Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua White.
Joshua, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Los Angeles County (1980s) and raised in San Diego County (1990s) – where I currently live. My story as an “artist” begins around the age of 7 with my first music lessons. Although from my earliest memories, I’ve always been interested in music; however, it wasn’t until studying piano formally that things began to take shape. Thanks to the guidance of some dedicated instructors, my interest in music was nurtured, and my sense of curiosity was encouraged. And over the course of 25 years the piano, has taken me to concert halls and venues all over the world – from Beijing to Brussels – from Serbia to South Africa.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
When I sit at the piano, I have no interest in creating “art” or creating some artifact to be documented and preserved. My interest is centered around the exploration of ideas – carving out a space in which to question strongly held beliefs, interrogating perceived boundaries, and imagining new possibilities or directions. Meaning that when I interpret a new piece of music (standard literature or an original composition) I’m most interested in breaking that piece down into its smallest “recognizable” parts (subjective, I know) and exploring those fragments – studying the contours; probing the rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic content of those fragments. From that vantage point, I really begin to see how those fragments of a particular piece can work together to give the appearance of a larger musical structure. And also how those fragments can be used to travel from one piece to another or bring several different pieces together at the same time, or how those fragments can just exist unto themselves – only played because one is compelled to do so. The piano, for me, is a site of exploration and discovery. However, as a musician, I find that actually listening to music can become a rather technical exercise. So, over the years I have discovered that my primary source of inspiration comes from reading literature – classics, philosophy, science, history, modern fiction, and all types of non-fiction. Reading stimulates my mind in ways such that I’m constantly engaged in thought about something I’ve previously read, heard, or seen – forcing me to visualize, encouraging me to utilize my imagination, provoking me to think critically about our world and the decisions I make as an individual – both musically and otherwise.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
Any advice? Well, I guess the only thing I will say right now is that if you are interested in pursuing music as a career, try to become as informed (financially literate) as you possibly can about the industry. I am currently reading several books on the Business of Music, Personal Finance, LLCs / Partnerships / Corporations, Licensing Deals, Creating Business Plans, Books on Patent / Copyright / Trademark Laws, Buying / Selling / Running a Small Business, Music Law, Investing, Retirement, etc … Any advice other than that? Hmmm, I’ll say think carefully before making any decisions and always read the fine print!
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Although I tour with various other musicians from time to time, here in San Diego, I can be seen with my own groups at venues around the city such as Dizzy’s, The Westgate, The Athenaeum, The Handlery, and Panama 66. In Los Angeles, my groups can be found at Blue Whale, Sam First, and The World Stage. Also, I have released one album as a leader entitled, “13 Short Stories” (Fresh Sound New Talent Records) – available on Amazon.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://joshuawhitemusic.com/
- Email: info@joshuawhitemusic.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/joshuawhitemusic/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/JoshuaWhite.MusicPage
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/jwNewMusic
- Other: http://youtube.com/joshuawhitemusic
Image Credit:
Pieter Kaufman / Michael Cherashore / Vito Di Stefano / Eron Rauch / Jesús Mayora Espada
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
