From sleeping in the office to Queen comparisons, Josh Fix hits big
November 1, 2006

(By Brad Revare)

— The Who. Lenny Kravitz. Eddie Van Halen. A pretty remarkable group of music admirers for an artist who hasn't even put out a real record yet. Meet Josh Fix, a piano-pounding newcomer who draws comparisons to Ben Folds, Billy Joel, and oddly enough, Queen.

His only published music, his demo EP "Steinway the Hard Way" (available on iTunes) is a collection of very promising songs, including the mid-tempo Joel-esque ballad "Burn It Down." The song displays Fix's mature and remorseful lyrics, even wistful at times. Other songs on the album, such as "Coma," almost seem '80s-tinged, but in a talented sense. The Queen influences come out at strange times, but it is extremely gratifying to hear semblances of one of the greatest rock bands ever.

"Faking It" shows Fix's wry, bittersweet lyrical humor, "I just sold my soul, and they’ll all think I bared my heart/ They’ll blow themselves apart off my sincerity," which adds to his excellent music composition skills.

Unfortunately, two of Fix's best songs are not on the EP, but can only be found as demo MP3s on his Web site, www.joshfix.com. The tracks, "Bad with the Superbad," and "Don't Call Me" are raucous, sneering and incredibly energetic. "Superbad" has one of the most deliciously vindictive choruses heard in a while, "And all your yuppie friends, keep them in the minivan." Similarly, "Don't Call Me" invites comparisons to famous rebel Ben Folds Five tracks like "Philosophy" and "Underground," otherwise known as the heyday of aggressive piano pop music, the likes of which haven't been seen in close to a decade.

Going back to the EP, the track "What's the Point?" is eerily similar to Jeff Buckley's work on "Grace." The album closes with the contemplative, sorrow-tinged "Pretty Things," which seems to pay homage to the great piano pop players of the '70s and '80s, Joel and Elton John.

Of course, as with all good artists, the background story is always as good as the music and Fix's doesn't disappoint. A Bates College graduate who lost his father during his sophomore year, Fix composed a symphony for his senior thesis, and then moved west to the Golden Coast, San Francisco, to find a job, not necessarily in music.

While working for an insurance company, Fix decided he needed to save up extra money for a digital studio, so he moved into the filing room in the office where he worked, of which Fix was the only person to frequent and luckily avoided being caught literally sleeping on the job. He took showers at the gym below his offices, and got his clothes cleaned at the dry cleaners nearby.

The months of scrimping money seem to have paid off, as Fix is well on his way to becoming the next big thing in piano rock. With the success of mainstream bands such as The Fray, Fix should have no problem finding at the very least, a niche similar to the one Ben Folds Five enjoyed as unruly piano players in a safe mainstream music environment. In the near future, Fix should be releasing his first full album, and one can only anxiously await a song about sleeping in the office.

------(c) 2006, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

BACK to the press page