Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Joan Osborne chatted about her new music and her upcoming show on April 30 on Long Island, New York.
Patchogue Theatre show
On Saturday, April 30, Osborne will be performing at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts on Long Island, New York.
At this show, Osborne will be joined by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Amy Helm. “First of all, I am excited because our good friend Amy Helm is opening the show, and we love her. There is a possibility that we will do some singing together and that is really exciting,” she said.
“The fans can expect material from ‘Radio Waves,’ and we will do songs from ‘Trouble and Strif,’ which came out in 2020 during the pandemic. The fans also love songs from the ‘Songs of Bob Dylan’ album,” she said.
“We always like to do songs from the ‘Relish’ album, those are fan favorites. We might also do songs from the ‘Bring It on Home’ album, which was a Grammy nominee for ‘Best Blues Album’,” she added.
To learn more about this forthcoming concert at the Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts, visit the venue’s website by clicking here.
‘Radio Waves’ album
Osborne recently released a collection of unearthed live in-studio radio recordings entitled “Radio Waves” on February 22 (via her imprint Womanly Hips Records). The 13-song album is a unique, hand-picked assortment of Osborne’s favorite and most captivating live appearances culled from over 100 radio station performances over her 25-year career.
Following the 2020 release of her critically acclaimed “Trouble and Strife,” Osborne canceled her touring plans and spent the lockdown like many others – visiting backburner projects and sorting through the contents of old, dusty shoeboxes.
She acknowledged that for her “Radio Waves” album, she wasn’t going for a certain theme. “We started with a few favorite tracks and then we wanted to add things to that,” she said.
What Osborne found buried deep within her closets are relics of those lost performances; time-capsule live recordings spotlighting the lightning-in-a-bottle dynamism that makes her a mesmerizing performer.
The tracks of Radio Waves cover a wide range in style and source material, perfectly exhibited in the album’s bookends – starting with “St. Teresa” from a KCRW session in 1995 and ending on a take of Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everybody is a Star” performed at KROQ in 2002.
Consistent throughout “Radio Waves” is Osborne’s silky voice, soulful and smooth instrumentation from the likes of veteran accompanists Andrew Carillo and Jack Petruzzelli, and a keen ear for heart-lifting song selections. Inspiring, stylistic choices span classics like Stevie Wonder’s “Love’s in Need of Love Today” and Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love,” as well as deeper cuts such as Bill Withers’ “Same Love That Made Me Laugh” and Toshi Reagon’s “Real Love.”
Osborne listed the “St. Teresa” version and “Dream a Little Dream” as her personal favorite songs on the “Radio Waves” album. “That is such a unique thing,” she said about the latter tune. “I had never performed that song live but I used to sing it to my daughter to sing her to sleep at night,” she said.
Background on Joan Osborne
Throughout her 25-year, multi-Grammy nominated career, Osborne has never been an artist confined to one space. She has utilized her incredible voice through her own songs while also becoming one of her generation’s finest interpreters. “Radio Waves” is a living document of that.
Osborne is an eight-time Grammy nominee and recording artist. A native of Kentucky, she moved to NYC to attend NYU Film School but dropped out after becoming involved in New York’s downtown music scene.
Her 1995 album “Relish” was a critical and commercial success and spawned the international hit single and video “One Of Us“. She directed the video for Relish’s second single “St. Teresa” and created the artwork for the album’s physical package.
She has traveled the U.S. and the world for over twenty-five years performing in clubs, theaters, arenas, and stadiums, with her own band and as a featured vocalist.
On the key to longevity in the music business, Osborne said, “You have to really enjoy the process. I started doing this a long time ago because I love the live performing aspect of it whether it was little clubs or bigger theaters. I loved it even in the tiny little clubs.”
“Also, try to come out and give your best every time. We are so grateful that we can do this for a living. It is such a privilege and it is because of the fans that keep coming back to the shows. I always try to give 110 percent and really put everything I can in a show to show appreciation to the fans,” she added.
The digital age
She opened up about being an artist in the digital age. “It’s hard,” she admitted. “It’s hard for people to make a decent living and pay their bills. The fact that almost nobody pays for recorded music really cut into people’s incomes. Now, it’s all about touring. For me, touring is great, it’s my first love and I don’t mind doing it. For a lot of people, it’s very hard.”
“The digital age is great for the fans to have accessibility to music. You can discover new things that you wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise,” she added.
Advice for hopefuls in music
For young and aspiring singer-songwriters, Osborne said, “Work every day a little bit on gathering bits and pieces of songs, whether it’s lyric or melody ideas or poems. That way, when you sit down to write a song you have a lot of things to start you off, and you are less likely to procrastinate.”
“For the singing part, I would say try to get as far as you can with building an audience on your own. If you can start it on your own and prove to yourself that this is working and you have something to offer, then you will learn more and have more confidence,” she added.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said with a sweet laugh, “My daughter is about to go to college and I am freaking out.”
In her dream male duets department, Osborne listed the late George Jones and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. “There is something about Jeff Tweedy’s voice that is cool and interesting,” she said.
If she were to have any superpower, it would be to “heal people” just by “touching them or casting a spell.”
As her alternate career choice, she would be a “yoga instructor.” “That would be my fantasy job because I would be in great shape all the time,” she said.
Osborne defined the word success as “finding what is unique and special about you and contributing that to the larger world in a way that makes you understand that you are making a contribution.”
For her loyal fans, Osborne concluded, “Thanks for sticking with me. I am not ready to quit just yet so let’s get ready for some more fun.”
To learn more about Joan Osborne and her new music, visit her official website.
