See them all on my Facebook page. (Direct link to gallery.)
March 2023 Guitar Pull photos are up!
It’s been 8 years…
[photo by Towering Above guitarist J. Slickwood.]
Last Friday, my new EP Everyone Is a Moon hit streaming platforms. (Before I go any further, many thanks to all of you who have listened and all who came to the show last week. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.)
I saw a comment on a post about the EP where someone said they felt sadness in my work, and it seemed to surprise them because, according to them, I seem like a happy person.
Compared to when these songs were written, I am in a much better place. But I spent many years hiding depression and putting on that public happy face even when I was a wreck inside.
It’s been 8 years this month since I first went public about depression and started seeking help. It’s been 4 years since I re-started therapy for the same reason.
I’ve always had a tendency to use my music as a form of emotional release, whether full band or solo. I’m a late 90s/early 2000s emo kid at heart. Sad songs have always felt more real to me, relatable, authentic. (They still do.)
At this point, I’ve embraced the #sadboi descriptor for my music. My songs are very personal and yes, tend to be sad and emotional. They are authentic.
For the past 8…ish… months, I have been doing much better. I feel like a different person in many ways. I’ve experienced more peace and calmness and have had fewer bouts with depression. I’m not saying that I’m cured – I still have moments; they just don’t seem to last as long (thankfully.)
But going back to that comment, many people that seem happy are struggling. If you look at comedians, there is a huge swath that deals with depression. Search “comedy and depression” and see all the articles that come up.
I’ve seen an image posted several times over the years that says something like “this is what depression looks like” and it’s pictures of smiling celebrities that either ended their own lives or fell into addictions that did it for them.
How many times have you seen the comment “check on your strong friends”?
So I guess my overall point in this is to encourage you to just… be kind. We never know what another person is struggling with. Even those who seem happy may be hiding inner turmoil. Yes, check on your strong friends. Spread love. Be kind. Seek help (no shame in that; end the stigma.) Find the beauty in the world.
Thanks for reading. Much love.
‘Everyone Is a Moon’ out now!
Check your favorite streaming service to hear the Everyone Is a Moon EP, which is out today!
I put together a YouTube playlist with the four studio versions followed by the four live versions if you’d like to use that to listen. But it’s also on Spotify, Tidal, Bandcamp, etc…
I hope to see you at the release show tonight!
Thanks for listening! Much love!
‘A Darkness Follows’ (live version) video
While the Everyone Is a Moon EP hits streaming services on Friday, here is a live version of the 4th song, titled “A Darkness Follows.”
You can hear live versions of “The Fiction of Closure,” “Nice to Be Needed,” and “Moonbeams” on my YouTube channel (subscribe while you’re there! Also, do the same for Terrible Master Films please.)
Also… Monday marked the three-year anniversary of the release of Carry the Wounds. It’s available on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, etc..
Let’s see… what else…
Ah, so… when Carry the Wounds was released, I performed that night at Goat Haus Biergarten in downtown Montgomery, AL. And for the release of Everyone Is a Moon, I’m going to do the same. So please join me this Friday evening at 6:30pm for a live performance.
Aaaaaand many thanks to Shannon Heupel at the Montgomery Advertiser for including this Friday’s show in his list of 10 things to do this weekend and for the kind words:
“Montgomery has musicians and singer/songwriters. Montgomery also has actors, writers, filmmakers and photographers. Fortunately for all of us, we have the amazing Josh Carples, who is all of them in one.”
I think that’s all for now. I hope to see you Friday evening! Thanks for reading, listening, and being awesome. Much love!
‘Moonbeams’ (live version) video
Ayyyyye! We’re officially one week away from the release of Everyone Is a Moon! The new #sadboi 4-song EP hits streaming services March 10, and the third song on it is called “Moonbeams.” While we’re still a week out from the studio version release, here’s a live version of the song:
If you missed the previous live versions of “The Fiction of Closure” or “Nice to Be Needed,” check those out on my YouTube channel (and subscribe if you haven’t already done so.)
