Joe Pug
Encyclopedia
Joe Pug is a singer-songwriter
from Chicago
. He has released two EPs
, Nation of Heat and In the Meantime, the latter of which has been made available for free on his website. He has toured extensively since 2008 and has opened for alt-country pioneer Steve Earle
, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter
and folk rocker M. Ward among others. Pug released his first full-length album, Messenger, in February 2010.
Pug packed up his belongings and while traveling found himself finally arriving in Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23 year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn’t picked up since his teenage years. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called "Austin Fish," Pug began creating the lyrical arrangements that would later become the Nation of Heat EP.
The songs were recorded fast and fervently at a Chicago studio where a friend sneaked him in to late night slots that other musicians had canceled. Finally, the EP known as "Nation of Heat" was released in 2008.
An EP of songs that were recorded but not released on the "Nation of Heat" EP called "In the Meantime" was released in 2009 for free on his website for anyone who joined his mailing list.
Once again Pug embarked on a lengthy tour to promote himself and his music across North America with opening act "Strand of Oaks". The two of them would record a two song EP of each act covering a song from the other before Joe finally prepared to step back into the studio the following summer. The unnamed album will be completed sometime in 2011.
In response to chronically high service fees on tickets, Pug has also begun experimenting with ticketing his own tours, selling directly to fans via his website with substantially lower fees, and often no fees at all.
Studio EPs
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He has released two EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, Nation of Heat and In the Meantime, the latter of which has been made available for free on his website. He has toured extensively since 2008 and has opened for alt-country pioneer Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...
and folk rocker M. Ward among others. Pug released his first full-length album, Messenger, in February 2010.
Origins and Nation of Heat
Originally from Maryland, Pug attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School before going on to the University of North Carolina, where the day before his senior year as a playwright student, he resigned himself to beginning his career as a musician.Pug packed up his belongings and while traveling found himself finally arriving in Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23 year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn’t picked up since his teenage years. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called "Austin Fish," Pug began creating the lyrical arrangements that would later become the Nation of Heat EP.
The songs were recorded fast and fervently at a Chicago studio where a friend sneaked him in to late night slots that other musicians had canceled. Finally, the EP known as "Nation of Heat" was released in 2008.
An EP of songs that were recorded but not released on the "Nation of Heat" EP called "In the Meantime" was released in 2009 for free on his website for anyone who joined his mailing list.
Messenger and Future
After extensive touring Pug stepped back into the studio to record his first full length studio album, "Messenger". The album would be different from the original EPs in that they included a full band on some tracks. A more somber set of recordings, "Messenger" was released in 2010 to great reviews.Once again Pug embarked on a lengthy tour to promote himself and his music across North America with opening act "Strand of Oaks". The two of them would record a two song EP of each act covering a song from the other before Joe finally prepared to step back into the studio the following summer. The unnamed album will be completed sometime in 2011.
In response to chronically high service fees on tickets, Pug has also begun experimenting with ticketing his own tours, selling directly to fans via his website with substantially lower fees, and often no fees at all.
Discography
Studio albums- 2010: Messenger
Studio EPs
- 2008: Nation of Heat
- 2009: In the Meantime
- 2011: EP with Strand of Oaks
External links
- JoePug.Eu European website
- NPR NPR feature of "Hymn 101"
- Listen and Download Joe Pug Live at Newport Folk
- Joe Pug collection at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
's live music archive