Josh King & THEM

On the cover of his solo debut, Into the Blue, Josh King looks ready to toss his Stetson into the ring alongside modern outlaw-country stars like Chris Stapleton and Jamey Johnson. But when you sit down and listen, the music is as much Jon Brion as Johnny Cash. This soon-to-be father—and one-time leader of Greensboro, N.C., indie-folk rockers House of Fools—brings a craftsmanship to his songwriting that walks the line between Dawes & Willie Nelson, Tom Petty & Elliott Smith. His former group earned its keep recording for now-defunct punk/emo imprint Drive-Thru Records and performing alongside acts as varied as Robert Randolph, Leon Russell, and Jimmy Eat World.

The music King has constructed on Into the Blue is deeply personal and rooted in mindfully crafted Americana and hummable guitar pop. The album was written during a rocky transitional period in his life, a desolate drug-fueled few years in the wake of his younger days touring with House of Fools. “By the end of that era, I’d given up on my music,” King says. “My favorite thing in the world is to write a song, even if it’s just for me and no one else hears it. But at that point in my life, I wasn’t even doing that—I was just partying as hard as I could.”

Take Into the Blue’s countrified “Follow Through,” for example, penned in the stark aftermath of an all-night bender. “I wrote it at a friend’s house,” King says. “Everybody had finally gone to bed, and I was alone watching the sunrise. The song is a reflection of being selfish and failing to follow through on your commitments.”


King explains the writing and recording process, "Before deciding to make a solo album, I've always been in bands. In a band situation, there are multiple feelings and opinions on songs and direction and with this album it was different. Although I collaborated with all of the musicians who played on Into the Blue, there wasn't a specific set of coordinates to follow -- no preconceived notions on how things should sound. In that aspect, I think a little more, or at least a different part of my personality came through on this album than in the past. When I write a song, I don't just write it for me. Even though I obviously write from my own perspective and experiences, I want each listener to be able to take something and relate personally to the songs. As a huge fan of music myself, I do this same thing with all of my favorite songs. But for me, the album is about accepting change and moving on.


I recorded the album with the Dynamic Soundworks guys in Wilmington, NC which is right by the beach. Every morning, I would wake up really early and go to this shop, Loops Donuts, get a coffee and a donut, walk out on the beach and listen to the demo of whatever song we were planning on working on that day. I love the beach, so it was a great place for me to clear my head and come up with ideas for the day. Also, when we were first starting to arrange Into the Blue the drummer, Eddie Walker, would come over to my house with a Starbucks cup, some brushes, and a small tambourine. All of the drums were basically written on a Starbucks's cup and weren't performed on actual drums until we went into the studio."


After two decades as a professional musician, King has finally found his voice as a songwriter; his melodic roots pop shimmering brilliantly in the Southern sun. Born in Mobile, Ala., and cutting his teeth in the Greensboro scene, with Into the Blue King delivers a hopeful meditation on getting right, forging a bold new path and following it to a sense of purpose. He’s a talented singer-songwriter in the grand North Carolina tradition that also gave us Piedmont blues, Link Wray, the dB’s, Whiskeytown, Ryan Adams and Polvo.

One can only hope the lucky stars remain aligned for Josh King as he ventures into this new chapter in his career. His solo debut, Into the Blue, is out August 17.