Album Notes

After three years at University of North Carolina studying to be a playwright, Joe Pug had a bit of an epiphany. Literally on the way to buy his books for his senior year, he sat down for a cup of coffee and made a decision that would alter his life forever. By the next day he had formally dropped out of school and was on his way to Chicago, where he would pick up the guitar he played as a teenager and try his hand at songwriting. Like his father, he spent his days working as a carpenter. At night the 23 year old was busy crafting the complex, literate and timeless songs that would come to be the Nation of Heat EP. By half way through the opening track, the stunning "Hymn #101" it is apparent that he is a talent that holds his own with the best young songwriters working today.


Falling somewhere between John Prine, Josh Ritter, and M. Ward, Joe isn't afraid to push his limits musically. In late 2007 he surprised his growing fan base by showing up onstage with a full electric band, and the following month he won over a packed house at Schubas with a string section behind him. The Nation of Heat EP is the debut record by this ascendant talent, and it will doubtless establish him as one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of his generation.