Josh Blackburn "Take 5" with Ford's Gimme The Gig

We had the chance to talk to Josh and learn a little about what he does and his love for music. Read on to learn more about Josh and a couple things you would never guess about him.

GTG: How would you describe your style of music and what message are you trying to convey through your music?

JB: My music is adult contemporary with an edge. The message I want to portray is mainly: I want to bring Rock back with a more complex and lyric driven sound with nice instrumentation and hook that we have lost because a lot of music has lost its complexity and has become more about the catch. The catch is needed but it’s not about 3 chords and a hook. It seems that cool guitar and keyboard solos have been lost due to limitations on the length of songs. My goal is to bring music back to cool. My music is more of an old school sound and I feel like that is a huge compliment because that's what I am trying to do.

GTG: What was your main inspiration to form a band and get into music?

JB: I had a passion for music from a young age. I was playing with keyboards when I was 8 but I got my first guitar when I was 13.

GTG: Tell me about the song you entered into the contest and why you chose that song.

JB: The song is called “Round the Bend” and I chose it because it really shows different stages of musical level such as storytelling ability through lyrics, guitar skill, and performance level. I am a solo performer and wanted to show my looping ability and the skill of playing by yourself and making it sound like a huge sound.

GTG: What's the most outrageous experience you've seen at one of your gigs?

JB: My shows are really tame except for the occasional drunk person that tries to take the mic. from me and sing with me.

GTG: What would you say to Don Was if he were sitting next to you?

JB: If I were sitting next to him and we were listening to one of my original songs I would ask “Does this suck? Or do you have any ideas I could use to make my song better?” hahaha… No I actually would ask how did he start and what was the pinnacle moment where he new his career took a turn. I play 8 shows a week and I’ve always wondered when that moment is where you realize that things are happening.

GTG: Can you tell us something interesting about yourself that your fans would never know or guess about you?

JB: My fans would never know that I have a really bad problem with showing my arms and legs, I only wear long sleeves and don’t own a pair shorts or short sleeve polo’s. I don’t know where this comes from, it has just always been that way and I used live in Florida!

GTG: What keeps you dedicated to this industry when facing tough competition/rejection/major obstacles? (Basically, what keeps you going?)

JB: I think what keeps me going is my passion for writing and showing my music to people. If I can gain 2 new fans a night, I know that I am doing something right. Watching my fans grow is a driving force for me and makes me want to keep going. I do different things every night and want to keep my fans happy. They never see the same show every night.

Thanks for speaking to us Josh! Good luck on Gimme The Gig. For all of the Josh's fans, make sure you vote for him. Remember, every vote counts!!