We’ve recently returned from about a week or so in the capital of England and the United Kingdom, none other than London – Town.  Many new faces and folks we met.  It was a quality adventure and we are looking forward to returning soon.  It may be sooner than you think.  Now mind the gap… Oh yeah and Happy Valentine’s Day, now go buy a bunch of overpriced roses for your sweetheart.

Joshua and his band of breathren aka- “The Great Northplatte”, recently visited the fine folks at WXPN in Philadelphia, PA on a stop during their Fall tour. They taped a sessions of NPR’s “World Cafe” that will be airing tonight across the U.S.A. Click here to find local radio info and air times. A big thanks to David Dye, Dan Reed, Bruce Warren and everyone at XPN for hooking it up!  

We are proud to report that “Build Me This” was selected by iTunes as one of best albums of the year!!! There were 20 albums selected by iTunes this year in the “Best of 2009″ Singer/Songwriter category. Joshua’s record shares great company with Andrew Bird’s “Noble Beast”, Bon Iver’s “Blood Bank”, Swell Season’s “Strict Joy”, and Ingrid Michaelson’s “Everybody” to name a few. We thank iTunes for the commendation!

Check out Joshua, Evan, and Kyle live at KGSR in Austin. The day after they played Stubbs (which was a great show by the way with the lovely Lex Land on the bill) they visited Andy Langer and Bryan Beck at KGSR for an interview and stripped down versions of “Black July” and “Coal War”.

Links here:
Interview
Black July
Coal War

On an earlier stop during the latest round of touring, the boys played a show at the Independent in San Francisco. The folks from Pandora were there to record a few tracks. The next night Joshua and crew opened for Ben Harper and Relentless 7 in Oakland at the Fox. Definitely a highlight of the tour. Thanks Ben!

Check these out from Pandora:

Farmer From the West – (Bonus track from “Build Me This”)

Glenn Tipton – (cover of Sun Kil Moon track from “Ghosts of the Great Highway”)

“James is a songwriter with more than just a hint of beauty in his voice and his words seem to come from the ends of dusty roads and bottomless nights that just keep on stretching and stretching and feeling as if they’ll never turn. The songs on his latest album, “Build Me This,” and his previous, “The Sun Is Always Brighter,” are full of tales of unmistakable woes that would never be considered rare or out of the ordinary.” – Sean Moeller
Check it out here

We’d like to thank Ariana and Jason for featuring “In The Middle” off Joshua’s new record Build Me This on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic this morning. You can download the track and find out more at KCRW.com. Also don’t forget for you Angeleno’s, Joshua will be at the Troubadour this coming monday September 14th! Don’t be shy!!!!!

The boys are headed out on the road again and are looking forward to seeing all your warm and smiling faces. Joining Joshua and “The Great Northplatte” is the lovely Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons for most of the dates. It’s great getting the new record out there and circulating in person. Come out and say hello. Check the tour dates!!!!!! The guys will be out on the road through November. Dates are continually being posted.

The 2nd album from Joshua James, “Build Me This” will be releasing on double vinyl and via iTunes on September 8th, 2009. The full release including the cd, will then be available everywhere on September 22nd, 2008.  ( Update – Vinyl is unfortunately delayed a few weeks due to some technical issues and the need to re-press one of the LP’s.  Stay tuned…)

The vinyl edition of “Build Me This” will be 2 LP’s with a bonus side containing 5 additional songs. A CD with all 18 songs is included in the Vinyl packaging for those that want both formats. Bonus tracks and goodies will be available through iTunes as well. Joshua and crew are anxious and enthralled to get this record out into the world. More annoucements very very soon!!!

Joshua recently headed to Japan for a quick publicity tour on the April 1st release of “The Sun Is Always Brighter” in Japan through Tokyo based Manhattan Records.  The guys played a few in-stores and shows, filled their bellies with fish, and sat on airplanes for long periods of time.  

Joshua and crew head back out in the U.S. for the continutation of their tour on April 10. They start for 3 dates with the Duhks in Annapolis, MD, and continue for a string of dates with Ani Difranco. After that they join Rocco Deluca for the remainder of shows. These are all great nights of music, so check out the tour dates and get your tickets in advance by clicking the “Buy Tickets” link.