If you skim through the concert recap section of the GDW website, you’ll find that many of our recent live music adventures have revolved around the big stage, high energy, rock and roll variety of shows. This discovery was not lost on us, and we felt it was time to slow the pace down a little – to change things up with something a little more intimate, a little more ‘singer-songwriter in the dimly lit room’ kind of fare.
A quick glance at our next upcoming event on our concert-going calendar proved fruitful – a return visit to Jammin’ Java in Vienna, VA for an evening of music courtesy of BC-based folk singer Joshua Hyslop. The venue makes for an easy check mark on the ‘intimate’ box, and when it comes to some of the current finest Canadian singer-songwriters out there, Joshua Hyslop is always to be found in the upper echelons of such lists. Checks complete.
Hyslop’s music first came to our attention around the time of his “In Deepest Blue” album from 2016 – fueled by some heavy rotation of the stunning “Living & Dying” single across the SiriusXM radio platform. Extra good fortune would come our way later that year when learning that Joshua would open a show for Justin Rutledge that we were attending – and after a stellar performance, we were convincingly sold on the musicianship of this emerging artist. Many years would pass, however, until this latest opportunity to reconnect came our way.
Performing on the Jammin’ Java stage – the closest stop for us on a cross-country US tour – and accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Zachari Smith (Nova Scotia), the duo would provide a fabulous soundtrack to an otherwise quiet Monday evening in the DC suburbs, sharing thirteen original tunes (one taken by request) over the course of an hour. And while the show would indeed prove intimate, the opening performance of an electric guitar heavy rendition of “Overcome” – the first of several tracks played from Hyslop’s latest “Evergold” album – could have easily convinced most of us otherwise.
“Thank you very much. That is the loudest song we have,” Joshua announced after wrapping up the opening tune. “We’re not very loud usually, but on this tour that’s the song we start with, and a lot of people coming to the shows, well, there’s always one person in the front – with a small petite woman – and after we finish the first song, she looks over and says, they’re just so loud. That’s as loud as we get, so hang on in there, we’re gonna do some slower and slower sad songs.”
With the electric guitar stilled strapped across his shoulder, Joshua would continue into “No Stopping Now” from his 2022 “Westward” album, before taking time to fully address the room. “We’re only two songs in, but how about a round of applause for my friend Zachari Smith, playing at least five instruments at once and making it look easy,” he shared. “And I’m playing one guitar, and I’m okay.” “You’re doing great,” Zachari interjected. “I have it in my contract that he has to thank me after two songs.” “It’s true,” Joshua declared. “He also has to say I’m doing great.”
The duo would return to this album to perform the title track later in the show, giving Joshua a moment to confess to a few white lies about the song’s origins. “This song’s called Westward, but it starts by saying ‘there’s something about the winters down in Texas.’ I’ve never been to Texas in the winter, it’s just a straight-out lie,” he shared. “And there’s a part that says, ‘something in the wind that burns my eyes.’ I’ve only been there once, and it was sunny. It wasn’t windy, so it’s also a lie. I just wanted to be honest with you guys. Everything else I’m saying here is the God’s honest truth.”
Musically, Hyslop and Smith complemented each other perfectly all evening with their chosen instrumentation pairings. Zachari offered some emotional depth with his lap steel work during “Gentle Heart,” whilst adding some simple but effective mandolin on an unscripted performance of “The Spark.” Taken via audience request towards the end of the show, Joshua was happy to share the tune – admitting beforehand that it used to be his least favorite composition, only to grow to love and appreciate it over the years.
With the switching of instruments between many of the songs, Joshua was equally happy to open the floor up to discussion during the times needed for tunings. “Got any questions, ask me anything,” he proposed – before providing tales about time spent growing up in Scotland and a physical altercation on his very first day of school; and about touring in Germany and how a cab driver told him that German crowds will not like his show because he is too small. “The cab driver was cutting to the very core of my insecurity,” he joked. “Did they like you?” came a question from the back of the room. “They did like me,” Joshua responded. “They did say I was too small…but they did like me.”
Adding some memorable older cuts into their set list – such as “Stand Your Ground” (from “Echos”) and closing with “The Flood” (from “In Deepest Blue”), the duo had clearly fine-tuned their chemistry here in the latter stage of their tour – with Zachari sharing what I felt was a memorable monologue of the evening that summed up their road trip: “Josh and I have been touring for what seems like forever, but it’s only been a month,” he offered. “We started in Seattle, which is a long way from here, and we’ve been driving every day. And it’s wild to see – we’re not from the US, we’re from Canada – so it’s kind of exciting. We went to the Grand Canyon and it’s, erm, big. It’s quite a large canyon. And Josh and I had a couple of nights off in New York recently, and we got to see some comedy and jazz. And then, you know, you have too good of a time, and you can’t text home and be like, oh yeah, we’re just having an awesome time, sorry for leaving you home with the kids.”
Set List:
- Overcome
- No Stopping Now
- Down The Line
- Pieces
- Let It Rain
- Gentle Heart
- The Way You Can
- Westward
- Ash & Stone
- One More Day
- The Spark
- Stand Your Ground
- The Flood
Photo Credit: Tour Poster / Artist Website
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
