Josh McClain wields his cello like a post-impressionist’s brush, transcending the training to procure a warm, wild sound whose unbridled expressiveness derives largely from its willingness to leave the edges frayed. Such is the basis for an eclectic, infinitely intriguing sound filled out with loose, lazy rhythms, rootsy strumming, and earnest vocal harmonies. The music flows seamlessly from one genre to the next, swirling together jazz, country, folk, blues, and the avant garde into a rich sonic cocktail as physically homogenous and intellectually self-contradictory as a moonshine martini.

Emerging from Northwest Indiana, Josh has battled constantly to quell his thirst for adventure. As an academic, he earned a double major in Communication & Culture and Folklore & Ethnomusicology, which undoubtedly had a profound effect on his myriad of diverse influences. He has explored the world, pausing to teach in both Japan and Nigeria, and shared the stage or studio with a host of likeminded musical trailblazers, including legendary Hawaiian folk singer Jon Osorio, Eurasian Rung, TV Mike and the Scarecrows, a&r, The Veranda Trio, Valencia Robinson, and Trio in Stereo.

The music of Josh McClain will smile and shrug innocently, shake your hand, buy you a drink, and then begin the process of slowly, methodically embedding itself in every layer of your consciousness. Should you dare to take the journey with him, be prepared to hum these melodies for years to come.