New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On November 17th, Josh Lovelace of the Grammy-nominated rock band NEEDTOBREATHE released his debut family album Young Folk. The collection of songs features guest appearances from Ben Rector, Ellie Holcomb,
Spirit Family Reunion, and members of the legendary children's group Sharon, Lois & Bram.
On release day Young Folk reached #1 on iTunes' Singer/Songwriter Albums chart, and this weekend the album #1 on Amazon's
Digital Music Movers and Shakers chart. Over the weekend, Lovelace spoke with Weekend Edition's Scott
Simon about his first solo album, getting approval from his children, and putting your phone down to roll around on the floor. Listen to the interview here: https://n.pr/2zI6BtF
The album's been getting airplay on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live, and has been praised by Southern Living, HuffPost, Zooglobble, The Rock Father, and more. Stream or embed Young Folk via Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/63uZJqlao5Z5Mp2jOAwAAc
Young Folk is the fruit of a lifelong passion for children's music, which helped inspire Josh to become a professional musician. His first ever experience of live music was seeing Sharon, Lois & Bram at the age of six, with his own first musical performances playing for younger kids while working at a summer camp. Alone among members of famous rock bands, he's been training to be a children's music artist his whole life.
Growing up, Josh's grandparents loved the music of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, both of whom wrote songs for children. His grandparents also sought out current artists, which is how he heard Sharon, Lois & Bram. "They were folk singers at heart," Lovelace says. "Sharon, Lois & Bram were fun, but had a genuine joy and an honesty that I trusted as a kid, even if I didn't understand why."
When he was 10, his grandmother died. "Dealing with grief at a young age is difficult. My family encouraged me to hang on to my memories of her, so I started collecting Sharon, Lois & Bram's records and tapes. I still have all that stuff. When I see it, or listen to them, it brings my grandmother back into the room again."
In 2011, when NEEDTOBREATHE played Canada for the first time, opening for Taylor Swift, Lovelace reached out to Sharon, Lois & Bram. "To me, it was like meeting the Beatles," he laughs. He became good friends with them, and when he began the process of making his first children's album, they guided him along with way with comments and input on the new songs, with Sharon and Bram adding vocals to Young Folk's most poignant tune, "Sing A Song For Me." (Sadly, Lois Lilienstein passed in 2015).
"I always knew I wanted to make a record for kids," says Lovelace. "And I knew I wanted to make the music folky and accessible, rather than annoying or watered down." The resulting album, inspired by homespun musicians from
Wilco to
James Taylor, tells the story of Lovelace's family - and lots of other loving families, as well.
Tracklisting:
1. Good Morning
2. You're My Very Best Friend
3. Daddy's Beard
4. Messy Bessy
5. A Bear In The Woods (feat. Ben Rector)
6. It's Okay Margo
7. More Time With You (feat. Ellie Holcomb)
8. Road Trip, Road Trip
9. Going to Knoxville (feat.
Spirit Family Reunion)
10. Eat Your Vegetables
11. Sing A Song For Me (feat. Sharon & Bram)
12. Henry My Son
13. Climb A Tree
14. Blanket
15. Your Love Is On My Heart.
