Josh Joffen
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Josh Joffen

Westbury, New York, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF

Westbury, New York, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2014
Solo Folk Acoustic

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

Press


"DJs"

"It's funny, when I heard that first song, "The Dancer," I thought that Josh Joffen had a kind of a very light, James Taylor-ish sort of voice. When I got to the last one, "Liberty's Tune," I thought it was more like Bob Dylan, with that somewhat edgy quality, and, well, in the middle, a very soft, flowing, beautiful piece called "The Fool." So, many sides to the talents of Josh Joffen." - Bob Sherman, WFUV 90.7 FM, NY (Woody's Children)


"DJs"

"Beautiful melodies and compelling lyrics are good reasons to listen to 'Postcard From Antigua.' Close your eyes and let Josh Joffen's voice and pen take you on a journey. You'll find yourself wanting to return over and over again." - Jon Stein, WTBQ, NY (Hootenanny Cafe)


"Presenters and Promoters"

"Josh weaves melody around rich lyrical poetry, binds it together with expressive guitar, adds smooth soothing vocals, and serves it all up to us with a warm smile. He doesn’t just sing; he reaches out and embraces his audience, pulling them into his magical world. It doesn’t get much better than this.” - Arlene Boumel, Boumel House Concerts, Coral Springs, FL


"Presenters and Promoters"

"Josh Joffen's rich vocals are the perfect complement to his virtuoso songwriting. This eloquent and powerful performer can craft deeply profound poetry or playful odes to a Caribbean vacation without missing a beat." - Folk Music Society of Huntington (NY):


"Press"

"Eventually, we could see Joffen's name listed along with artists such as John Hiatt, Jon Tiven, and David Olney in terms of songwriting - the compositions, melodies, and most of all, the soul on display here are all first rate. Score one for Long Island for a change: Joffen's sometimes jazzy tempos but always heartfelt lyrics will prove he's a force to be reckoned with in the coming years. We'll even dare to say this: Log on to CDBaby.com so you can discover what other area artists already have: Josh Joffen is an exceptional songwriter." Goodtimes Magazine

“Josh Joffen is as much a student of the folk idiom as he is a musician. It's obvious…He wraps his songs around the genre like he was born to it, using modern folk and even traditional twists to make a point.
“The Girl From the Great Divide, for instance, leans toward Scottish and Irish folk music, Liberty's Song has an early Gordon Lightfoot/Tom Paxton bent…Rulers of the Sea brings back the feel if not the exact sound of Schooner Fare on some of their tunes.
“If you want laid back, he places and shows with The Wall and Only For One Night, the former a look at Jerusalem's Wall, the latter a song for the lonely. I say place and show because the real winner to my ears is The Fool, a song which could have come out of the Modern Folk period…a simple look at how truth is not always easy to see and yet is.”
“Joffen has a touch. He writes from many angles and weaves his visions with folk structures which at times belie the fact that they were written in today's world and not that of the past. It doesn't hurt that he has a pleasing voice, either… His voice is smooth and unwavering except when it counts (and it counts a lot).”
“I see a really good future for Josh Joffen…He has talent enough to go in any direction he wants. Judging from the songs on Postcard From Antigua, I have a feeling we will get more of the same and even better. At this point, he doesn't need to grow, but I think he will. The music takes musicians like Joffen where it will and after hearing this, I think he is in for a long, long ride.” - Frank Gutch Jr., Folk and Acoustic Music Exchange


Discography

Collections:
12 editions of the Fast Folk Musical Magazine
"Shehekyanu" (on "This Time and Place" (2012) produced by Whereforearts.com)

Albums:
"Six of One Half a Dozen of the Other" with David Roth
"Fast Tracks"
"Sampler"
"Postcard from Antigua"

Photos

Bio

Josh Joffen's music speaks to the human spirit with passion and perception. From observant and intimately personal songs laced with wit and humor to overarching anthems evoking universal themes, his songwriting is both evocative and provocative, and a delight to listen to." - Nick Noble, host, THE FOLK REVIVAL, WICN Public Radio, Worcester, MA

Josh Joffen is an award-winning songwriter, singer and guitarist, who brings his love of songwriting and performing to every song and every show. Josh describes his songs as upbeat, introspective, emotional, humorous, and poetic, just not all at once, in a style that weaves traditional and modern folk, jazz, and pop influences into a tapestry of tunings and guitar voicings.

The son of a schoolteacher and a rabbi-turned-artist who met at a chess club in Greenwich Village, after college Josh made his own pilgrimage to the Village to learn the art and craft of songwriting and performing.  He learned well; Josh has been a featured artist at festivals, clubs, coffeehouses, house concerts, and colleges around the North and Southeast, doing shows with a whole galaxy of stars in the folk universe.

At the suggestion of friend and former performing partner David Roth, he submitted songs to the Kerrville Folk Festivals New Folk songwriting competition. Josh won New Folk twice, and added Kerrville and other folk festivals to his resume. In 2011, Josh was a finalist at the Ozark Folk Festival Songwriters competition and a winner of the Great American Song Contest for his song Libertys Tune.

The dozen songs Josh recorded for the Fast Folk Musical Magazine now reside in the Smithsonian. Three have been recorded by other artists, most recently Crazy Horse by Gathering Time, and the Girl from the Great Divide by Mike Agranoff.

Josh released Postcard From Antigua in 2010.  Featuring songs set in the Caribbean, the Middle East and Joshs own New York, about love won and lost, history and freedom, growth and transformation, the CD got great reviews and the songs got airplay on dozens of stations on three continents.  Making Postcard was a great musical and personal journey, he says.  And like all great journeys, first youre glad its over, then you start thinking about the next one.  

"Most artists paint pictures with a brush, Josh Joffen paints beautiful pictures with his lyrics and his music. -Joanne Melosh Dezego, The Garden Stage, Garden City, NY

Selected appearances:
Festivals:
Folk Project Spring Festival, NJ
Great South Bay Music Festival, NY
Huntington Folk Festival, NY
Kerrville Folk Festival, TX
Kerrville Wine & Cheese Festival, TX
New Jersey Folk Festival, NJ
Ramapo Mountain Folk Festival, NY
Thomas Homestead Folk Festival, NY

Clubs:
Bottom Line, New York, NY
Cornelia Street Cafe, New York, NY
Club Passim, Cambridge, MA
Folk City, New York, NY
Turning Point, Piermont, NY

Coffeehouses:
Good Coffeehouse, Brooklyn, NY
Golden Link, Rochester, NY
Grounds and Sounds, Stony Brook, NY
Garden Stage, Garden City, NY
Hard Luck Cafe, Huntington, NY
Listen Live Music, Macungie, PA
Minstrel, Morristown, NJ
Uptown Coffeehouse, Bronx, NY

House Concerts:
Borderline Folk Club House Concerts, New City, NY
Boumel House Concerts, Coral Springs, FL
Finch Mountain House Concerts, Babylon, NY
Hill Chapel House Concerts, New Market, MD
Song Box House Concerts, Seaford, NY
The Place House Concerts, Clifton, NJ

 

Band Members