No one knows what it is like to come from the Heartlands of America more than singer and songwriter Josh Harty. From his roots in Fargo, North Dakota with a preacher / police officer as a father, to his traveling the country with a 1965 Gibson guitar on his back, Harty embodies every nook and cranny of Americana, and his music is evidence of that.
On August 1st Harty will release his latest work, Nowhere (Magnolia Recording Co). This album is his most organic release to date, with siren-like harmonies on tracks like “Nowhere” (featuring Brianna Lane) and “Yesterday” with Chris Cunningham (Storyhill); as well as double bass, fiddle, accordion, and more on most tracks. The first six songs were written, recorded, and selected for this album with care, every word soaked with meaning and intimacy paralleled by very few artists. The seventh track, a live cover of Richard Thompson’s 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, was added after production and is a perfect complement to the bare-bones nature of the rest of the album.
“I wanted to record something acoustic and honest; without frills or pretension and with minimal production. , says Harty of Nowhere.
Music fans and critics across the globe are recognizing Josh’s technical skill as well, which he has gained through nearly three decades on guitar (he started playing in nursing homes with his father at age five and was first featured on two albums shortly thereafter).
The Atlanta Music Guide described Harty as having “fingers that seem to catch fire,”
which is validated throughout Nowhere, especially on the last track.
“Josh Harty is one of the best young talents I have heard in years,” says Minnesota Public Radio, after hearing Josh open for B.B. King in Fargo, North Dakota. His impressive presentation led to opening performances with Robert Cray, Roger McGuinn (of the Byrds), BoDeans, Keb Mo, Iris Dement, The David Rawlings Machine, The Wood Brothers, and several engagements with Kelly Joe Phelps. His virtuosity was further enforced when his 2008 release, A Long List of Lies, debuted at #8 on the European Americana Chart.
“Josh Harty is one of the brightest new things in the country blues genre…”, proclaims The Guardian of Nenagh, County Tipperary Ireland. And with each song, with each recording, he only gets bigger and brighter.
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