"Preston placed himself in the arc of usually British guitar troubadours that has people like Ralph McTell and Roy Harper on the folky end, Richard Thompson on the rockier one, and John Martyn, Nick Drake, and Preston himself somewhere in the middle." ~ Vintage Guitar Magazine (Oct 08)
"Exit Sounds is a quiet and moody affair... led by his strummed and finger-picked
acoustic guitar and it all supports Preston¹s slightly gruff tenor." ~ AllMusic.com
"His lyrics and compositions come across as mature, espousing truths hard-learned from experience." ~ Southeast Performer
"Preston is a master of cinematic lyrics as he paints vivid pictures by way of plaintive lyrics and buoyant melodies delivered with understated fervor." ~ Minor7th.com
"Preston has a sharper sensibility than the typical singer-songwriter.." ~ Blogcritics
"Preston draws from a singer-songwriter tradition as simple, sturdy and solemn as a 100-year-old tree." ~ MassLive.com
"Exit Sounds is an extremely impressive album from a solo artist who deserves to be well known." ~ CosmosGaming
"Mr. Preston's songs sound like an odd cross between a more accessible Sufjan Stevens and a soft folkie version of Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices)." ~ LMNOP.com
"Nashvillian, Josh Preston is a dude that if given the opportunity could win over a lot of hearts...." ~ Captainsdead.com
"Built upon a solemn vocal tone and an intricate arrangement of sound, Josh Preston’s third full-length recording Exit Sounds is a breathy whisper of turmoil along a wasted waterfront of the heart. " ~ Metro Spirit (Augusta, GA)
"The throaty, heart-wrenching hooks on Josh Preston’s Exit Sounds are as plentiful and long as…well, as his beard." ~ The Deli Magazine (Nashville)
"Much of Exit Sounds deals with the darker side of love, whether being caught in love's web, as described in "Addict," or just quiet bemusement with relationships, as with "Thousand Years." ~ The Trades
"Josh Preston schrijft poëtische liedjes die hij ingetogen zingt, met fijnzinnige arrangementen." (Translation: "Josh Preston writes poetic songs he sings subdued, with sophisticated arrangements.") ~ Moors Magazine - The Netherlands
"His music hits very close to home and is rich with personal experiences." ~ Rock-Is-Life.com
Maybe it stemmed from a simple creative slump or possibly a culmination of an overwrought musical education and being raised on records meant for listeners twice his age. Whatever the reason, when Josh Preston laid down his loud electric guitar (along with his rock band mentality) and picked up an acoustic guitar, it all finally clicked into place. It quickly becomes apparent that Josh's singer-songwriter exploration blossomed into songs containing thought provoking lyricism and melodies that rapidly and cunningly bury themselves in the listener's sub-conscience. It took some time however, for these songs to move from the safety of being listened to by friends into an intense and deeply personal live show. The long road to solo performance was preceded by numerous side-man gigs up and down the Eastern seaboard with a final stint in New York City as a guitarist for singer-songwriter Aaron Brotherton (which led to a performance with Aaron at Farm Aid 2003 and a recording session at the now defunct Hit Factory). While in New York, Josh began recording his first solo release Between Memory and Mortality and he finished up this record after a lifestyle altering move to Nashville. Writing, recording and touring are now a significant part of Josh's everyday life. His recent release Exit Sounds, containing "Thousand Years" and "Safety Feels The Exit," is full of image-laden gems that border on slight poetic insanity.
Having been fortunate enough to make his living in nearly every facet of the music business since he was old enough to hold down a job, Josh used his knowledge to found an upstart indie record label called Me and the Machine Records. While Josh now has a launching pad for his forthcoming releases, Me and the Machine also continues to delivers powerful releases from some of the finest and certainly the most honest singer-songwriters on the scene today.
:: Josh Preston - Safety Feels The Exit :: The 5 Spot :: East Nashville, TN ::
It's raining in Nashville. And I'm going to do something to celebrate! For today I'm going to share a brand new song, titled "Seven Years of Rain." I wrote it seven years ago and recorded it yesterday.
It's a rough, but then I'll let you hear hear it again, when it's finished.
ur playing tonight! i just noticed this. im actually off for an evening, and since its inside, theres no chance of a hurrican coming through haha. see ya tonight buddy!
Best Blog ever... You are a funny, funny, angry, psychotic, funny, green man. There are tree huggers, and then there are tree rapists. Keep in touch bro! M-
im coming to see u play friday! hopefully with a friend or two that way they can bring there friends to future shows. personally, i would be kinda excited about that...so much so theres need for a virtual high five.
