Josiah

JOSIAH are what classic UK rock is all about! A mid Atlantic blend of ballsy British grit colliding with a rock n’ roll swagger born of the US. Josiah was Mathew Bethancourt (vocal and guitar) now with Cherry Choke, Sie Beasley (bass and vocal) and Keith Beacom (drums) with a shared love of the riff, the groove and a big heavy beat. Josiah entered the game early in 2000, formed by Mathew Bethancourt, Sie Beasley (and then drummer) Chris Jones quickly establishing themselves on the worlds underground scene as a powerful riff machine. Early shows with (amongst others) The Lost Prophets, Nebula, Zen Guerilla and Modey Lemon, gained the band respect from crowds, press and peers alike, showcasing a fresh,soulful and high octane live rock experience. In June 2001 the group reinforced their rising status with heavy touring in the UK and their debut release “Out Of The First Rays” (the limited edition 10” ep released via Cargo Records) which rapidly disappeared from stores as Marianne Hobbs aired its killer cut “Malpaso” on her Radio One Rock Show and Metal Hammer included another ep track “Spacequake” on a compilation CD along side a live review and interview with the band. The release of the eponymous debut album “Josiah” in April 2002 via UK independent Molten Records was a logical progression for the bands brand of heavy acid rock and led to some fine reviews. A 20 date UK tour in May 2002 reinforced the groups status as a not to be missed high energy live experience and “Malpaso” appeared on the movie soundtracks of snowboarding masterpiece King Size, gritty British drama A Way Of Life staring Brenda Blethyn and the Channel 5 skater show RAD. In June 2003 with new drummer Bill Darlington Josiah released a limited 7” single “The Electric Cool” via cult Italian label Beard Of Stars backed with the Grand Funk Railroad cover “We Got This Thing On The Move” achieving airplay on radio stations across the globe including Steve Lamacq’s Radio 6 show in the UK. In the Autumn of 2003 Josiah welcomed third drummer Greg Baldwin to the fold and recorded a live Radio One session in May 2004 during a UK tour, played with the likes of The Killers and The Black Keys then set about writing and recording the second album “Into The Outside”. With this release the band refined the fuzzed out jams of their debut creating groove based riffs by way of some Heavy Nu Blues and Acid Rock. The big hooks, soaring lead work and a deep knowledge of classic rock and beyond put Josiah well and truly in range of any self respecting rock fans radar. September 2004 saw the release of “Into The Outside” and with fourth drummer Keith Beacom in the hot seat Josiah hit the road for their first European tour supporting Danish psych rockers On Trial and a triumphant appearance at the 2005 Roadburn festival playing to a full house and another three week headline European tour in September 2005 raised the profile of the band to dizzy heights. During 2006 Josiah stepped back from the live scene to write and record their third album “No Time” at Foel Studios, Wales. No Time found the band exploring a darker, heavier side. They still found time to play some big summer festivals along with a ten date headline UK tour in October 2006, a two week Swedish tour in March 2007, a two week European tour in April, including a headline appearence at the Roadburn festival, Holland and a UK in June 2007. No Time” was released June 2007 worldwide via German label Elektrohasch Schallplatten. Josiah continued to tour throughout 2007 culminating in a massive show at the Carling Academy London supporting Orange Goblin. In 2008 Josiah called time on their career with a final live appearance at the DunaJam festival, Sardinia. 2009 then saw the release of their final album 'Procession' on Elektrohasch collecting rare studio recordings and a killer live set from the 2007 tour of Sweden. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.