These live videos were produced through my film company Terrible Master Films, which also has a YouTube channel (so, you know, subscribe to that one as well, por favor.)
Also, yesterday I posted the official audio from the studio version of “The Fiction of Closure” so be sure to check that out as well.
If you’re in the Montgomery, AL area next Friday evening, I’d love for you to join me for a live performance at Goat Haus Biergarten celebrating Everyone Is a Moon.
Thanks for listening, supporting… subscribing… hint, hint… and all the other awesome stuff you do. Much love!
‘Nice to Be Needed’ (live version) video
Hi! Last week, I released a live version of the first song from my upcoming EP Everyone Is a Moon. And today, I’m releasing a live version of the second track, titled “Nice to Be Needed.”
Everyone Is a Moon hits streaming platforms on March 10, and that night I’ll be performing at Goat Haus Biergarten in downtown Montgomery. Details here.
Special thanks to Towering Above guitarist J. Slickwood for the above meme 🙂
I hope you enjoy! Thanks for listening, reading, supporting, and all that good stuff. For real. Much appreciated. Much love to you.
‘The Fiction of Closure’ (live version) video
Hey! Hi! Hello! Hola! Good morning/afternoon/evening/whenever you’re seeing this!
So… late last month, I announced that I’ve got a new EP coming out March 10 called Everyone Is a Moon. Like the rest of my studio albums, I layered things in the studio – guitars, vocals, piano, etc., but my live show is just me and a guitar. So I wanted to do something different this time and release some live versions in advance of the studio versions.
The first track on Everyone Is a Moon is called “The Fiction of Closure,” and the live version is now on YouTube.
I’ll be performing at Goat Haus Biergarten in downtown Montgomery on March 10 for the EP release show. Here’s a link to the Facebook event. I hope you can make it out that night!
Also, there’s a new shirt available in my online merch store with the EP cover art on it.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, listening, watching, supporting, loving, and being the most authentic version of you that you can be. (The world needs you to be you.) Much love.
‘Lake City Quiet Pills’ video and ‘Coffee with Friends’ on Amazon
I should have already posted this stuff… Oops… Got sidetracked with other stuff… So anyway…
The short film Coffee with Friends, directed by Jimmie and Autumn Rogers, can be seen on Amazon as part of a horror compilation called Franny Kruugerr presents Scary Stories.
The film currently has 17 film festival wins and 1 nomination on IMDb. In this one, I play a serial killer (big surprise, right?) named Dennis.
In other news, the music video for the song “Lake City Quiet Pills” by Towering Above was also released recently. Produced by Terrible Master Films, the video includes live footage and studio footage from when we were at Headless Dinosaur Recording working on The Bleak.
I think that’s all for now… More Everyone Is a Moon news will be coming soon…
Thanks for reading, watching, listening, etc. Much love!
Everyone Is a Moon
Hi! On Friday, March 10, 2023, I will be releasing a new 4-song EP titled Everyone Is a Moon.
Track listing:
- The Fiction of Closure
- Nice to Be Needed
- Moonbeams
- A Darkness Follows
Originally this was going to be the title for my last album, but Carry the Wounds felt more appropriate for that one. These four songs were originally going to be on that album as well, but some newer ones, again, felt more appropriate for that release.
For anyone wondering, the title comes from a Mark Twain quote:
“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
To me, that quote speaks to the essence of authenticity. I have a history of coming across as guarded, even when I wasn’t trying to be. So the past eight-ish years or so, I have made conscious efforts to be more vulnerable and live my authenticity. And one thing I can say – even while coming across as guarded in relationships or social situations, my music has always explored deeply personal emotions. That “dark side,” as Mark Twain called it, has been there, out in public, just in musical form.
Everyone Is a Moon will be on all major streaming platforms March 10.
January 2023 Guitar Pull photos are up!
See them all on my Facebook page. (Direct link to gallery.)
josh carples 