Interview with Josh Northwood

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? 

Just always knew I loved music. Even as a beansprout (baby) my mum would play the Beatles or Johnny Cash and I would be pacified enough to stop whining about whatever was frustrating me in my diminutive mind.

I’d probably take snaps and become a photographer if music didn’t exist. But what would the planet look like without music?

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

I love films. Christopher Nolan and Wes Anderson are my favourite directors. They (and others) help push my imagination further as everything they make is trippy to the max. 

How long have you been making music? 

One billion years. Probably from around twelve or fourteen. I’m now 28 at the time of this interview. 

Where are you based and how has that influenced your music?

Based in Worcester; it’s a beautiful place. Half city, and countryside. It’s a good location to be half extraverted and half introverted. 

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

BBC Introducing sticks out most likely because it’s a rite of passage for a British musician. 

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

I would love to play at the Royal Albert Hall (UK) or Red Rocks Amphitheater (USA).

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the line-up?

Hans Zimmer, Gregory Alan Isakov, War On Drugs, Fleet Foxes, Radiohead

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Try to dance between being curious, open, and logical. Especially when it comes to your worth. Don’t just accept everything because it seems shiny. Dig beneath the layers a little more to make sure it works with what you want to represent and your beliefs. PS. Ditch your ego. 

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

Expectations are sometimes the curse of joy. Set them at a level where you are actually willing to make things happen. Don’t cripple yourself with such lofty ideas, a lot of it is just insecurity.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why? 

The song ‘Paradise’ because it’s a shameless plug (especially as that’s what this interview is about). But jokes aside, ‘No Longer Lost,' because that was my favourite to write. It felt uplifting and it was what I needed at that point in my life.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

A lot of the songs have a redemptive quality to them. I’d like to keep it that way. Like in 'Monsters, inc.’ where Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan decide to make folks laugh instead of scaring them. 

The real question is are you Wazowski or Sullivan?

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

My 2nd album coming out at the end of the year, TBA. 

https://www.facebook.com/joshnorthwoodmusic

https://www.instagram.com/joshnorthwoodmusic/

https://www.youtube.com/c/joshnorthwood