Josh Thompson’s latest release Change: The Lost Record, Vol. 1 isn’t really his latest record at all. The six song EP, which will serve as the first of two releases from Thompson, is the uncaged second album recorded during Thompson’s time at RCA Records. For Thompson, who hit the upper 40 at country radio in 2013 with his song “Cold Beer With Your Name On It,” the album is a midpoint, marking a specific place in his writing and his life. The writer and songwriter, who has had songs recorded by Brad Paisley and Jason Aldean, spoke with us about his newest release, favorite artists, and songwriting process.
Change: The Lost Record, Vol. 1 will release this Friday, October 9, and is available for purchase and pre-order on iTunes.
The Shotgun Seat: You must be so relieved to finally be getting the record out!
JT: It’s gonna be good to have it out; it’s kind of been sitting on a shelf looking at me and like winking at me every once in a while when I walk by it for the past four or five years. We’ve played a good number of the songs over the years in the show, so the fans know the songs, and it’s gonna be good for them to be able to actually get a copy.
You must have had a lot of fans asking where they could listen to the songs.
Yes, just talking to fans over the years, that was the main topic of conversation. One asked when the lost record is and so that’s kind of how that got named. I’m looking forward to it, and hopefully they are too.
You wrote these songs a while ago. How do you keep them personal to you now – have they changed in meaning for you, or do they take you back to that place?
It does kind of take me back to that place. It bridges the gap between the Way Out Here record and the Turn It Up record, it was supposed to come second chronologically. So it takes me back to that place. I think it’ll do good kind of filling in the blank, and then we can move forward.
Do you feel like your writing has changed a lot since that point?
It has; your writing’s always getting stronger because you’re doing it all the time, you’re practicing that muscle in your head. So the writing’s definitely gotten stronger, and I’m doing a lot more of it.
You’ve had a number of songs cut by other artists. When you’re writing, do you have specific artists in mind for songs, or do you just write and see where they end up?
I just set out to write the best song I can, I don’t ever try to target like, ‘Hey, so and so is looking for this.’ I’ve tried that before and it doesn’t really work, kind of takes some of the creativity and the soul out of it for me. It’s just literally sitting down and writing as close to great as I can, and then hopefully finding a place for it after that. When you walk out of a room, you know this could be great for so and so, or I love it – you know right away.
Is there something in particular that draws you to a song to record as an artist?
I don’t know what it is exactly… I’m a sucker for melodically, something that makes you want to move, drive fast, something that feels good, a great groove, or lyrically something that’s deep.
What did you listen to growing up?
I grew up loving the stuff that was playing around the house, Conway, Merle, Patsy Cline, and I still listen to that stuff a great deal of the time.
What are some of your favorites now?
I’ve been listening to a lot of like Waylon Payne and Amos and just kind of more bluesy, soulful kind of artsy lyric kind of stuff. I’ve always loved that stuff.
Does the live show inform the way you write?
That plays a lot into it, I mean, you know when you’re writing something if it’s gonna work great live. Yes, it would be great to write and record ten ballads, but once you start putting them into the show, you’ve got a sleeper.
As a songwriter, is there ever a time when writing isn’t at all on your mind?
It’s always there, I’m always running to my phone to record a song, I might write something down, or grab my guitar. It’s almost like a sickness.
What keeps you busy when you’re not writing or on the road?
If I’m not writing, I usually try to balance it out and go someplace that’s nothing like the music industry: anywhere outside, out on a lake, campfires, hunting, fishing – I mean, you name it. Anything where the cell phone service goes out, that’s where I’d rather be.