Posted on: March 6, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Joshua Cain Band found their souls on the streets of urban Tacoma. You might play great music, but then the town finds you, strips you down, and makes you real. Pain and possibility seem to go hand in hand there, spinning tales that remind you that a song isn’t really a song until you’ve lived it.
The boys had been leading bands and playing good ol’ rock n’ roll for years and the stream of accomplishments was nothing to smirk at. Their music had received regular radio play and their songs were picked up by legendary stations and media networks. From their Columbia Tri-Star Release song to their feature on the hit WBTV show “One Tree Hill” the boys kept winning contests and pleasing fans. But coming off a national tour with their previous band they new it was time to head back home and really hear what that old town had to say to them. They were not disappointed.

The history of the city cut its way into their hearts and bled out a new way of seeing the world. The old African Americans fighting for their community, the blue collar union workers fighting for their jobs, the homeless and displaced just tryin’ to survive – the City of Destiny told its story well. The band sucked in the aroma and breathed out a whole new sound. Loaded with the influence of delta blues, negro spirituals, and countrified working man music, their rock n’ roll would never be the same again.

The response has been amazing, crossing generational, race, class, and genre boundaries. Half protest rally, half front porch music, it makes you want to shake your fist and stomp your feet at the same time. The great philosopher Rousseau once said, “Keeping citizens apart has become the first maxim of modern politics.” The Joshua Cain Band aims to play music “that brings people together again.”

Often described as “swamp rock” this is the kind of music that helps you remember that life is about friendship more than fame. John Fogerty from Credence described the style saying, “Swamp [Rock] is an essence, an underlying ingredient of rock n’ roll. If I was to paint a picture of rock n’ roll I’d say: “You’ve got the R&B or black side of music, like what came out of Chicago, mostly Chess Records, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, and then you’ve got the Sun Records sound, which is white rockabilly – Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis. You put those two things together and you’ve got rock n’ roll as far as I’m concerned.”

Check out the Joshua Cain band at http://www.thejoshuacainband.com/

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