Joe Redding on The Taz Michaels Show

Words by John Howland. Photo by Brianna Christenson.

Local singer/songwriter, Joe Redding, stopped in for the first hour of the Taz Michaels show this week, sharing with us his passion for a soulful, folk sound that is raw and full of grit. The heavy baritone, who showed no fear of higher registers, performed a few of his songs off his most recently released digital album ‘Give Love to Get Love,’ quickly showing listeners what he is all about. The self-proclaimed “troubadour” is out with a passion to record and perform his lyrically grounded songs of pain and suffering, drawing on his influences from the likes of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams.

Calling himself “more of a songwriter than anything else,” Redding got hooked on the heavy hitting, outlaw style of folk music when he was a child living in New York. “It was the music video to Jonny Cash’s song, "Hurt" that got me,” he said.  His next step into the world of songwriting came when a trip to Mississippi with a then-girlfriend went south and sent an angered Redding back home with nothing but his car and a newly acquired Hank Williams CD — the disc that would inspire his voice. Pulling his content from personal experiences, Joe played one of his song’s, "Street Girl Under Street Lights" for us which talks about a New Orleans stripper and pair of lethal stilettos.

Redding is on a mission to preserve his collection of forty original, story-filled tunes, recording them in three or four song albums at a time. The recent Burlington College film and music grad is looking towards the completion of his newest project, a four-song collection of politically charged tunes entitled, 'City Without Wine.' Due to technical difficulties Redding was unable to air his title track, "City Without Wine," on the show, but it can be heard online at http://joeredding.tumblr.com/post/17784344272/citywithoutwine

Open to exploring new sounds, Redding has teamed up with the Burlington based artist collective Jenke Recordings; whom, Redding says, gives its artists the promotional support they need without invading on their individual sounds. On the bill for local shows, Joe Redding will be live at Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont on Thursday, February 23 as well as a show at The Monkey House in Winooski on Tuesday, February 28.

More on Joe Redding can be found online at: http://www.facebook.com/SongsofJoeRedding http://joeredding.tumblr.com/ http://youtube.com/user/MrJoeRedding