SO WIRED (2011)
The majesty of U2 and timelessness of the Beatles inform the array of addictive melodies found on Joe Eglash’s powerful sophomore effort, SO WIRED. These focused power-pop songs are heavily layered and meticulously arranged, offering the listener a dreamy escape from daily drudgery.
and 20 guitars later…
The songs of SO WIRED live at a crossroads of experiential storytelling and self-awareness, in the vein of Randy Newman and Bob Dylan. In his lyric writing, Eglash has created a world of contemporary American character sketches that evoke images of people we know; of personalities with whom we’re familiar.
In the tradition of self-contained artists from Paul McCartney to Brendan Benson, Eglash plays every instrument on the album. Original in nature, his music subtly conveys a rooting in classic rock with elements of pop, world, and jazz. From light-spirited tunes like October to the epic I Want Me, Eglash writes a musical love letter to influences ranging from the Stones to the Beach Boys to the Band.
Of SO WIRED, Eglash says, “The challenge for me on this album was to write characters that would reflect different aspects of my personality and life, but at the same time, do things and say things that I wouldn’t. And musically, I wanted to indulge in some of my recording fantasies – layering 20 guitars on a part, like Brian May, or stacking endless harmonies, like Brian Wilson. I had a blast.”
When My Life Is Done, the first single from 2011's SO WIRED. I shot this in VideoSongs format - a technique popularized (and maybe started) by indie heroes Pomplamoose, and more specifically, the male half of that group, Jack Conte. If you haven't checked out Jack's solo work and Pomplamoose's catalog, do so immediately!
VideoSongs are a way of documenting the recording of a song - sharing an otherwise personal, intense experience with others. It was fun to do, but I have to say that my calling seems to clearly be on the musical, rather than visual, side of things.