore, making it sloppy. People's expectations have been lowered."

He says many great musicians take the time to master the guitar and then revert back to playing relatively simply songs, but playing
them extraordinarily well.

"Before you break the rules, you have to learn them first," he said.
Holmes will open for Virginia Coalition Tuesday at the Patio,
Indianapolis. He also can be found in West Lafayette's Where Else Bar every Tuesday for Purdue's spring semester.

When he's not on stage or otherwise absorbed in music, Holmes says his life is simple.

"I sleep and watch MTV's 'Pimp my Ride.'"