Josh Joplin (born Joshua David Blum on January 1, 1972) is an American singer, songwriter, as well as music and film producer. He has founded the bands Josh Joplin Group and Among the Oak & Ash. His song "Camera One" was the first independent release to hit #1 at Triple A radio. His song "Blue Skies Again" was recorded by Jessica Lea Mayfield for her Nonesuch debut Tell Me. Pitchfork praised it as, "simple, the infectious chorus makes it a standout...it's also a sunny, reassuring song." Joplin has toured extensively in North America, Europe, and Australia, and has recorded several albums with different bands.
Life and career
Born in Washington, DC, Joplin grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His family relocated to Columbia, Maryland, in 1985, when he was 13. There, Joplin attended Sandy Spring Friends School and learned to play guitar. He quit the school's Community House program in the ninth grade and finished the year at Hammond High School. He briefly returned before dropping out of high school altogether. At the age of sixteen, Joplin successfully passed the GED and earned his Maryland high school diploma.
His first professional job in music was as the runner for folk/blues legend Dave Van Ronk's concert at Swallow Hill Music Association. They hired him later the same year to open for Bill Staines.
Joplin's interest in folk music began in earnest after hearing Bob Dylan's The Times They Are a-Changin, and Phil Ochs' Gunfight at Carnegie Hall. He recorded an Ochs cover, "I Ain't a Marchin' Anymore", on his first record, Facts of Fortune for Sleepless Nights Records, a DC record label, founded by Mr. Issa (Diao) of Good Clean Fun. Joplin released his first single, "A Present for Hitler", in 1989, which featured three original folk songs.
Atlanta
Having stayed a short time in New York City, Joplin heard Kevn Kinney on WFUV radio and bought his first record, MacDougal Blues. This convinced him to relocate to Atlanta. He played mostly solo shows for tips at Sylvia's Atomic Cafe, a Candler Park neighborhood landmark. Upon seeing Five-Eight opening for The Jody Grind, Joplin began to look for a band of his own.
He recorded his third and last album for Sleepless Nights, I Love Janey, But Janey Loves The Grateful Dead. It was produced by Ed Burdell (Magnapop). Members of the Mirthmakers and Joybang backed Joplin on the recording. Shawn Mullins signed the quartet to his own SMG Label. He produced the original version of Useful Music, Joplin's sixth studio album. Shortly after its 1999 release, Jason Buecker was replaced on drums by Ani Cordero, then Eric Taylor. Deeds Davis was added on lead guitar, and the band made a slight name change, to Josh Joplin Group.
Artemis Records re-released Useful Music in 2001 and scored the band's first and only number one hit at Triple A radio with "Camera One", which was produced by Jerry Harrison of the Modern Lovers and Talking Heads. The band made their television debut that year, appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman, followed by Late Night with Conan O'Brien. "Camera One" was also featured in the TV shows Scrubs, Dawsons Creek, Party of Five, Roswell, among others.
New York City
Joplin moved to the Brooklyn borough of New York City in 1998. He continued to tour and play with Josh Joplin Group as well as doing solo shows. The band followed the success of Useful Music with the album The Future That Was, produced by Rob Gal (the Rock-A-Teens). It was recorded at Adam Schlesinger and James Iha's studio, Stratosphere Sound. Though it received much more critical acclaim, Zanes hosted impromptu stoop concerts for the children (and adults) on the block. Joplin stated being deeply inspired by these intimate events. When he recorded the album Jaywalker, he sought ways to mimic the joy he witnessed with Zanes by recording the album with the friends and people he'd grown up with, including the headmaster who had taught him guitar. Jaywalker was released on August 23, 2005, on Eleven Thirty Records.
In 2013, Joplin independently released the five-song EP Earth and Other Things on 9th Grade Records. It remains his last musical effort under the name Josh Joplin. It was recorded at Mercy Sound Studio on the Lower East Side of New York City by producer/engineer/guitarist Matt Chiaravalle. Matt and Josh had also worked together on Useful Music.
Among the Oak & Ash
In 2008, Joplin formed a new band called Among the Oak & Ash with Garrison Starr, Bryan Owings, and Brian Harrison. They released their self-titled debut album in 2009 on Verve Records. It was named Album of the Year by WNYC's John Schaeffer on his program Soundcheck. This album featured performances by Lucy Wainwright Roche, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Paleface, and Rachael Hester. In 2014, they recorded a third album, A Skeptics Gospel, which was never released. Harrison, who had co-produced all three records, died at his Nashville studio on February 18, 2014.
In 2023, the band started releasing singles on streaming services and playing shows under the moniker Josh Joplin and Among the Oak & Ash. They released a new album, titled Figure Drawing, on October 24, 2023. Contributing musicians included guitarist and fiddler Fats Kaplin.
NarrowMoat
In 2015, Joplin founded the production company NarrowMoat. He has produced two independent films, About Colonia and The Murphys. About Colonia, directed by Eduardo Shlomo Velázquez, was screened and lauded with awards in the short film and Spanish-language categories at several international film festivals.
NarrowMoat's most recent film, Boys Clap, Girls Dance, directed and animated by Dena Springer, was released June 28, 2022. It garnered nominations at several film festivals, including the Chicago Underground Film Festival. It won Best Animated Film at BIFF Sweden and was screened at the Cork International Film Festival and the Atlanta Film Festival.
Discography
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Studio Albums
|-
! Album !! Year !! Label !! Released as
|-
| Facts of Fortune || 1990 || Sleepless Nights || Josh Joplin
|-
| Projector Head || 1995 || Jolly Joe Music || Josh Joplin Band
|-
| Boxing Nostalgic || 1997 || Jolly Joe Music || Josh Joplin Band
|-
| Useful Music || 1998 || SMG Entertainment || Josh Joplin Group
|-
| Useful Music (reissue) || 2001 || Artemis Records || Josh Joplin Group
|-
| The Future That Was || 2002 || Artemis Records || Josh Joplin Group
|-
| Jaywalker || 2005 || Eleven Thirty Records || Josh Joplin
|-
| Among the Oak & Ash || 2009 || Verve Forecast Records || Among the Oak & Ash
|-
| Devil Ship || 2011 || NarrowMoat || Among the Oak & Ash
|-
| Earth and Other Things || 2013 || 9th Grade Records || Josh Joplin
|-
| Figure Drawing || 2023 || NarrowMoat || Josh Joplin Group
|-
| GyPr || 2025 || NarrowMoat || Josh Joplin Group
|-
| Useful Music (25th Anniversary) || 2026 || NarrowMoat || Josh Joplin Group
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Singles
|-
! Album !! Year !! Label !! Format
|-
| "A Present for Hitler"