Tuesday, 3 December 2013


JosieJo's Great Big Pair of Tips
The JosieJo Show 9

Greetings. This is The JosieJo Show and this is the deal. I play you two tracks from two different artists. I don't promise you'll like every track I play, but I like them I really want to share them. I don't spend my time on the internet servicing my need for kawaii by watching kitten videos, or even reading newspapers and informative articles to further my world knowledge. I honestly don't even do stuff that I requires my browsing history to be deleted. Not that I mind any of that. I just don't get chance. I'm too busy tracking down music old and new for stuff that is a little surprising or inspirational and often just good fun. I do this totally for my own pleasure, but The JosieJo Show allows me the chance to share it with you and that's just peachey. Neither of the choices in this show have deep, clever rhymes or poetic parlances, but they both tell stories with their sound and stir my soul unexpectedly.

My first choice is Moxie, MOXIE a young, beautiful five piece from Sligo in Ireland. The banjos, guitars, percussion and button accordions make for a joyful Irish sound, but woven into that are strains of blue grass, a little jazz and modern beats. Playing mostly in Ireland you might expect cheery folky types with beards, but these guys aren't. They are serious chaps with music that has life and soul. They clearly love life and they love music. They are currently in the throes of a pledging campaign through a fundit page which will hopefully fund their next album. It has just over another month to run and you can get involved at whatever level you like. The pledges are all in Euros and each one gives you special benefits. If you want to propose and can get to Sligo they even have level a that let's you pledge 750 Euros to have MOXIE play next to the Glencar waterfall as you pop the question. Pledge even more and the benefits get even more personal. Any donations are welcome and you'll be warm and fuzzy knowing that you've helped get the album made. Check out the fundit page for details and you can find links for that on their Facebook page or my page for The JosieJo Show.
Let's give you a taste of what they're trying to create. I was going to play “What Lies Behind the Wall” because it has this hypnotic, mesmeric beat that draws you in whilst intriguing you with it's side story. That was the track I asked for, but MOXIE sent me two tracks and I really fell for the second track “Elixir's Waltz”. This is an instrumental track – no lyrics or rhymes to analyse or gush over, and yet the track seems to me to tell a story. It's like the narrative of a relationship. It starts hesitantly like trying to pluck up the courage for that first date and the arrested development of getting to know each other. Then it picks up with speed and passion developing into the feeling of throwing your hands out to the sides, your head back and spinning round as you look at the sky. Towards the end there is the rhythm of the familiar, but a side tone of passion. It reminds you that whilst things can always get routine, they can still surprise you. Give in to the inevitable tap of the feet as you listen to MOXIE and “Elixir's Waltz”

It's great that such young guys are honouring the traditional, but at the same time they're bringing their own freshness to it. If you liked that then check out Celtic Music Radio and  the show Due North which is where I found MOXIE and is a show co-hosted by the great Robin Ap Clericus. Remember you have just over a month to help with their Fundit campaign.
The second track for this show is from Message To Bears the moniker of composer and multi- instrumentalist Jerome Alexander. Message to Bears' work is hushed vocals, soundscapes, piano, guitars almost used as voices, sampling and electronica. He has a real freedom to his music. I get the sense that he uses music to embody the fully formed thoughts of his mind and sensibility.
This track “Moonlight” is from his third album “Maps” and the album is a flow of emotion and landscape. It's sort of soaring mountains, big skies, rolling hills and the dramatic irony of weather mirroring emotion. “Moonlight” reminds me of a journey and it's a journey unresolved. It is like watching the landscape change and evolve as you sit on a train and watch it pass silently by the only true sounds the thoughts in your head. The track has the rhythm of movement. It is intense and soothing like the rocking of carriage or the lull of a night journey. Free your spirit Message to Bears and his beautifully chilling track “Moonlight”

That track “Moonlight” is from the new album “Maps” which is out on CD right now, but be warned that Message to Bears always has a very limited run on his physical copies. Hopefully early 2014 will see the release of that album on limited edition vinyl so if vinyl is your thing you can wait for that.

You can find links to the bands on my webpage www.josiejoshow.com and my Facebook page has lots of extra content. If you would like to contribute to the show in any way contact me josiejo@josiejoshow.com I'm particularly after outros for the show. So if you'd like to be a special part of the show record it into your voice memo app on your phone, tablet or computer and just pop it over to me as an email. I'll let you know what show it will appear on and I will be very happy. This week big thanks to the Mighty Bod for this week's payoff and big thanks to you for listening.

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