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Joshua Smith releases "Songs for Ellie" EP

Joshua Smith is a man with considerable talent. Like many Kelowna residents (yours truly included), he wasn’t born in these parts, but these days he calls the Okanagan home. Born and raised near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Josh made the big move to the valley a little over four years ago. Raised in a musical family, Josh brings a folk-acoustic style to the Kelowna scene, a style that has gained in popularity in recent years due to bands such as Mumford and Sons and City and Colour.

On May 1st, Joshua’s EP, Songs for Ellie is released and will be available for download on iTunes. I, for one, am extremely excited about Songs for Ellie and I can’t wait to buy it! Many of the songs, I have heard live on a number of occasions, they are songs full of hope and passion. When I interviewed Josh, he played some rough, unfinished tracks from the EP and that only ramped up my personal excitement. The EP contains 6 songs, with maybe a rumoured bonus track. My personal favourite is a poignant and heart-felt number called On The Mend. Filled with anguish, hope and optimism, it is a song that actually means something. It is art in a tangible sense. I urge you to check it out. The other tracks from the EP are all of good quality and Josh admits he had a difficult time selecting the six to be featured on the EP from the over 30 tracks he currently considers finished. You may be wondering who is Ellie? Ellie is Josh’s guitar. A guitar that Josh found in lamentable condition in a Penticton pawnshop at a time of extreme personal struggle. For some reason, that guitar stood out against a sea of others in better condition. Josh purchased the guitar and had it restored. Personal struggle conquered, Ellie recounts Josh’s personal journey in more ways than one.

So what does success look like to a local artist releasing an EP filled with songs of such personal poignancy? Josh’s overriding desire for the EP is to provide a story of hope. He wants his EP to work as a form of honest advice to someone, somewhere. He wants to have his story heard and in some ways, save others from the pain he endured, whilst providing hope to those already despairing.

To celebrate the EP’s release Josh is embarking on a tour of western Canada from May 4th to May 20th with close friend, Mark Irving. You can find out more at: http://www.reverbnation.com/joshuasmith

Joshua is currently in negotiations to play at Milkcrate Records on Record Store Day (April 21st); actually, I am in the process of trying to organize that gig, so keep an eye on Josh’s site for the details of that performance if it goes ahead.

Josh will be back in Kelowna from May 20th onwards and will be performing in various festivals and events throughout the summer. I urge you to check out Josh’s EP and see him live whenever possible. If you’re a fan of folk-acoustic a-la James Taylor or Paul Simon, you’ll love him.

Songs for Ellie is available for download on iTunes on May 1st 2012.



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