# I've been rude!



## Ephemerid (Nov 30, 2007)

I suppose I ought to introduce myself as I've been posting here & there!  

Anyway, my name is Josh and I live in the Memphis area in the US. Earlier this year I lived for three months in Christchurch, New Zealand and I LOVED it & I will be moving back there permanently in the next year or two (incidentally, the classical music scene there is quite good). I've not felt at home in the States for ages (I moved around a lot as a kid-- Navy brat, lived in Naples, Italy for three years and I've never seen the world the same way since). 

I don't come from a musical family, but I listened to music early on & my first glimpse into classical music was in 1977, via the Star Wars soundtrack-- when I realised that some people had been writing this sort of thing for a couple hundred years before (and much better too) I started exploring classical music and haven't stopped since. 

I was in choir in high school & pursued a degree in music composition at uni, though (for many personal reasons) I dropped out after just over two years. During that time I wrote mostly for various chamber ensembles and a few art songs or piano solo. I did do an orchestration of Debussy's Engulfed Cathedral, but I never got to hear it performed.  

During all this time I was also involved in lots of rock music-- during high school and college it was mostly "progressive rock" which most of it I can no longer stomach. 

I've worked with various rock bands in the past as well as solo as a singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, keyboardist and producer and flirted with ambient music. Now I have a new band, Joker, which is the best stuff I've ever worked on & I am happy with. We've got an album coming out by January. 

From high school onwards, I have always liked pushing my musical boundaries in classical, rock, jazz, electronic music, avant-garde, etc. though my own music is (from a rock perspective) somewhat conservative.  I have an affinity for more modern classical, such as Debussy, Stravinsky, Feldman, Takemitsu. Though I am no twelve-toner, I am certainly not dissonance-shy!

Anyway, it is nice to see some other classical music lovers out there!  

~ josh


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## opus67 (Jan 30, 2007)

Hi, Josh! I (formally) welcome you to TC.  Quite in an interesting journey through music you've had till now.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Welcome aboard Talk Classical, Josh. 

You've had a busy life moving about and all ... but glad to learn that you keep pushing the envelope in music for yourself.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

fool on the hill said:


> *I've been rude!*


No you haven't... it's been interesting reading. We have no obligations for preliminary introductions here. Nice to meet you, Mr. hill. (No way am I going to use your _first _name [of your screen-handle]... unless it's with a thought for the character of the same name in _King Lear_... the wisest person in the whole play. Welcome. )


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## Mark Harwood (Mar 5, 2007)

Keep at it, Fool. 
Looks like you've plenty to learn, and the willingness to learn it. Good man.
See the world, spinning round!


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## opus67 (Jan 30, 2007)

Chi_town/Philly said:


> (No way am I going to use your _first _name [of your screen-handle]... unless it's with a thought for the character of the same name in _King Lear_... the wisest person in the whole play. Welcome. )





Mark Harwood said:


> Keep at it, Fool.


Till I read those remarks I'd been reading his username as *foot on the hill*.


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## Ephemerid (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks folks! Its just good to see other people into classical music & I'd like to drop in when I can (been kinda busy lately with other things).

I picked "fool on the hill" from the Beatles song (  Mark)-- the band I'm in is called Joker, for a variety of reasons, one of them being that King Lear trope of the outsider, feeling like the only sane one (which is sort of played on in that Beatles song as well).

I'll be seeing y'all around!  

cheers, 
~ josh


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## RebLem (Oct 6, 2007)

You really ought to rethink that move to Christchurch. Not a good move for someone tying to make it in the music biz.


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## Ephemerid (Nov 30, 2007)

RebLem, I'm not really interested in making in big or anything like that (that's the last thing I want actually) - just doing a modest indie act, and I'll be happy just to play in small clubs. --Actually I'd be just fine staying in the studio if I had my druthers! LOL So I'm not really trying to "make it" in the biz, doing it more for the enjoyment of it more than anything else (I've always made my money via non-musical routes). I like how laid back things are there in Chch (and NZ in general).

And as far as classical goes, they have quite a lot, between the Chch symphony orchestra and a lot of other happenings there (I was surprised to see a city of such a small size support so much classical music, from Bach to Stravinsky). 

~josh


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