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Last year I found myself drawn in by new singer songwriter Joe Pug.
Maybe I just like to root for the little guy- who works with his hands during the day and records late at night.
Could be that I appreciate his ties to the Triangle as a former UNC playwriting major.
Or the fact that he built a fan base by playing live constantly and giving his music away for free.
Perhaps I’m just a sucker for a blue-collar voice and lyrical lyrics.
Whatever the case- I like Joe Pug.
And he’s got new music dropping in just a few weeks on 2/16.
You can hear 2 new songs- “Messenger” and “Unsophisticated Heart” – on his MYSPACE player right now.
Or check out the video below:
Just the other day I was thinking to myself, “I want to listen to some Dylan”. Then I happened upon Joe Pug.
Talk about serendipity.
While I’m sure no artist wants to be compared to another, Joe delivers much of what I was seeking from Dylan: a unique voice, passionate delivery and lyrics that drip with life, poetry, soul and social conscience.
He’s even got an intriguing story about how he came to play music:
“The day before his senior year as a playwright student at the University of North Carolina, Joe Pug sat down for a cup of coffee and had the clearest thought of his life: I am profoundly unhappy here. Then came the second clearest.
Pug packed up his belongings and drove the longest route possible to Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23 year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn’t picked up since his teenage years. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called “Austin Fish,” Pug began creating the sublime lyrical masterpiece that would become the Nation of Heat EP.
The songs were recorded fast and fervently at a Chicago studio where a friend snuck him in to late night slots other musicians had canceled. He was short on money, but his bare-boned sincerity didn’t require much more than a microphone and it dripped off of each note he sang.”
What does Joe Pug sound like?
You can listen to full versions of Joe’s songs HERE.
Or start with this sample:
Hope you enjoy as much as I have.
A couple days back I was checking out TheSixtyOne- a site my buddy Josh frequents to find new tunes from up and coming artists. TheSixtyOne lets you listen to FULL versions of songs, search by musical categories and even write your own reviews. Check it out if you are looking for something new/different.
I’ve been in a semi-mellow mood of late so I searched the “folk” section and happened upon the sounds of William Fitzsimmons. In addition to a beard that would make an early American mountain man beam with pride, William is a gifted songwriter with some interesting life experience (he was born to two blind parents and has been a mental health counselor) that colors his lyrics.. Fitzsimmon’s sound begins with his gentle voice and combines various acoustic instruments with the occasional use of electronic loops. His music has been featured on several TV shows including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “One Tree Hill”.
Jen and I both liked him right away and ended up buying some of William’s work. Jen said she could have his music on all day and not get tired of it. I’d agree that Fitzsimmons is easy on the ears and can be enjoyed in either the forefront or the background of your day. If you want to TAKE A LISTEN, I’d recommend “Funeral Dress”, “Everything Has Changed” and “After All”.
Or check out a live, acoustic version of “Goodnight” below.
Enjoy.
How do you feel about today’s worship music (ex. Crowder, Tomlin, Hillsong United, etc.)? I mostly really like it. So do a lot of folks I know.
Of course, I have friends who would fall into the “not so much” camp. They think it all sounds alike, or seems too repetitive, or is too much about us and not enough about God. Author, activist and speaker Brian McLaren voiced some of these opinions in an open letter to worship songwriters a while back.
Guess Brian felt like it wasn’t enough just to ask for something more/different out of the artists who gift us with worship music. As a musician and songwriter, he took his own challenge to heart and with some friends wrote and produced some worship songs that run from a different vein.
We sang some of these songs at the Everything Must Change Conference this weekend. They seemed fresh to me, so I picked up the cd. The recordings are even better than the live experience. They have an organic, acoustic (guitars, mandolins, harp, viola, percussion, etc.), experimental feel (incl. electronic liturgy, a canticle and a chant).
If you have been griping about the state of today’s worship music, want to hear from some new voices, or just want something a little different to add to the worship music you already have (and like), give Songs For A Revolution of Hope a listen. You can hear full versions of each song, find lyrics and chord charts and purchase individual songs or the whole shebang if you so desire. My favorite songs on a disc always change over time, but right now I’m especially digging tracks 2, 8 & 10.
Feel free to share your opinion using the comments feature below.
