March Interview : Josh Rouse
Words collected by CB

I meet Josh in Paris a month before his American Tour is set to begin. Temptations to just skip the interview process and chat away the afternoon with this well-spoken -easy going man are strong.

Dressed on top in a stripy green sweatshirt and matching green-rimmed spectacles, he has all the edgy charm of a detached artist and the nonchalant scrutiny of a beatnik writer.

Fiddling with a Martin guitar on his lap as if it were a clever black cat he was gently stroking, I get to hear the Nebraskan singer-songwriter talk about the sometimes-lonely life of an up and coming commercial success. And to hear a guitar gently weep...

After fulfilling a five record contract, Josh decided to release his new album "SUTITILO" (out this month) on his own label.

Do you think this move has gotten you to the point you are now?

No I could have gone to major labels. I wanted my own control and if you licence your own record you can actually make some money off it! You also have the freedom to step out and do a jazz album or whatever you want. With the internet too, it's easier to self-promote. I can even sell records off my website or release smaller one off EP's online.

Who inspired you to go it alone?

There is a company in Nebraska called Saddle Creek who help you promote your album once it's made. Merge are an American label who actually specialise in that. They help you and then you split the profit.
I also knew with an international fan base, I wasn't really taking that much of a risk.

Josh has been living in Spain for the last year and a half after spending his adolescence in Nashville, Tennessee. It's hard to simply attribute the up beat summer sounding new album to the Mediterranean weather. It hails back to the folk rhythms of the seventies, with the soft vocal styles of Paul Simon.

Why did you need to move to Spain to achieve this new sound?

Well, I didn't just move to Spain. I moved to the ocean. I was also listening to a lot of Bossanova at the time and I met some people who directed me to a studio down south.
The whole summerhouse atmosphere of the recording studio added to the light summery acoustic sound. My previous producer Brad Jones flew over with my drummer to record the album.

Did you think the European music scene would be easier?

No. I think it's the same everywhere these days, There is a "here today, gone tommorow" mood. The music scene is saturated. I was lucky to get out there earlier. I started back in 1998. Mellow folk pop wasn't really as popluar then as it is now.

And your own label? Will it be taking on any simmilar mellow folk pop in the near future?

Eventually! For the moment I'm going to concentrate on me. But when I'm ready.maybe when we're more of an "office". I'd have to like the music a lot. My heart would have to be in it. The recording would have to have something, not necessarily in the production but in the feeling.

Anyone you've noticed lately who has this special feeling?

Two Seattle acts. Laura Beers and The Long Winners.

You'll be back in the States for your tour in April. Are you happy to be going back?

Yes definitely last time we toured in a bus. This time it will be driving around in a mini-van. It's a great way to get in touch with America.

What's it like playing live in comparison to the studio experience?

I prefer the studio; I like to create more than playing songs over and over again live. Sometimes concerts are fun but sometimes I don't wan to be there. It can be lonely. There's often a nervous wall between performer and spectator that alcohol can only overcome.

You sing a duet on the album with your girlfriend, any ideal singing partners?

Tom Waits or Thom Yorke.

Heroes?

I'm a movie person. Jim Jearmusch for his ideas and Wes Anderson. I love the way these directors marry image and sound. Jon Brion (producer of Fiona Apple and Amy Mann) for his soundtracks. I get sick of too much voice.

It's hard not to agree. Jon Brion, he tells me after seeing my face light up - "plays in a small club in LA called Fargo every second Saturday."

Will you be playing there this time?

No. Not this time. I'm playing larger venues. Like the Town Hall in NYC, where Dylan played.

Do you think your move to Spain has allowed your American fans the distance to appreciate you more?

No. I mean I don't know. I don't want to think about it or else I might get nervous.

CHECK OUT
www.joshrouse.com for music and tour info or myspace.com/joshrouse.

Words Collected by CB.