Sarah Jarosz + Josh Brown May 26, 2011

Sarah Jarosz has as rich a skill set as anybody in acoustic music. She plays-not just one instrument, but enough of them to be a one-woman string band: mandolin, octave mandolin, clawhammer banjo and guitar. She sings-in supple tones that transcend the boundaries between folk and pop - and she writes-old-timey ballads and modern singer-songwriter ruminations alike. Raised 30 miles out of Austin in Wimberley, Tex., Jarosz blossomed within the local music scene and well beyond it, earning admirers from Austin City Limit's Terry Lickona to acoustic music mavens Tim O'Brien and Chris Thile with her mature sensibilities. She released her debut, Song Up In Her Head, on Sugar Hill Records the year she graduated high school. What followed was a move to Boston's prestigious New England Conservatory, a GRAMMY nomination and performances on "Austin City Limits" and "A Prairie Home Companion" as well as prestigious music festivals--Bonnaroo, Telluride and Newport, to name a few. In 2011, Jarosz channels her ever-broadening musical horizons onto her second album, Follow Me Down, which again showcases her songwriting, offers two tasty covers and includes a number of top-notch guests from the Punch Brothers to Shawn Colvin.
http://www.sarahjarosz.com/

In a music world fueled by cliche' riffs and "safe" melodies, it's to no surprise that originality is the starving factor that industry fans are searching for. With this in mind, Joshua Brown has set out to be inspired by originality which, in tern, has turned him into an artist with staying power at the top of the music scene.

South Carolina native Joshua Brown grew up in a home that thrived on music with his dad spending many years as a touring singer/musician and more recently being the worship pastor for two large churches in London, KY. As a kid, Joshua would travel to every venue and tour date as an opening act for his dad's group and through this, performed on television and radio multiple times along with hundreds of performances around the United States annually establishing a musical base to begin shaping his career.

Into his teen years, Joshua and his family moved to London, KY where he began writing songs and traveling as a solo singer-songwriter throughout the region. He quickly became a favorite in churches, coffee shops and town rallies/block parties due to his appealing songwriting and performances. He was a different kind of artist with a style fans instantly fell in love with. When recently asked what he would describe his "style" of music as, Joshua explained, "I would describe my music as having a singer-songwriter/‘arena rock' feel with a revealing South Carolina roots personality. It's a style that not only fits me best but that all listeners enjoy and make personal to their musical taste."

Joshua soon started broadening his music to nation wide audiences into his late teens/young adult years. Along with continuing to serve as a youth centered worship leader for two thriving churches (2007-2010), he was playing bigger venues and writing more music about experiences and a love for leaving audiences with unforgettable shows each night. In the summer of 2009, Joshua Brown performed at National Fine Arts in Orlando, FL where he gained praise for his "showmanship" and for "giving the audience a sense of hope towards situations they may have been faced with." Also in 2009, he traveled to Cleveland, OH where he spent a week helping lead a team of youth in different projects around the city and ending the week with a performance at a city wide block party in front of a crowd of hundreds.

In 2010, Joshua decided to step down as a worship leader to focus solely on his growing mainstream music career. He continued to tour, grow his fan base, which now consist of world wide listeners, and mature as a musician/songwriter. He hosted a live webcast having nearly 1,000 viewers, recorded/produced an EP (‘Christmas Unplugged') and ended the year with a performance in downtown Nashville, TN. On the social networking front, Joshua moved from his personal Facebook page to a fan page to deal with site traffic and grew to almost 1,100 fans including those from countries outside the U.S. This, aside from the thousands of website hits at joshuabrown.org, proved to be a great accomplishment in the modern music market.

This year (2011) will prove to be Joshua's most successful year and showcase his stability as a top artist in the industry. His much anticipated album ‘Northbound Train' (which features the hit song ‘When the Sun Goes Down') releases on April 12 and his tour in support of this album starts in May at the legendary music venue ‘The Listening Room' in Nashville. The tour consist of many diverse settings from coffee houses to large youth conferences which is evidence of the widely marketable/original style of Joshua Brown's music.

He quotes, "The great thing about my music is so many different people from all walks of life have connected with it. They ‘get' me as an artist and more importantly they support the heart behind each song. I come in contact with so many people who are desperate for some kind of hope and through the medium of songwriting/performing, I'm hopefully able to shed light on the fact that darkness is only temporary and we were made to change the world by following our dreams."

With crisp, sharp vocals and a proven originality, Joshua Brown stands to be at the top of the music scene for many years to come.
http://www.joshuabrown.org/

Official Website: http://www.jamminjava.com/