JOSH GRIDER w/ Ashley Plumlee

JOSH GRIDER BIO: It obviously takes some degree of talent to make it in the music business. It also takes killer songs that mesh the perfect lyric with a fitting and compelling arrangement. But perhaps the hardest, most frustrating part of the whole ordeal are the roles that timing, cosmic alignment, being in the right place at the right time, and pure unadulterated passion play. That matrix of unidentifiable variables that come together for some, while conspiring against others is what Josh Grider explores on his newest album, Luck & Desire.

Luck & Desire didn’t start out as an album title. “'Luck and Desire was just this song I had about songwriters and the music business.” Josh explains. “One day Jeff Middleton (co-writer) and I were talking about all the folks, ourselves included, that come to Nashville chasing a dream. They’ll lose money, time, and spouses, even their minds trying to figure out how to make it in this crazy business. We talked about how opportunity has so little to do with talent, and so much to do with timing. That led us to this idea of personifying desire and luck, and the interplay they have. You gotta get lucky, but a lot of that is just hanging around long enough for the chance, and even then there are no guarantees.”

Josh got his chance. The Las Cruces, New Mexico native moved to Nashville by way of Texas in early 2011 just to “try something different.” There, he hung around Music Row for a few years meeting fellow songwriters, signing a publishing deal, and building a network of like-minded peers who challenged his writing and supported his dreams. One of them was fellow singer/songwriter and soon-to-be producer, Trent Willmon. The connection was mighty. “He’s savvy,” Josh explains. “He understands what being an artist is. He understands what being a writer is. He understands Texas and Nashville, and he understands the road. He understands so much of what I do, and the proof is in the pudding. We made a great record.”

Before you discount Josh as another young artist trying to “pop” the country format, listen to his explanation of how his diverse musical influences, which also include a generous dose of Garth Brooks Tracy Lawrence, Alan Jackson…and even a touch of Dr. Dre…meld: “I always say, if my musical influence was a house, it's built on a rock solid concrete foundation of country. But, there's a blues room I can walk in and a jazz room and a classical room, but no matter how many rooms there are, I'm always standing on country.”

For more information check out www.joshgrider.com.

Releases: Josh Grider Band (2005), Million Miles to Go (2007), Josh Grider Trio JG3-EP (2008), Sweet Road To Ride (2009), Live At Billy Bob’s Texas (2012), The Gettin' There-EP (2012), Luck and Desire (2014)

ASHLEY PLUMLEE & THE DERRINGERS: Ashley Plumlee is a Texas Singer/Songwriter. Sultry, sensational voice. Catchy lyrics, just the right amount of twang, she'll make you stop & listen.