We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josh Hogan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Josh, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Andy & I came from a band called The Mowgli’s. We were a group mostly comprised of people who grew up together, so the connection was deep within our band. In 2012 The Mowgli’s signed a record deal and publishing deal which allowed us all to quit our jobs and work on our craft full time. This was an amazing step for me personally, as I moved to LA to pursue a career in music.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

We are two musicians who feel lucky to do what we love everyday. We started this band in 2020 when the world was in lockdown and things seemed uncertain for almost everyone. Our band The Mowgli’s went on hiatus and we just kept working on our craft. Starting a new band was a no brained for us both.

We always wanted to make positive music for people who need to hear it and to hopefully make the world around us a little brighter. Modern Original has the same values, we just have a slightly different outlook at this point in our lives and careers. It’s nice to have a place to release this new found perspective. Overall we just want to keep making music and having fun while doing it.

One thing that will always set us apart from the massive world of music is that we do things on our own timeline and we make art that feels right to us without any other pressures creeping into our process..

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

We have worked tirelessly to get where we are today as artists. There are always days when an artist questions everything they are doing, but we have little wins along the way that keep us going. We have had the opportunity to play live on TV, Festivals around the world & Tour with some of our favorite artists. Creating this new band and releasing music on our terms has been a huge reward.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I’ve been teaching songwriting classes at Idyllwild Arts Academy and I always say that I wish I had an opportunity like that when i was in High School. Also when we started there wasn’t near the level of references on the internet, including social media and things like masterclass. You really can learn so much from researching and putting in the work.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @modernoriginalmusic
• Other: @modernoriginalmusic on Threads

Image Credits
Simone Nieves Cortney Armitage