Ascendant New York singer/songwriter Josh Elkes, release his debut, self titled EP in March 2013. The twenty-one year old's four original songs—intimate stories of loss and redemption seemingly beyond the young songwriter's years—recalls, at times, the classic work of Leonard Cohen, The Go-Betweens, Bright Eyes and others, and features an array of heartfelt, personal emotion including heartbreak, forgiveness, and hope.
Recorded North of New York City in Westchester and Rhinebeck, NY, the EP was produced and mixed by Grammy Award winning producer/mixer Neil Dorfsman (credits include Dire Strait’s Brothers In Arms, Bruce Springsteen’s the River) and Clifford Carter (James Taylor, Art Garfunkel), along with Elkes. The record was mixed at Saint Claire Recording Studio in Lexington, KY and mastered by another Grammy winner, Ted Jensen, at Sterling Sound in New York. Along with his songwriting, Elkes provides guitar and vocals for the EP and is backed by Carter on piano, drummer Joe Bonadio (Roseanne Cash, Sting, Marc Cohn), guitarist / multi-instrumentalist Duke Levine (J Geils Band, Shawn Colvin), electric bassist Whynot Jansfeld (the Weepies, Gavin DeGraw), and upright bassist Richard Hammond (Marc Copley, East Village Opera Company).
The unlikely involvement of Dorfsman—a music industry veteran who has worked on classic albums by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Dire Straits and more—stems from an encounter with a mutual acquaintance who passed Dorfsman a CD of the songwriter's early tracks at a garage sale in Upstate New York. Immediately recognizing Elkes as a unique voice with a talent for songwriting, Dorfsman soon got in touch, striking a fast friendship. Once Clifford Carter joined the team, the three of them began a strong working relationship. Dorfsman and Carter began to introduce Elkes to the group of eclectic and talented musicians who make up his band.
Elkes performs regularly in and around New York City, most recently completing a four-month residency at The Living Room in Manhattan. His live performances feature Clifford Carter on piano, and Joe Bonadio on drums/percussion. See below for a list of upcoming shows. More to be announced soon.
lyrics
When the moon has risen like the tides out at sea
And all the stars have come out to rearrange my dreams
Looking for the answers you never would believe
Contemplating nothing while something’s in-between
Because you’ve tied your mind to your heart
Just to keep them from falling apart
And this knot that you’ve tied it’s laid down in bows
It’s tangled and twisted like the thoughts that you hold
And if I would have told you I almost shed a tear
Well the less you know, the more you learn, and the more there is to fear
But watch out now, the winter’s come at last
All the leaves have fallen and the nights are coming fast
Because you’ve tied your mind to your heart
Just to keep them from falling apart
And this knot that you’ve tied it’s laid down in bows
It’s tangled and twisted like the thoughts that you hold
And this love that you want it’s a love that you know
And this love that I want it’s the love that you hold
I don’t need you, but I want you
Shouldn’t that alone be enough?
Well you’ve twisted and torn all my heart strings
But they’re not the kind that you can just sew up
Because you’ve tied your mind to your heart
Just to keep them from falling apart
And this knot that you’ve tied it’s laid down in bows
It’s tangled and twisted like the thoughts that you hold
And this love that you want, it’s a love that you know
And this love that I want it’s the love that you hold
And this love that I want it’s the love that you hold
New York singer/songwriter Josh Elkes’ intimate stories of loss and redemption go beyond the twenty-one year old's young-
songwriter's years. His debut EP to be released March 19th, was produced/mixed by Grammy winner Neil Dorfsman (Dire Straits) and Clifford Carter (James Taylor), along with Elkes. Mastered by another Grammy winner, Ted Jensen, at Sterling Sound.
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