Josh Abbott Band (Photo by Joseph Llanes)
The Josh Abbott Band released Catching Fire, a new EP, in June. Now, Josh and company play at the 9:30 Club on Thursday, Oct. 24.
Hailed as one of the top Texas country acts, Josh Abbott Band is Josh Abbott (vocals, guitar), Preston Wait (fiddle, electric guitar), Edward Villanueva (drums), James Hertless (bass), Caleb Keeter (electric guitar), Austin Davis (banjo), and David Fralin (keyboard). The band released the first song from the new EP, “Little More Of You” with a video directed by Evan Kaufmann (Chase Rice, Chris Young) and featuring Jep and Jess Robertson from Duck Dynasty.
Watch the official music video for “Little More Of You” by Josh Abbott Band on YouTube:
Produced by Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Frankie Ballard, Aaron Watson), the Catching Fire EP features four songs of positivity, built on solid country textures and unified by Abbott’s congenial-but-experienced voice. The EP brings a sense of similarity back to JAB’s own foundation. It’s a return to the band’s sonic past, a revival of its bar-bred optimism and fiery individualism.
“We have a whole new refocused attitude on what we’re gonna do now moving forward,” Josh said. “Catching Fire is a reflection of what’s happened over the last year and a half of my life.”
“My embers are startin’ to glow again,” Josh sings in the opening line of the title track. The entire Catching Fire project is bright, spry, and optimistic. From the limber lines of Preston Wait’s fiddle to the decisive crack of Edward Villanueva’s snare and the animated scratch of Josh’s acoustic guitar, there’s a relaxed energy to the project, a sense of hard-won spirit that can only be developed by confronting — and conquering — emotional hurdles.
The band’s musical renewal is perhaps timely. Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Aaron Watson, Midland, and Cody Johnson are successfully blending the Texas mindset — a country framework with unique, multi-genre flavors — into commercial country music, and the JAB tradition fits neatly into that trend.
Josh Abbott Band
w/ Ray Fulcher
9:30 Club
Thursday, Oct. 24
Doors @ 7pm
$25
All ages