04/05/2025
Joshua Sinclair, friend and previous artist on the Indie Music Room Podcast and my favorite song, "Circles". This is the making of the video behind the scenes and background of the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsObtKBX7K0
BIO
If Eric Church, Ed Sheeran, & The Black Keys all had a baby together, their musical bundle-of-joy would be JOSHUA SINCLAIR. Using only a guitar, a microphone, & a loop pedal, he performs originals off his past 17 albums as well as putting his own spin on cover tunes. With songs that'll make you laugh, sing along, and raise a cold one in the air, Sinclair brings the party to each and every one of his shows.
After an unfortunate accident at a friend's bachelor party in 2015, which resulted in a broken knee; Josh's whole trajectory changed. Faced with not being able to walk for months, he took it as an opportunity to learn a new skill, live looping. Live looping is the recording & playback of a piece of music in real-time using a small foot pedal to capture and record song phrases on-the-fly. This became the backbone of his live show.
Covered with tattoos that read like a roadmap of his life to this point... the story of Sinclair is simple... follow a dream and never give up. With this mentality, Josh has persevered and grown in his songwriting. He's touched thousands of lives coast-to-coast, from NYC to Los Angeles, Alaska to Texas and all states in between, sharing the stage with artists such as Walker Hayes, Paul Cauthen, NeedToBreathe, Tanya Tucker, The Bodeans, Trick Daddy, Carolina Liar, Mason Jennings, Robert Cray, Trailer Choir, Blind Melon, & countless others, all to pursue the passion that he loves.
Growing up in Des Moines, Iowa, Josh picked up the guitar at the age of 10 and took lessons for a few years. He was in and out of bands throughout high school and into college when he and his brother, Nicholas, teamed up to form the pop/rock duo, Little Mojo. It was during that time that this White Stripes-meets-Hanson duo forged their own identity, started writing and releasing original albums, and booking national tours, all on their own. This eventually led to 3 different record deals over a 6 year time span with Mutiny 2K Records NYC, PlayTyme Entertainment, and Dreammakers Music. They spent countless months in various New York City studios, releasing 2 EP's and a live album as well as a full-length record that got shelved, but even that didn't stop the drive that Josh had to keep moving forward.
After being released from Dreammakers Music, Josh went on to form the power-pop trio Hollywood Burnout. They signed a deal with Reform Records (NYC) & released a self-titled EP in 2010. This was also at a time when Josh & his brother signed a developmental deal with Universal Motown to write & record another EP. They worked with renowned songwriter & producer Kenny Gioia (Marcy Playground, Cute Is What We Aim For, Ingrid Michaelson, Mandy Moore) and the project was overseen by record mogul, Shep Goodman. They did a few showcases for Sylvia Rhone at Universal, various A&R at Atlantic, and some other majors but nothing landed the "big" one. After a live performance on national television at the MDA Telethon in Las Vegas in late 2011, Josh decided to pursue a more active role as a solo singer/songwriter & Hollywood Burnout began to scale down their performances to only a few times a year.
Josh started to land countless song placements in national tv and film over the next few years including NBC & MTV, and he continued to build his repertoire and hone his songwriting during this time. He released a couple of alt/country records with his new band Dakota Park, comprised of his wife at the time, and they built a strong and loyal following in and around the Midwest. After a divorce in early 2016, which ultimately ended Dakota Park, Josh turned to focusing on getting through that difficult time by writing and also revisiting some old songs that never saw the light of day. Songs that he had written almost 10 years ago somehow seemed to fit the exact feelings and emotions he was currently going through. The result was his first ever solo record entitled, "LOVE HATE," which was released nationwide in April 2016. He followed up that release with another full-length album in March of 2017 called "Big Dreams, Cold Floors, Fine Ladies." That record was a throw-back to what made him fall in love with music in the first place... just stripping it back down to saying what you need to say and writing how you feel with no limits or guidelines in the process.
Sinclair was also the catalyst in starting up a music therapy program at a local hospital in 2018. Much like the national program, "Musicians On Call," he wanted to bring that same kind of experience to patients to help make their hospital stay a little bit easier. The program has since expanded over the past 5 years to include other local musicians and offer more opportunities to help those in need.
His 2020 album release, entitled "Silicone & Wine," features some of his strongest writing to date and takes the listener on a journey of summer fun, with some different takes on love & relationships, and a few drinking songs thrown in as well. Same with his 2022 release, "Ten Songs For Summer," which featured the hits "Check One Two" and "Sundays Are For Shots" along w the sleeper hit Sinclair wrote about his 3 siblings called "Brothers."
Performing 200+ shows each year around the Midwest and throughout the country, he is currently working on breaking into new markets with his music and his high energy live show. With songs ranging in styles from pop to alternative to crossover country, Sinclair continues to grow in his writing and conquer critics with his passionate songs of following your dreams, all while having a blast.
Currently touring in support of his new album, "WHITE TRASH RECIPES" (released 5.1.2024). This new record is being hailed as an anthem to the nostalgia of growing up. Break out your coolers and cutoffs & check out the "White Trash Recipes TOUR" to catch Sinclair at a venue near you.
https://joshuasinclairmusic.wixsite.com/joshua-sinclair
Experience an artist whose style is comparable to Eric Church, Billy Strings, Dashboard Confessional, Ed Sheeran, Thompson Square, The Cadillac 3, etc.
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~Your Host, Heather Kelly
I'm excited to share this video with you for my song "Circles" from my album "LOVE/HATE." This was a project that the students in DMACC's Video Production 3 ...
