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thejosh1980 · 3 years ago

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I was lookin' back...

As I prepare for my first live concert in over 12 months here in Australia, I think back to my last live concert, The Josh Fest 2020 in Dresden Germany.

The Josh Fest came together thanks to Mirko Glaser and the guys at the US Car Convention. Mirko and I had discussed having some kind of small live stream show at his jazz bar, The Blue Note, as we were trying to find a way to make it happen with the COVID restrictions. Then it became a bigger show, because the Groove Station was interested in putting something on. A few days later the US Car Convention people contacted Mirko, and it all came together as an even bigger live outdoor concert event, with all my main bands together, and US muscle cars surrounding the stage.

They called it "American Car Day", but we all know what it really was....

The Josh Fest.

It meant quite a bit of work for the bands. Some of the bands had already been on forced hiatus for several months due to COVID. We had to relearn songs that we hadn't played in many years!! Eddy and I hadn't been on stage together in 8 years, and it was only Blues Over Coffee's 2nd show!!

Old meets new!

I was also busy packing up my life, selling off my guitars, car, and studio equipment. After 18 years in Europe, there were quite a lot of items to decide on; what to sell, keep, and pack ready for the moving company, which was scheduled for a couple of days after the big show. It was an emotional process; a life time of memories coming to an end...

Dresden adopted me 12 years previously, and it was becoming clearer and clearer to me that I would miss my step-hometown deeply.

Germany, the UK and Europe gave me a lifetime of memories and experiences. So many I've forgotten, due to the alcohol induced memory losses, but many many many of those experiences, laughs, good times, challenges, and rounds of shots are permanently written and imprinted on my heart.

I love my European friends, fans and band mates, dearly.

My band mates and I have been through a lot together over the years. There's a type of brotherhood that only band members can experience, on and off stage. In some cases, I knew these men (and a few girls) better than I did my own family or partner. I cherish the late night discussions, the crazy shit that happened on and off stage, and the memories of everything that happened in all that time on the road.

I also cherish my wonderful fans, who, even now, keep surprising me with their love for me. Actions speak louder than words, and some of those actions shocked me, some of them humbled me, and many showed me that while the music spoke to you in one way, your responses spoke to me in another. I can't count the tattoos with my name on them, the gifts I have received, the love we have shared and the music we have made together.

Oh My Josh!

I have made some amazing and deep friendships along the way. Some were forged even before I moved to Germany, some of them deepened, some drifted, but all of them ever so important to who I am today.

What can I say about Guss Brooks? He stands out mostly cause we met before I moved, and he was with me every step of the way; from the first show to the last, in some form or another. In fact, right now, I can't think of ANY show I performed during my 12 years in Germany that wasn't affected by him in some way. You might think that's a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but there was always some connection, whether it was people we knew at the gig, the place we played, the bass I was using (thanks GB!), or the songs I was playing...

We were connected.

On stage, with a wink, a flick of the wrist, a nudge, a look or a glance, we could tell each other anything and everything... If one of us got lost in the song, the other had his back, and could bring him back with a lift of the elbow. There were no words, it was all feeling. It was all feelings... When we did the shows with The Go Getters, it really stood out to me then, that we were interlocked, engaged, and entangled musically, and well, spiritually. I'm sure he'll disagree, but that's just because he's so humble. That connection also transferred to the fans, who could sense our communication. That’s what made playing together so special, every time... We have a deep connection, personally and professionally.

When 100s of people travel miles through COVID restrictions to come together to say goodbye to some ausländer, when band mates come together for one last show, it really shows me, how much I was loved. I didn't realise until that day, really until the end of the show, how deep the love was felt and what I would be leaving behind. Those deep and meaningful friendships carved from the experiences we've had together will stay with me forever.

The festival was a culmination of all that was good in my European adventures.

I know over the years I burned a few bridges, but it felt like those had been fully rebuilt, renovated and reinvigorated. We've all made mistakes, but that was all in the past, and the friendships grew stronger. It felt amazing. I felt like by the time The Josh Fest began, I’d come full circle with all my enemies and demons…

Alex got to meet many of my friends, fans, and band mates too. The pandemic meant very few chances for her to see me in action, but that all changed that day. Alex got to connect with folks who have had a tremendous influence on me, and I’m really thankful for the opportunity to share that part of my life with her before we left. I knew that coming back to Australia I wouldn't have the same opportunities that I had in Europe.

I've been looking back at photos and videos of that special day, and I am reminded of how important you all were—and still are—to me. I was reminded of how I looked out from stage to see so many of my wonderful fans and friends, no, I mean family. On stage, I felt a brotherhood like nothing else I have ever felt before…

It made it just that little bit harder to leave...

You know, I arrived in my 20's and left in my 40's!

It's been a year since I played my last song on stage with my brothers to my family. I sit here and miss it. But I also feel gratitude. I feel lucky to have made an impulsive choice when I was 22, and still have had the chance to enjoy that choice 18 years later. I just wish I could go back and soak it all up again, deeper and slower.

It all went by so fast, didn't it?

Thanks for reading,

The Josh

If you'd like to watch the bands, you can view the live stream here:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL15P5AADkIPxEFip17KYypZQWSJ9t-g4J

The Lazy Boys

Eddy and the Backfires

The 2930s

Rosis Rockets

Hot Rails

Blues Over Coffee

Johnny Falstaff