Part of my job here at The Independent Life is to be able to describe an artist’s sound. After all, it’s hard to discuss a band or musician without saying, “they remind me of this” or “they sound a bit like that.” And normally this isn’t an issue—that is until you get to a guy like Josh Garrels.

For the uninitiated, allow me to attempt this anyway. Garrels is a Hoosier-born (that means Indiana) solo artist who melds everything from Caribbean-laced folk songs to freestyle rhymes and rhythms. Some songs feature a full-on rock band while others flow on acoustic finger picking akin to a gentle stream. In short, a Josh Garrels album moves with chaotic tenderness from one end of the musical spectrum to the other.

Case in point, the two videos below are both absolutely golden.

First, check out Josh’s absolutely killer rendition of “Killing Me Softly”:

http://www.youtube.com/v/9xs0Q6MMiJg&hl=en

Then once you think you have his style pegged, check out the brilliantly moving “Yahweh.” Just don’t say you weren’t warned:

http://www.youtube.com/v/oaL6eK3G6FQ&hl=en”></param><param

For our first artist spotlight here on the old independent blog, we don’t even have to venture outside of Music City, U.S.A. In fact, we could probably stay here for a long time (although we’ll leave soon enough).

But if we left too soon, we’d miss out on the lovely J.J. Heller. Originally from Arizona, the singer/songwriter headed east with her husband, Dave, to make it big in the music world. Her latest effort, The Pretty and the Plain, is an acoustic pop gem. At times, the sweet vibrato takes over on songs like opener “Grow.” Other times, the songs are just pure poetry, like on the stunning “Small.” Check out these lyrics:

Broken moldings all around
Broken people hit the ground
When they discover that you’re not here for our benefit
You love in spite of us
You use the least of us to prove the strong aren’t really strong at all

I don’t want to make you small
I don’t want to fit you in my pocket
A cross around my throat
You are brighter than the sun
You’re closer than the tiny thoughts I have of you
But I could never fathom you at all

Heller’s music is attractive for its cuteness—not some glamorous singer/songwriter effort, but instead invites you in to her cozy little corner with all her idiosyncrasies and quirks.  Need your own evidence?  Check the vids below.

Here’s possibly her most popular song, “Love Me,” from The Logan Show;

http://www.youtube.com/v/qUF4Cf2JVsg&hl=en

Here’s another favorite, “Only Love Remains”:http://www.youtube.com/v/w5Hd211fJOw&hl=en

–Matt Conner

Indie. Just the word implies a certain level of “cool” or “hip”—some mixture of DIY culture mixed with honesty and grit. Indie rock. Indie rap. Indie folk. Those sorts of terms describe some of the greatest musical artists out there—those that embody the air, the aura described above.

But those artists and bands that come to mind are usually in the mainstream—that is to say that you usually don’t think of Christians in the musical arts as indie artists. But they are out there. And it’s here we want to recognize them.

That’s because indie is really short for independent. And there are a lot of meaningful artists making music outside of Nashville and the world of record labels, sponsored tours and proper TV gigs. They’re slugging it out every night on their own gas money, touring through churches, bars and even homes to sell CDs one at a time. They do it for the love of music and the calling they feel inside versus the paycheck and notoriety that comes with some of the corporate love.

Our goal, then, with this particular blog is to shed some of the spotlight on these very artists. And if you normally don’t think of Christian music or Christian musicians when the word “indie” is mentioned, I hope that will change as we move forward together.

If you know of a great independent band or artist that deserves a mention, please feel free to let me know through comments here.

Until next time,
Matt Conner