Josh ScoginTalking to Josh Scogin (frontman of the genre-defying duo, ’68) is like talking to a cousin you haven’t seen in a while and just need to catch up with. With his gravelly, controlled voice and his hearty laugh that seemed to burst across the airwaves, it was easy to see why his fans are so devoted to him. He has an ease and comforting energy about him that makes him someone that others would want to get to know.
His history in the music industry is not a short one. With his latest endeavor, ’68, being the rising star that it is, it can be assumed that Scogin’s time in the sun is showing no sign of ending, any time soon. We chatted with Scogin about everything from touring to overseas travel and what makes ’68 different than anything else he’s ever done. One thing we learned was clear: Josh Scogin is a man with many plans, even if he isn’t a big fan of making a set list!
When asked what fans can expect from their current overseas tour, which sees them in the UK today (June 20, 2017), he said, “The only thing you can expect is the unexpected, as cliché as that sounds.” Shows with ’68 are high energy, pulsing with no set lists and no concrete plans. They have a lot of free jams that they throw into their shows. Thus, they can either make them longer or shorter, depending entirely on how they feel. He explained that this works for them because they don’t go into a show with a set list and expectations that were made from the comfort of their rehearsal space. This way of approaching each live show as a new experience allows them to keep their shows fresh and new.
“Sometimes we go into something and go, ‘Ew, that didn’t work very well.’ Conversely, sometimes we go into something and say, ‘Hey! That was amazing!’ And what is amazing will slowly become part of our set that we can add or drop whenever we want.”
He went on further. “When you’re a band, even if someone sees you three or four times on that tour, for the band, they had to play that same set thirty times – fifty times even! So, not having a plan really helps us keep things new and fresh, no matter how many times someone comes out to the shows.”
When it comes to approaching touring differently in the wake of the most recent handful of terrorist attacks in London, he said, “You have to think about this stuff, and you have to know it’s a very real scenario.” He doesn’t think, though, that the answer to that comes in the form of not living life the way you want to. “The moment they take away our freedom, our ability to travel, they win,” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.
For Scogin, it’s all about being smart and doing what needs to be done, regardless of what is going on in the world at large. It turns out, he has played places that he was advised not to play (Israel, Belarus). “But now, these things are happening in places like London, in Paris. It’s a big, wide world, and I want to be able to explore it. I love meeting other cultures,” he said.
“The moment you stay home out of fear is the moment they’ve accomplished their agenda.”
Continuing on the tour vibe, Josh talked about touring overseas versus touring here Stateside. “Well, I love America and love touring America, obviously. But, there are certain cities that can feel like they get flooded with shows.” Scogin lives in Atlanta, where he says he can go to any show – or multiple shows – on any given day. “There are times it feels like we can see as many shows as we want to see and grow a callous to that,” he explains.
He went on to say that he’s been to certain places overseas, like Tell Aviv, Israel, where people will come to a show even if they don’t know the band. They just come out to enjoy the live music scene and get rowdy together. “Maybe they don’t know all the words and barely know the band. But, it’s like, they’re going to do this. They don’t know when the band will come back or even IF they will be back. Sometimes those shows get rowdier and bigger than places in the States.”
Josh ScoginHe feels lucky to have been to enough of those far-flung places many times so that he can see patterns in the crowds. Scogin also likes being able to tell what he may be able to expect when they do head certain places. He said the history of other countries and their stories of overall societal survival interest him. When asked where he’d like to go that he has never been, he never hesitated with his answer. “Egypt. I haven’t been to Egypt, yet, but I’d love to get there some time in my life.”
As we moved into talking about recording and the differences between writing their debut, In Humor and Sadness, and their new release, Two Parts Viper, he couldn’t hold back a big laugh. “Writing this record (Two Parts Viper) was super different. The first record, I wrote in a week.” Scogin had some songs finished up before he got to writing their new album. But, for the most part, he said, it was done in a week.
“Since it was a debut record,” he said. “I didn’t want to overthink it.” He called his writing process for In Love and Sadness “impulsive.” “It was like, I have a brand new band, a brand new record. What do I want to hear?” He said overthinking it would have been a disaster, and he had to keep ahead of the game. “I didn’t have time to second-guess myself. It was all gut instinct and impulsive.”
