A great blues guitarist from Florida, Josh Smith. He moved to Los Angeles 2 years ago and he is now playing with great new soul singer, Ricky Fante. (Sep 8. 2004)

"Reason of moving to Los Angeles"

Pci: So I guess you started playing guitar in Florida. When did you start?

Josh: I have been playing since 6 years old. I got my first guitar when I was three. My parents gave it to me as a gift. Pretty much all of my parents were into were sports and music so that's what I was into. I played sports and I played music and I did both. I was either going to be a baseball player or a guitar player and eventually I had to choose which one I was better at and I was better at guitar so I chose guitar.

Pci: So when did you deicide?

Josh: Well, I did both all the way up until High School.

Pci: So what kind of music did you play at that time?

Josh: Yeah, that was kind of interesting. What my parents listen to was blues, jazz and rock'n roll so not what every other kid in school would listen to. But that's what I grew up on. My dad always had stuff like B.B. King, Allman Brothers, Hendrix, Coltrane, and Miles Davis so that's what I thought everyone listen to until I got to High School.

Pci: What was the popular music at that time when you were listening to your dad's stuff?

Josh: 80's metal was popular when I was a kid. Every kid in my class had Metallica shirt on Poison and Rat and all that stuff and I just didnﾕt really get into it. I've always been more of a Roots, Blues, Rock, and Jazz guy and that's just what I grew up on and what grabbed me.

Pci: I see. Did you do some live in Florida? Which City did you live in?

Josh: Fort Lauderdale, down by Miami. So yeah, I progressed pretty quickly as a guitar player for a young guy and got frustrated because the friends I would make were not at my level musically because I was playing so long already and mostly of them had just started. They also werenﾕt interested in the music I was into so I got kind of frustrated. At 14 years old I had my parents take me out to open jams at bars and stuff. Blues jam, rock, and jazz.

Pci: So your parents took you there?

Josh: Yeah. They were very supportive. They would take me to these places and I would sit in with adults. At first it was cool because I was this little kid with big guitar and I played okay and I got up and anybody who's in the audience would start applauding because I was a kid, you know? But I didn't care because I was hooked, you know? I was like "This is great!" It was first time I got up in front of adults and I was really playing something. I was hooked forever. I just kept on going back to jams every week. The first year of High School, this one band that was playing every week in this place and they were good guys and they asked me if I wanted to play with them all the time and just join. So I did and that's how it kind of got started for me.

Pci: Blues band?

Josh: Yeah, it was a blues band and that's how it started. We played around Florida every weekend this and that and just kind of took off. We made a CD and it was voted the best blues band in Florida and we started going on the road and that was it, you know? Eventually it became my band and I started singing and then it became the Josh Smith and the Frost. That was the band. We put out a few CDs and up until few years ago that was all I did. I did my own stuff and I had Jim Gaines produce two CDs. He produced Santana and Stevie Ray and toured year around playing festivals and blues clubs and it was great. It was my life. Until it just got too hard to sustain a band out there all night long all by myself. That's why I moved to LA to take a break from being a leader of a band and having to deal with all of the responsibilities.

Pci: Are the other members still in Florida?

Josh: Yeah. They are in Florida. It was really tough. Of course over the life of the band, which is 6 to 7 years, we changed a lot of members. But the last two that I had in Florida joined after I kind of slowed down. I stopped going on the road so much and we were just playing around Florida but they are the best guys I have ever had. So it was frustrating to leave them behind.

Pci: Did you have a particular opportunities here waiting for you?

Josh: No, I just made the decision. My uncle lives here and he was kind of in the field, he's the only one in the family who does music. He writes music for Film and Television so he has a studio and he does very well. So before I moved, I came out here and went to clubs every night and jammed.

Pci: Did you come here two years ago?

Josh: Yup, July 2002, so it's been just two years.

Pci: How do you like Los Angeles?

Josh: I like it a lot. I've been here many times with my band on the road and I've also come to visit my uncle many times growing up but I like it more than I thought I would like it. I never thought I like it living here but it's nice. The weather is great, and it's big like Florida. There are a lot of things to do and you can never run out of things to do. And like most people the worst thing about it is it's super expensive to live here and the traffic is worse than any place on the planet.

Pci: Which place did you play in Los Angeles?

Josh: We played in B.B. King Club a few times when we were on the road, we played in Universal, we played Mint few times, Cozy's. We'd also played in Blue Cafe in Long Beach, Cafe Boogaloo in Harmosa Beach.

Pci: You came to those places with your band?

Josh: When I first came here, I didn't have anything. A couple of the places like the Harvelle's in Santa Monica and especially Cafe Boogaloo in Harmosa Beach, I still have relationship because I had been booking myself there so I played there a little when I first came here until I got the gig with Ricky and I've been so busy that I haven't been able to play at all.

Pci: Speaking of Ricky, how did you find this opportunity?

Josh: Well, I lucked out. I found the gig thru Barry Squire who is pretty much the guy in town. When I came to visit before I moved, every musician said this is the guy you have to meet and get on his list. He sets up all the auditions. Whenever a band is getting ready put together to go out on the road, he's the guy. So I had friends who knew him already so they got me in pretty quick.

Pci: Is he some sort of a promoter?

Josh: He is a middleman. He booked people up and sets up auditions. He sets up the auditions when people need band and huge shows. Through him, when I first move here before I got the gig with Ricky, I auditioned for Kelly Osborne and all of these other big stuff and Ricky one was the first one and I've had this one over a year.

Pci: When did you start with Ricky?

Josh: Last August and it's been really busy. His record just now came out on Virgin and it's been a month so we are just starting to get busy. We just did Leno and Conan and all of the TV show. We've been doing so much promotion the past year and finally now the record is out, and now tour. Just gotta sell the record now so we are starting to tour.

Pci: It looks like Virgin record is doing a huge promotion.

Josh: Yeah. They are really behind them and it's good music. It's not exactly pop and it's old school but it's good stuff and hopefully it'll catch on but it's been a fun gig. Also because most of the stuff I audition before this was not my kind of music, you know? They were pop, rock, or punk. This Ricky's work is a kind of my background and my field so it's perfect for me.

Pci: You actually invited us to Roxy, Hollywood the other day and we took several live pictures of you and Ricky and we put it into our live report pages. We are getting a lot of reactions from our audiences.

Josh: Good!

Pci: His CD is now getting pretty popular in Japan, too.

Josh: It is available there so everybody goes buy it.
http://www.rickyfante.com/

(To be continued to the next page)