Gratitude is one of the great gifts an audience can receive from an artist living their dream up on stage.
Josiah Leming had just celebrated his 35th birthday a few days recently before playing to a sold-out 9:30 Club, and his outpouring of thanks to the enthusiastic crowd demonstrated his larger appreciation for music and all that it’s done for him so far in his lifetime.
Performing as Josiah and the Bonnevilles, Leming filled the hearts of everyone in the packed venue the night of March 30 as he shared his songs and the emotional experiences that have gone into making them so popular so fast.
“This is my first headlining tour, and these have been some of the best nights of my life,” said the Tennessee native currently out in support of his 2023 album, Endurance. It’s his fourth full studio release under the Josiah and the Bonnevilles moniker and one recently reintroduced in a deluxe format.
For anyone in the house who was not aware, Josiah performs as a solo artist — an impressive feat in the esteemed 9:30 Club — but he considers his audience “the Bonnevilles,” and he treats them like longtime bandmates.
Listen to the deluxe version of Josiah and the Bonneville’s latest studio album, Endurance, via Spotify:
All night long, ticketholders rooted for him and recited lyrics line by line; couples swayed in embrace while others simply illuminated their smartphone flashlight at the 9:30 Club stage.
If anyone didn’t feel compelled, Leming invited everyone on hand to join him through an assortment of songs that he’s written along his remarkable path as well as some crowd-pleasing takes from his 2023 Country Covers album, too.
And what a tale he’s led as a blue-collar and painfully honest singer-songwriter: a contestant on American Idol in 2008, Leming managed to get a serious record deal despite not making the show’s “top 24” in that seventh season. He’s even said to have impacted the way the show structured its competition, as wildcards were reintroduced the following year.
Watch this recently released video of Josiah and the Bonnevilles performing the ‘by the creek’ version of “Blood Moon” via the artist’s YouTube channel:
Regardless, Josiah’s first agreement and a couple ensuing efforts went awry. Still, Leming — who’d been writing tunes since his early teens — had effectively put himself on the map of many listeners far and wide. He was resourceful, using the early social media and music-sharing platforms to reach a larger audience. Determined to succeed and potentially turn the tide for his family, he persevered, writing songs and listening to as much music as possible while working pedestrian jobs, including an unrewarding gig at an Amazon warehouse.
With his latest studio album plus as a recent two-song EP titled by the creek, Leming has emerged as a powerhouse, garnering broad appeal with rustic songs that bear longing and hope.
Revisit Josiah and the Bonneville’s album 2022 via Spotify:
This past Saturday night, Josiah gifted 9:30 Club favorites like “Cold Blood” from his first EP, “Six Dollar Check” from 2021’s Motel Mayday, and “Burn,” one of Endurance’s ever-lasting pieces.
Fans heard much of the backstory of these powerful tunes, including the hauntingly beautiful “Ghost” from his album 2022; it was written for his mother, who passed away in 2009 after a battle with cancer.
“She would get the biggest kick out of this right now. … She was my biggest fan,” Josiah said.
His voiced cracked when he talked about his family and the sacrifices that were made, but he added encouragement to anyone in the room forging a course like his.
“I know how hard that career is,” he said. “Trust that feeling in your gut. It may take you a long time, it may take you way off course, but there’s a way back.”
Josiah made use of his harmonica and eventually the small electric piano sitting stage right, and he was not entirely alone for the whole set. He invited two guests: first the night’s opener, Liberian Afro-Appalachian folk artist Mon Rovîa, and then vocalist Lillian Hackett, who helped him deliver an unforgettable take on his obsessive “Blood Mon.”
“DC, this is unreal. I’ve never experienced a show like this,” he said. “Thank you for the greatest night of my life.”
Setlist
Back to Tennessee
Cold Blood (first EP)
Six Dollar Check (motel mayday)
Stolen Love (motel mayday)
Burn
Keeping Love Alive
Anti-Hero (Taylor Swift)
Jersey Giant (Elle King)
Ghost
Another Day at the Factory
Holy Place
Just One Break
Appalachia
Blood Moon (with Lillian Hackett)
One Last Song
Encore
Basic Channels
Below are hand-rolled, home-developed, home-scanned 35mm film shots of Josiah and the Bonnevilles along with the night’s opening act, Mon Rovîa, performing at 9:30 Club in Washington DC on March 30, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
Josiah and the Bonnevilles
Mon Rovîa