Counter to that, Two Parts Viper was written over a span of seven months while ’68 was out on tour. “There was never a moment that we had three weeks to write or three weeks to record,” he said. “I don’t like writing like that. However, I had to do what I had to do to get it all done.” If they had time at home, they were in the studio. He’d fill in spots in the studio and squeeze out as much as they could. He said it was like a puzzle coming together, slowly, piece by piece. “Our schedule was so full. We didn’t want to go four years between records. So, we knew we had to do it all in that time.”
Scogin said that this time around, though, gave him seven months to sit and ponder on things. This allowed him to change things as he needed. He said it wasn’t, mentally, a healthy thing for him to have that much time.
“In rock and roll, I really believe that it needs to be impulsive and from the gut. I tried to find a healthy balance, like, ‘Yeah, I have time to change this song, but should I?’”
He stated that a lot of the songs stayed the same. However, a few times he felt fortunate to have a little extra time to tweak what didn’t feel right. “I’ve never recorded an album like that in my life. It was neat in one way. But, mentally, it may be healthier to know that no matter how deep you dive into it, within a month, it’s done. Good or bad, you’re letting it go.”
When the conversation turned to Scogin’s solo work, and this writer said she selfishly wanted more of it, he chuckled. He said he will do more solo work because he feels he has more control over things. His solo sound is a lot softer than his sound with ’68. “It feels like my solo stuff – the softer stuff – sharpens the edges of the harder stuff that I get to do with ’68.” He feels good about having multiple creative outlets for his ideas and sound. Likewise, solo work allows him to do what he wants. He can do it without expectations that it will sound like his work in other outfits.
When comparing ’68 to the other bands he has been in (Norma Jean, The Chariot), he said, “The sound and energy of ’68 is a good in between when it comes to my former bands and my solo work.” They can play soft or hard, dirty bluesy stuff or progressive rock with an edge. It would all fit within the framework of the sound of ’68. He said he feels very free to whatever they feel like doing. Not all bands have that kind of freedom, that’s for sure.
The unique thing people may recognize about ’68 is that there are only two people in the band – Josh Scogin on guitar and vocals, and drummer, Michael McClellan. Josh said the benefits of only have two people in a band is always agreeing on where to eat. “You don’t have to worry about who wants what and where to go. It’s like, ‘Hey, I want this.’ And, the other guy goes, ‘Okay.’” A challenge the band faces is not sounding like there are only two people. They would never use tracks (not having a set list would make that impossible anyway) for their live shows. So, Scogin uses any new technology and equipment to make their sound as big as possible while on stage.
’68Another challenge is figuring out the logistics of only having two guys in a band with no help setting up for live shows. “We have no crew, so we do all the work for set up and tear down,” he laughed. “A lot of the time, one guy has to stay with the van and the other unloads. So, it becomes a one-man job.” He said they may one day have a crew to help. Right now this is working for them.
Something fans may not know about Josh Scogin is that he is terrified of the dark. He said that this likely comes from the fact that he is a bit of a control freak about things. The idea of not having control of his surroundings, even simply to walk across a room to turn on a light, makes him uncomfortable. He is afraid of tripping and falling or stepping on something. Scogin likes to have control over his own destiny and path forward. He wants to make sure his hands on are all of the things he creates as an artist. So, that control over his own creation translates into something that is unknown – like the dark.
When we discussed his faith, which he is known for, he said, “Being a Christian is who I am. I don’t ever feel the need to apologize for it or hide it.” He said that once upon a time, it may have been something that people found issue with. This was back when the focus was more on separating people for what made them different. But, in today’s society, there is a bigger push to embrace and celebrate diversity and what makes us unique.
“I am definitely all about celebrating what makes us different and makes us unique.”
He agreed that music is an art that transcends all of the differences. It unites people of all stripes across the board, regardless of background, beliefs, or experiences.
His final message to the fans is one of endless gratitude. “Thank you for reading this article. Thank you to the fans who come to the show or support us in any way,” he said. He noted that in an age where people expect music to be free, it’s good to have those who have no problem supporting you, no matter what that may mean. This support ranges from buying your music to coming to your shows. “That support means the world to me; I am humbled and grateful for all of it.”
