Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Josh Fields. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Josh, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Coincidentally enough, we’re smack dab in the middle of putting together our second release as a band. This is our first full length album – a venture I’ve never had the time/resources/know-how/wind in the sails to even dream of what it could be. In some ways, for me this has been a process ~13 years in the making.

During 2021-2022, I was commuting to the band’s “HQ” in Madison, WI from Green Bay (something our stellar bass player is still doing) once or twice a week to write, rehearse, and eventually record our first EP. I was fortunate to really hit it off with the founder of the band, Spencer Fox (No Passenger Studio). Our history dates back to that fateful, aforementioned ~13 years ago, playing a handful shows together with our respective first metal bands. There was a bit of the re-warming up to each other but we ended up communicating and complimenting viewpoints in a balanced way.

Fast-forward to fall of 2022. Right around the time we had our release scheduled, I’d been afforded a “wake up call” that prompted me to seek out relocating to Madison. December 9th I accepted a job offer in Madison, December 16th we released our first EP “Retrospect,” and as of January 3rd, I was living in Madison, all thanks to the push from taking the dive into all that comes with a creative endeavor.

I’m sort of a sucker for nostalgia, or at least seasonal introspection. Looking back two years ago to contextualize where I and we (the band) are at is an opportunity to be grateful and feel contented. For me, the timing and content of this writing/recording cycle is sort of a bookend to those two years.

Being local to “HQ,” I’ve been fortunate to throw more of myself into this release making it all the more cathartic . The turbulence, newness, fresh worldview, wonderment, uncertainty, and the unexpected of my journey here are wrapped up musically and lyrically. Our vocalist Dillon Hare and our guitar player Travis Wussow have been paramount to workshopping and digesting lyrics so that the intent I’m putting into them carries through. To me, that’s one of the most important displays of compassion and care – to sit down and ruminate on what someone is trying to say and to actually make the effort to try to understand if at first pass you don’t.

On top of this significance, this album will be released by our dear friends of Silent Pendulum Records. With the album being so personal and consuming to us, we are grateful to have the trust and encouragement of the label and all the stellar humans that are involved.

To put it briefly, this album is a summation of who I’ve become and those around me in my community who have shaped me into a better version of myself, and whom I hope have provided value to as well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Landing on the isthmus somewhere between subtle complexity and melodious motifs, Solshade (Madison, WI) creates metalcore with a mathy-leaning spasm and the omnipresent influence of extended range instruments, aptly described as Progressive Twang.

Since the release of their debut 2022 EP “Retrospect,” Solshade has played with the likes of See You Next Tuesday, Sarah Longfield, Pains, Greylotus, The Motion Mosaic, The HIRS Collective, Snooze, meth, and more. The band is set to release their first full-length album via Silent Pendulum Records.

FFO: Loathe, Misery Signals, Between the Buried and Me, The Dillinger Escape Plan, VOLA, Nickelback, Rolo Tomassi, riding bikes, being slightly uncomfortable in social situations, seahorses.

Solshade is Spencer Fox, Dillon James Hare, Travis Wussow, Maddie Moreau, Josh Fields

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

To put it simply, we really just want to make music that makes us feel good – in the way you laugh at perfect timing, or uncanny coincidences. I like to think we’re chasing some wonderment along the way as well, asking ourselves “where did that come from?”

Tantamount in importance is enjoying the process, which to us means enjoying the company of each other in the band, enjoying the stories of your bus not starting in sub -20 degree weather, and savoring all the lovely folks that we have while playing out.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

In the broadest stroke possible. keeping up on the general principles of Stoicism has been a “true north.” I think most things I think about go through some sort of stoic-thought filter, or at least that’s the aim.

There are some general mantras that really helped shape my worldview and value system.
“Momento mori” which translates to something like “remember too, you must die” is a really compelling motivator and helps keep my values in check. If time is limited, and everyone’s is, why not make sure you can do everything in your power to spend it as valuably as possible?

Then there’s concepts of growth through deliberate challenge, living within your means, concerning yourself only with things you can change that are all really helpful too.

I think I’ve spouted off about these to all the bandmates at more than one instance 😂

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/solshade
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solshademusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solshademusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@solshademusic
• Other: https://solshade.bandcamp.com/music

Image Credits
Stephen Hallam – Fresh Perspectives Joe Juergens Ron Totman øjeRum