Natalie Closner, Allison Closner, and Meegan Closner (the latter two twins) are better known as the band Joseph, a folk trio hailing from Portland, Oregon.
Last year, Joseph released The Sun (their fourth full-length studio album) via ATO Records, and they hit the road in support of the new record. The band performed at Rams Head Live in Baltimore recently, and Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show!
The following article is adapted from a press release.
Almost a year ago, Joseph released an empowering new anthem “The Sun,” the second single and title track from their upcoming album The Sun. The new single is released alongside a music video, and tells the story of walking away from a relationship that makes you feel small, and realizing you are more than you think you are. On Jan. 28 at Rams Head Live, Joseph performed song from all four studio albums, and they dedicated about a third of the show to The Sun.
One of the first songs recorded for The Sun, the album’s shimmering title track served as something of a sonic breakthrough for Joseph. The band took a more slowed down, acoustic and serious version of the song out on the road, testing it for audiences while on tour with The Shins. When it came time to lay down the track, with the help of longtime producer Leggy Langdon, the song took on a more buoyant, summery and well, sunny, disposition.
Inspired by Meegan’s experience in working through the lessons of a past relationship, “The Sun” now centers on a lush arrangement of galvanizing rhythms, radiant piano tones, and gorgeously euphoric harmonies—all of which lend a profoundly triumphant spirit to the song’s statement of self-celebration (“I thought I was the light switch you turned on/But I was the Sun”).
Said Meegan, “Many times I have found myself in a position where I’m stuck in cycles of negative self-talk. Times when I have seen myself as bad and struggle seeing any other possible truth. This song is my higher self speaking to that me. It’s me reminding myself that I am more than I think I am.”
Watch the official music video for “The Sun” by Joseph on YouTube:
Choosing their name in deference to their grandfather Jo, and the tiny Oregon town of Joseph where he lived, Natalie Schepman and her two twin sisters Allison and Meegan Closner, grew up in a musical household (their dad was a jazz singer and drummer, their mom a theater teacher), but didn’t sing together until just a few years ago. Joseph officially formed in 2014 when Natalie, an aspiring performer looking for a creative jolt, asked her sisters to form a band together.
They quickly discovered their gift for songwriting and vocal alchemy and began cultivating a devoted fan base playing secret house party gigs before signing with ATO Records. Since then, Joseph has been named a 2016 Spotify Spotlight artist, toured with James Bay and Amos Lee, performed on Ellen, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Today Show, CBS This Morning Saturday, “Later” with Jools Holland and prestigious festival stages like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Outside Lands.
Here are some photos of Joseph performing at Rams Head on Live on Jan. 28, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
