Interview: Josh Damigo

By Caitlin Varner Dec 20th 2011

Josh Damigo is one of San Diego’s most talented up-and-coming musicians. He has been honored with several awards like the 2009 San Diego Music Award for Best Local Recording for his first album, “Raw”. With talent like his there is no question he will be earning at least a few more in his future endeavors. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Josh after his performance at the Belly Up Tavern and get to know this witty California native. From the past to the future and everything in between, he is honest, whimsical, and charming while he shares with us just who Josh Damigo really is.

How would you describe yourself musically?

“It’s a combination of Shawn Mullins, Jason Mraz, and John Mayer. I think that for me it’s like story telling. Its story telling put to song, and that’s how I usually describe myself. I say with a little bit of Spencer and Heidi Pratt.”

So, all the drama?

“Yea exactly.”

How would you describe your everyday self?

“Bored. Moody. I don’t know. I sit around at home and think of different ways to write music. I just made the switch over to full time music and so, I guess right now my regular self is – I wake up in the morning and I go to Snooze, then I go home and listen to a record, write a song, and go to the gym. I think I’m just a prankster who just got lucky enough to sing. If it wasn’t for music I would be on stage goofing off or telling comedy or something. I like performing but music just happens to be it.”

So comedy would be the other career choice?

“Oh, man. Well, I have a master’s degree and I taught high school. So I was a high school teacher for drama and speech and I guess that I’m just a fan of making people smile. So, if it wasn’t that I would probably be a greeter at Walmart.”

Tonight you performed the song “Never Going to Let You Go”. You brought tears to not only my eyes, but several others in the audience. How do you manage to put so much raw emotion into your music and present yourself on stage in a similar way? 

“I think I’ve just always been very open. Ever since I was a little kid I just talked and spoke my mind. On my Facebook and Twitter I piss off a lot of people because I’m just straight up every time. You will pretty much never find someone who is more honest than me. If you go, ‘Hey, what’s your opinion of this?’, I go, eh, it sucks. That’s why it’s really funny that I get along with some of the critics in town because I go, ‘Oh, is that your opinion? Let me tell you mine. Jerk.’ The honest thing is that I just think sometimes the story is more important than what people think about you in the end. I don’t want everyone to feel bad for me because my brother is going through all this because we are getting through it, but, at the same time, his story is more important. It’s more important than any song I’ll ever sing. So being able to tell about our troops coming back is way more important than singing about a girl or whatever song I’m singing.”

You’ve had the opportunity to open for some really big names. If you could pick any band or artist to go on tour with whom would you choose?

“Sean Mullins! He was my absolute favorite. “Lullaby” was his song, and that was what got me into music. I was just like, ‘oh, I want to do that!’ I got to open for him in February and he took us out to dinner afterwards – this is a really good story – he took us out to dinner and we are sitting there and we’re eating this steak, or whatever, and he goes ‘Hey Josh, I want to let you know that you got everything you need to make it in this music industry, now you just gotta be lucky.’ And I was like, ‘well, how do I do that?’ So he signed my poster “Be Lucky”. That was like my Elvis. That was the best feeling and then afterwards he says ‘hey, just another thing you should know. Never bring your wallet to a show.’ And I go, ‘why is that?’ and he’s like, ‘cause you’ll lose it. And by that I mean I didn’t bring my wallet so can you pay for dinner?’ And so I had to pay for dinner for all of us. It was pretty funny. That is one of my favorite stories and he’s super awesome. I’d definitely like to go on tour with him and I think him and I would get along really well.”

You’ve been writing songs and making music for quite a while. Do you have a song of yours that means the most to you?

“Um, I’ve got a couple on this new album that I’m really attached to. The one you heard tonight, “If I Had a Dollar”, that one, I was literally like overdrafting for overdrafting. It was overdraft fee for overdraft fee. I was just looking at it, so I called my friend up to hang out and she goes, ‘You only call me at night and yada yada yada….’ And I was like, ‘Woh, hold up. I would hang out with you all day if I had any money. If I had a dollar I would spend it all….on….you…’ And then I hung up the phone and I didn’t talk to her again after that, but I wrote the song right then. There was a song on my last album called “Pocket Change” which is literally the story of me moving to San Diego and so that means a lot too. I would say those two songs are the most closely related to my life and I hold really close to me.”

Other than tonight, have you ever had any funny live show bloopers?

“Oh, man. Well I’ve been playing for five years so I’ve done it all. I mean I’ve gotten to shows where the sound guy left the room and it was just me, the soundboard and seats. I’ve played empty shows where I’ve just goofed off. I was in Nashville, it was the only show I’ve played in Nashville, and the sound guy’s name was like Jeffrey. Well, I called him Sol, or something really off the wall, the entire night like fifty times. He was so mad at me for forgetting his name he wouldn’t talk to me at the end of the night.  That was probably the worst blooper I’ve had.”

When can we expect your new album?

“Within the next six months. We haven’t picked a release date. We’ve recorded like 28 songs because I’ve been writing and writing and writing. It looks like we’ve got two albums kind of forming. One is kind of like a 60’s retro and the other one is kind of like a country rock. Ryan Adams did the sound and I think right now we are at the stage where we are putting in strings in the next two weeks. So, I would say within the next three, four months my new album will be out. I’m so excited! It will be my first full length studio album. My other one was acoustic and that’s fun, but the next step in my career is to bring in the whole band. I play with a band sometimes and it’s just a whole different vibe. I’m really excited.”

Imagine yourself in 5 years, where would you be?

“If I’m still doing music that would be nice.  I would love to be on tour full time. I would love to have a manager and have the whole thing, you know. Maybe get invited to the Grammy’s at least once. I don’t need to be nominated. I would just love to go. For me, it would be nice to find a nice girl who wasn’t going to cheat on me. You know, the truth is I’m so happy right now. I live in the most beautiful city in the world. I get to wake up when I want and go to bed when I want, and if I’m doing that I don’t have to be rich or famous, I just want to be able to make a living off music. So, if I’m in this exact same place where I am in five years I’ll be ok. It’s one of those things, if you find happiness you don’t want to mess with it. Sometimes we find happiness and we want to poke it will a stick and make it grow or change, but once you find that spot you just let it be. If things happen than that’s great.  So I guess that my five year plan is to keep pushing. I’m a pretty business minded guy, but, at the same time, laugh the whole way and when I stop laughing it’s time to do something else. Then I’ll start doing comedy.”

To find out more on Josh Damigo please visit: joshdamigo.wordpress.com