Josh recorded and produced the songs in his home studio. “A year later, after things opened up a bit, I said ‘Why don’t we just go in and I’ll produce it, and let’s just record these songs and see what happens?’ And that’s what the Going Places record is – stuff that just felt good to play to a live audience.” Rather than the polished sheen of his prior work, the live element, and the laid back attitude of his Spanish band, added a loose and relaxed quality to the music. “I had four or five songs to start – ‘Waiting on the Blue,’ ‘Stick Around,’ ‘The Lonely Postman’ and ‘Apple of My Eye,’” says Rouse. ![]() This idea turned his writing on its head, forcing him to think of songs for a live setting first. I said, ‘Let’s get together and play some songs in the bar – something that feels good in a smaller room. Rouse explains, “ A couple of friends of mine – my Spanish band – bought a small venue, sort of like a 1950’s American bar. Inspiration came from his desire to perform live, during a time when that was virtually impossible to do. Josh Rouse wrote the songs for Going Places, while hunkered down in Spain with his family in 20. ![]() “I remember seeing Tom Waits on the cover of a magazine with the headline TOM WAITS AT 50.” Josh recalls “ I was in my twenties and that seemed so far off… but he made a great record ( Mule Variations) and I hope I have, too.” Now passing 50, Josh faces the next phase of his life. His well-crafted and hook-laden tracks are coupled with closely-detailed, well-observed vignettes in his lyrics. ![]() With Brill Building wit and a Midwestern sense of melancholy, Josh Rouse has built a career that spans almost 25 years, reaching back to his acclaimed 1998 debut Dressed Up Like Nebraska & continuing to his breakthrough albums 1972 & Nashville.
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