Josh Washam

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Washam.

Hi Josh, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I come from a musical family. Both retired now, my mom was a high school choir director and my dad was a high school band director. I grew up in Souderton, PA just outside of Philadelphia. I started out playing piano then moved to drums and then to guitar. I’ve been writing and recording original music since my early teens. I went to Berklee College of Music from 2007-2011 and majored in Music Production and Engineering so I could record my friends and myself.

I moved to Nashville in 2011 while playing in the duo rock band, Natural Forces. We self-produced and released 2 EPs and 2 full-length albums from 2011 to 2016 while playing shows in and around Nashville. In 2017, I recorded and released my first solo record ‘The Washam Machine.’ It was around then that I started to apprentice with Marty Macmillan at Macmillan Guitars, making ukuleles and guitars. Last April, I released my second solo record ‘Squash Blossom.’ I’ve gotten into hand screen printing shirts so there are plenty of custom “Squash Blossom” shirts floating around.

I also have been bartending at McNamara’s Irish pub for a number of years to pay the bills while making music. A few months ago I started “Washam Wednesdays” a weekly songwriter showcase. I”m currently working on new material and booking future shows.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I like to say that I’m simply further down the same road. I feel very lucky that I knew what I loved and wanted to do from an early age. If there is any struggle I imagine it’s the same as most other people… money!

Overall, I feel like I’m living the artistic life I set out for, I just haven’t found financial or commercial success. I’ve self-released all of my music, and it turns out I may not be the best marketing/advertising manager.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I believe I’m bursting with musical opinions. That’s why I have to make my own records. I love the whole process, from writing the song to recording, mixing, and arranging, to the making of the instruments themselves. The satisfaction of looking/listening to something that wasn’t there earlier that day is awesome.

I consider myself a bit of a musicologist, the history/story of music is incredibly inspiring and I truly just want to be a part of the club. I’m very proud of all the songs and records I’ve released. Being the producer of my own work, I don’t have anyone to blame for the sonics of the records I make.

That being said, I feel they are a pretty pure representation of who I am and what I like.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
My family has always been incredibly supportive. Andrew Kahl, the drummer and other member of Natural Forces has always been a musical brother, supporter, and friend. Marty MacMillan (Master Luthier) has been a great friend and supporter.

While I’ve always found plenty of support from friends and family, I don’t believe I’ve received much “help”. I’ve never had someone, other than me, sending emails or advocating for my musical success. It’s pretty much just been me trying the best I can. Hence, my lack of financial or commercial success? - Nashville Voyager Magazine

A staple of Donelson cuisine and a former Buffalo Bills’ backer bar, McNamara’s Irish Pub offers more than just Shepherds Pie and Caledonia Scotch Eggs.

Every Wednesday night, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Josh Washam hosts his weekly songwriter session in the upstairs listening lounge from 6 PM – 8 PM. Washam will often bring a rotating cast of local songwriters to join him, as they serenade the crowd while they may or may not sip Guinness and chow down on some Corned Beef Bites.

Washam has a distinct blend of folk and roots fused with country, which is best displayed on his single, “Don’t Cost Nothin’.”

“Don’t Cost Nothin,’” which appeared on Washam’s album Squash Blossom released back in April, is a laid-back, breezy tune that offers the message that so many great things in life are free: writing a song, embracing nature, and spending time with a partner, among other soul-fulfilling things.

The track features Washam’s gentle, meandering acoustic strumming and his charming and quaint country-tinged vocals. He is joined by a smooth steel guitar that glides through the mix, as well as some steady click-clackin’ drums. The single is ripe with charisma, and is perfect for floating down a river or sipping a beer on a cool autumn night.

Originally a Souderton, PA, native, Washam later moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, where he studied music production and engineering. In 2011, he moved to Nashville where he and his band, Natural Forces, tirelessly played shows and released four self-produced and engineered records. In 2016, Natural Forces decided to part ways, leading Washam to pursue a solo project.

He released his first solo record, The Washam Machine, that next year, in which he ditched the garage-rock sound of Natural Forces, instead embracing an acoustic-centric Americana sound. His second album, Squash Blossom, would be released some four years later. With help from Will Cafaro (bass) and John Wood (drums), the record was recorded both at Magnetic Sound Studios in East Nashville and at Josh’s home studio.

When Washam isn’t playing shows at local venues and hosting his gig at McNamara’s, he is often working with master luthier Marty MacMillan building acoustic guitars. - Music Mecca

Josh Washam – “Don’t cost nothin”
-From the first time I heard this song, I thought that I wish I could share this song with John Prine. It’s been a long year and a half without him, I’ll say. But writers like Washam remind me that all is not lost. The plainspoken wisdom of the song feels really good and comfortable. It don’t cost nothin to write a song or hold a hand. It’s just… incredibly well written folk music. This one reminds me why I love folksy Americana music so much. I’d love to be in the bar when these fellas start singing this one. It’s a gem. - Ear to the Ground Music

We are, by nature, curious creatures. In fact, our very evolution is down to the fact that we always want to know more. What’s under that log? What’s over that hill? What happens if I rub these two sticks together? Curiosity is in our DNA, wanderlust is part of who we are.

So when a friend of Josh Washam decided to swap the valleys, woodlands and rolling hills of Tennessee for the Pacific delights of San Diego, it seemed only right that he should mark the event in song.

San Diego is full of lilting grooves and understated country cool. It celebrates the act of exodus, of making change, of driving off into the sunset and does so over some gorgeous guitar tones and musical textures. It also reminds us that the modern world is a small place and relocating to the other side of the country is hardly the crossing of the Rubicon or the point of no return that it was way back when but that adventure and new quests should always be embraced and such impulses and urges acted upon.

The world is there to be explored, the unknown sought out. Just don’t all expect to have a song written about you when you do make the move. - Dancing About Architecture

Nothing Is Like It Used To Be is a song with a very simple message. Whatever you’re going through, whatever you are dealing with, wherever you are headed and for what reason, it’s a totally new experience. Others might have done something similar but it is by throwing you, the individual, into the mix which creates a truly unique set of circumstances. I think that’s it anyway. And if so, the unsung subtext is this. Don’t listen to others, ignore words of wisdom from people with their smug and all-knowing “been there” attitude, this is very much your adventure, your challenge, face it your way. Approach life’s journey with such a mind-set and you will find that, no matter what the outcome, succeed or fail, you will learn from it, grow from it, create unexpected results from it, perhaps even reinvent the world in some small way…even if it is just the bit you are standing on.


It’s a philosophy which sits neatly with sonic vibe of the music behind it, unfussy, plain speaking, to the point, forward thinking. Country vibes and folky directness slow-dance together cross a rootsy dance floor, acoustic leads, peripheral pedal guitar and subtle, supple bass lines add all the decoration that is required and it is the lone voice and the lyrical message which spends the most time in the spotlight.

There is a lot going on in the world right now but that doesn’t mean that the small, personal, intimate stories aren’t still important, in fact the big headlines are essentially a whole bunch of personal narratives and individual struggles, tales of home and family, the search for a better life, all gathered together under a convenient byline. And when it comes down to it, we all have to go our own way. And whilst you are doing so you can sing this song to remind you that these are your choices to make, your hurdles to cross, your failures, your triumph and you will face them your way. This is your life and that is all that matters. - Dancing About Architecture