We were lucky to catch up with Josh Lee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Josh, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you wish you had waited to pursue your creative career or do you wish you had started sooner?

I started playing guitar in 2001. I wrote lyrics to my 1st song after a Goo Goo Dolls concert in June of 2002. Now, it has been 20 years and I can only fathom how much farther along I would be if I had started at 10, 11, or even 12 years old, let alone younger than that! I was still in high-school and wanting to be acknowleged for being a unique individual and set myself apart.

All I really wanted to do at the time was obtain a group of close friends who loved music and have fun. I have learned since then that it takes a lot more than just friends, fun, and dreams haha! However, I wouldn’t change a thing. I finally found the right people who share the dream and are willing to dedicate the time and effort to acheive this goal we all share.

If I had been able to start early, I can only imagine where my playing, musical knowledge, performing ability, and self-expression would be today with an extra 5 – 10 years of development.

Josh, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I grew up listening to classic rock and country music, but wasn’t focused on becoming a musician in my early years. When I started High School in Long Beach, MS, I ended up joining band, where I landed in the tuba section.

I learned to read music and play with a group, and my love for music grew even more. I decided to learn guitar, and in my Sophomore year of High School began teaching the instrument to beginners. I continued on to study music theory and ear training at Tarrant County College, where I honed my skills of reading and writing music. I performed with college singers as a tenor, and played bass guitar. Since then, I have been playing, writing and performing music in pursuit of becoming a full-time musician.

I have been writing songs since I was in high school. I began with simple chord structures and rhythms and using artists that inspired me to broaden my songwriting tool belt. After about 5 years, I felt I had a firm grasp of crafting a song in my own image but something was still lacking. Universal Connection.

Over time, I started to look at what I had written and thought, “How can I make this relatable to all people?” I began to play around with the language and subjects of my writing which opened up a new way of creation. Since then, Ihave written many more songs and am confident that you will love what I have in store. I am excited to begin sharing my life, through music I have written, with you, my fans, in my mind and heart.

At this point in time I offer entertainment in all formats, Solo, Duo, Trio, and Full Band. As well as a small production company I created, Upside Down Pirate Productions. Here, I offer basic guitar, vocal, bass, song writing, and music lessons. Along with Artist Development, production, recording, mixing, and mastering service for artists at a fair and reasonable price to allow artists the ability to obtain a quality song without going broke. I want to teach artists how to do all of the things they need to do in order to be self sufficiently successful.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

There are so many resourses nowadays. YouTube, Ultimate Guitar Tabs, on top of the plethora of Open Mics where you can watch musicians at work and practice in a live environment to get better and learn. I wish I had been more secure in myself to put myself in front of better musicians early on and learning from their experiences. I had your typical role models (Famous musicians, Favorite guitarists, etc) but now that I am older, every musican has so much to share and teach fellow artists that we should all be wise, open, and humble enough to be open to learning opportunities provided for free from those around you. That isn’t just a music thing, that is a life thing as well.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Honestly, I feel too many people don’t support their local artists as they should. Family and Friends are quick to spend hundreds of dollars on tickets to see and support their favorite famous artist is no problem. Ask them to spend $10 and possibly a dinner or a few drinks at a venue and they make it seem difficult to do. We should all keep in mind that in any field, especially the arts, that your favorite painter, musician, writer, or anything that you hold in high regard was a local nobody at one time. The community took the time to embrace their art and share it with everyone they knew. If people still did that as passionately and intentionally as they used to, local artists would emerge more quickly and add amazing art to the community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joshleeband.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thejoshleeband/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoshLeeBand
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheJoshLeeBand
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC86rMrYAVsDpGnO7hez2LxQ
• Other: www.soundcloud.com/thejoshleeband