
By: Bailey Faulkner
Interested in some new tunes? Local musician and Appalachian native Joseph Houck has recently released Roam, his first full-length album. Having finished the recording process over the summer, he is now promoting his new, folk-Americana album in the Boone area.
Joseph Houck
Hailing from the mountains of North Carolina, Houck began his music career as an ASU student, sharing his raw, acoustic demos on SoundCloud.com. In 2012, he received praise for Forgotten, his first digital EP.
Shortly after releasing Forgotten, Houck co-founded the Boone-based rock band Wild Honey along with Jeff Martin and Dylan Spagnolo. Since forming, Wild Honey has played several shows in the Boone area. Last year, the band performed a fully original set at the Ashe County Civic Center.
Now, Houck is promoting Roam, his new Appalachian- and Americana-inspired, 11-track album. Completed over the summer of 2015, Roam is his first full-length album.
Houck included a range of songs on the album, choosing to incorporate tracks that he has written over the last few years. Using the Internet, Houck reached out to several musicians for help during the recording process.
“I was lucky to collaborate with artists from around the globe using SoundCloud,” Houck said.
Roam’s classic instrumentation meshes nicely with Houck’s voice, giving listeners a sound that is easily recognizable as Appalachian in spirit. In addition to High Country influences, Roam also contains elements of folk, classic rock, country and other American styles.
Each of Roam’s songs is tied together by a theme of travel.
“I wanted the album itself to feel like an overall journey to the listener,” Houck said.
Literature played a large role in forming Houck’s theme of travel.
“I was inspired by the stages of the hero’s journey as seen in epics like Homer’s Odyssey,” Houck said.
Inspired by various literary works that he was reading for his college classes at the time, Houck also drew inspiration from American literature, perhaps most apparent in his Robert Frost-inspired track “Through the Window.”
During the writing and recording processes, Houck also found inspiration from classic American musicians, ranging from Bob Dylan to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.
Appalachian Mountain Brewery
Houck will perform in the coming months at Appalachian Mountain Brewery in promotion of Roam.
“Fans can expect a stripped-back acoustic performance of the songs from the album, along with older originals and various covers,” Houck said.
Jeff Martin, who appeared on Roam, will join Houck on stage during the AMB sets.
Martin will “help bring the tunes to life for a live audience,” Houck added.
Fans can check out Houck at AMB on the following dates:
Saturday, January 23: 8:45p.m. – 10:45p.m.
Saturday, February 27: 8:45p.m. – 10:45p.m.
Saturday, March 12: 8:45p.m. – 10:45p.m.
With a delightful and truly Appalachian environment, Appalachian Mountain Brewery will be hosting each of these shows with no admission charges.
For more concert dates and information about Roam and Houck’s other music, listeners should visit his website josephhouckmusic.com. The site also includes biographical information and reviews of Houck’s music.
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