Josh Eagle and The Harvest City

"For lovers of alternative country and Americana, may I present to you Josh Eagle. A Good One is Hard to Find is JEHC’s second album and is somehow even greater than their first....every song being rooted in passion and exhibiting intelligently symbolic lyricism..." - Kaitlin Nichols, Mind Equals Blown

"This is a beautifully crafted record that oozes with organic warmth and deep emotions and it is far and away one of the most original and consistently rewarding alt-country records to emerge from the Cincy music scene in some time." - Ric Hickey, Adventures of a Loose Wreck

"With that Springsteen rasp from Josh Eagle, and some solid grooves from the good ol boys on guitar, drums and bass, album opener ‘Long Distance’ colours by numbers, suggesting ‘Show your teeth’ will offer a dose of roots-rock....optimism, harmonica and a good time." - Americana-UK

"A knack for personable songwriting, and an obvious skill for music crafting. Josh Eagle takes you on a story-tellers journey, filled with nostalgia, yearning, wonder, and a deep love for life. Add those qualities with a line-up of accomplished bandmates and you have an undeniable feel..." - Rome Ntukogu, Clifton Heights Music Festival

Josh Eagle is pretty grateful to be playing with “just such a talented bunch of guys.” The self-confessed “frightened rabbit of a musician” had previously been a solo artist, until guitarist Jeremy Smart approached him about playing together.

“He really put some confidence in me,” Eagle says. The band dynamic works so well that Eagle says the band’s first album, "Show Your Teeth," is “just the first of many” to come and the group is already working on a follow-up.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to me. I’m sorry to hear that you are sick.
Yeah, for the past few days. I’ve been beating it down with my ginger, my garlic and my teas.

What have you been doing while you’re stuck in bed?
I’ve been reading this Tom Robbin’s book, Jitterbug Perfume, a little bit. I actually got out of the house a little bit and I went to Bughouse Video, which I found out was closing. That was kind of a bummer. Everything in there is for sale, so I got "Man on the Moon" and "A Fish Called Wanda," two really great movies. What else did I do? I wrote a blog yesterday, I attempted to work on some old, old, older material from the vault. I pulled that out and tried to make sense of it. I’ve also been doing a lot of sleeping and a lot of cuddling with my dog, Gonzo.

Aw, what kind of dog do you have?
He’s a pug-Chihuahua—inbred baby seal is what I like to say. I found him down at Red River Gorge six or seven years ago. And he’s my lackey side-kick. He’s staring at me in the window right now.

You just put out an album. Would you like to tell me about it?
It’s a roots, folk, rock ‘n roll Americana, emotionalistic record, I guess—a lot of stories in there. It’s 12 songs, and it’s not just me, it’s Josh Eagle and the Harvest City, three other guys and we kind of bash our brains together and attempt to try to find a pot of gold on the end of it. And I think we have. I’m pretty proud of this record, and it’s getting lots of NPR love, a lot of local love. It’s nice to see hard work pay off.

You said there are a lot of stories, what’s your favorite story?
There’s a particular story about my sister and my niece Alice, who is a great white light in my life. So there is a song called "Life is a Playground" and that is my favorite story. We did a Leonard Cohen cover too. That’s a special track on there to me. Leonard Cohen has always been an influence to me, poetically and musically.

You studied poetry in college. Are you responsible for writing all the lyrics?
It’s about 90% of me. Mark and Jeremy do a lot of the writing too, so there are a few tracks on there that they are responsible for lyrically. And like I said, we put our heads together on some of it. Lyrics are first and foremost for me, and they all know that, so yeah.

What was the process for writing this album?
I went to Hawaii midway through. We were about halfway done with the album; I guess that was about three months. I finished up a lot of the stuff in Hawaii and felt I had a more solid foundation for it and that it had more balance to it. You want to keep the balance, whether it be pretty abstract or not.

What were you doing in Hawaii?
I was farming. I needed to get away from some stuff that was here, and I had an opportunity to go, so I found a farm to work on.

How did that influence the writing process?
Well everyday when you’re sticking your hands into a bunch of raspberry plants and the only sounds you hear are the ocean a mile away or the bees zooming by your ears from the hive that is nearby. Sounds of the city and sounds of the rural areas are influencing in different ways.

Now that it’s winter in Cincinnati, I bet you’re missing some of that.
It sucks right now. [laughs]. But I’m big on the four seasons and I really appreciate the Midwest. So, actually, on this album there’s a lot of winter-time influence and a lot of whiskey, huggin’ the speakers to stay warm in the winter. There’s a lot of that in there. I enjoy the Midwest a lot and I like the winter, but I like it in its doses. I like to stay warm—like everybody!

Speaking of winter, what’s at the top of your Christmas list?
I haven’t given it much thought. I like to cook a lot. I need a nice new cookbook about soups. I’m big on the soups these days. I go to the library to get ‘em. So that would be nice. Either that or I could start playing electric guitar. I’ve never played electric guitar live. I think I’ll go do that and buy myself one.
- Metromix, Cincinnati

For some reason I cannot change for some reason I can’t even sing my songs the damage I make has been donet the damage I make has been won women you talk so dangerously I walk nervous, my love then there’s me and after the talk is all said and done the war’s been lost but the battle’s been won the war’s been lost but the battle’s won the war’s been lost but the battle’s won woman you’re soft like a wooden table unstable so much different than me I’m hard knock like your buttercup, my lady, so come on show your teeth no need to be anyone else no need to be Billy nor Bobby or Ms. Gillian Welch the songs they make they have been done the songs they make have been sung for my heart and the war’s been lost but the battle’s won the song’s been sung but my labor is never never done we’ll transgress like a freight train named “Save Me” be one or nothing at all be hard knock like an old friend my lady so come on…come one…show your teeth
- Citybeat, Cincinnati

"Listening to this I feel like I'm back in Maryland driving on some two-lane country road with the sunshine broken up as it passes through the tall green trees. The windows of the truck are down and the cool comfortable breeze is swirling around my body. I'm heading somewhere but I'm in no hurry to get there nor do I want to leave the beauty of the green leaves or the smell of freshly cut grass. My soul is free. Eagle's voice and music evokes memories of being home. His voice is smooth and expressive, passionately delivered with a little raspiness, and blends wonderfully with the acoustic guitar to form a lasting impression." - All Access Magazine

"...soft, longing, winged Folk. Eagle's gripping voice, touching finger picking and bleeding harmonicas snatch you up like the raw, intimate music of Ray Lamontagne. Soothing and originally raspy, songs hurt and heal, gliding into calmness." - C.A. MacConnell, Citybeat

"When Eagle begins finger picking, you can almost instantly pinpoint his musical influences - perhaps best described as a fusion of Neil Young and Nick Drake...with soft, resounding harmonicas that amplify the emotional anguish Eagle experienced." - Thomas Smith, The News Record

"New singer songwriter that has learned his lessons from the pros and doesn't write songs that sound like they were written on anti-depressants. If you like it a touch on the twee side, this is an interesting offering from a new cat on a local scene." - Chris Spector, Midwest Record