Sam Kinison, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Kris Kristofferson, The Band, Grateful Dead, Gram Parsons, Joni Mitchell, Marty Robbins, Eddy Arnold, Roy Acuff, Ian Thomas, Dolly Parton, The Everly Bros., The Felice Bros., Townes Van Zandt, Delaney & Bonnie, David Rawlings, Hank Williams Sr., Joe Cocker, Toots Hibbert, The Victory Trio
Joshua Panda, a twenty-four year-old singer/songwriter from Charlotte, North Carolina, is an exceptional combination of folk and soul, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding, and has traveled with this unique sound to a unique place: Vermont.
Joshua grew up in Huntersville, NC where at age three he started singing gospel music at Rockwell Baptist Church. From the church, he adopted the gospel hand wave, the rhythm, the wailing, and most importantly the embodiment of spirit. Ever since those early days in the choir, Joshua has oozed with uncontainable emotion and passion.
Integrating such soulful energy into his original folk writings, Joshua not only has established an entirely new genre of music, but also has captured a spirit in his performance, which encompasses both the flailing of a fervent preacher and the intimacy of your best friend telling you a story.
Currently, Joshua is playing with any variation of musicians from Vermont, Montreal, New York City, and North Carolina. Typically his band features guitar, mandolin/piano, accordion, pedal steel, and upright bass. His debut album will be released this summer—an album of love and loss that Joshua calls “my own brand of soul and gospel-based story-telling” He plans to record his second album live in the fall—a compilation of songs that he deems “pull more from my country influences but are still all about story-telling.”
Country influences include Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt, and Ian Thomas. Along with these artists, Joshua lists the singing style of Sam Cooke, the performance aspects of Otis Redding, and the songwriting of Hank Williams as the most dominant influences on his music. With this diverse range of ingredients, the choirboy from Huntersville has come to Vermont with a truly new flavor that could join the likes of Phish food and Cherry Garcia.
"If one were to take the noun, music, and give it a form--a living, breathing, passionate, rich life form in all its shapes, sizes and sounds, it would be delivered in the package that is one, young, Joshua Panda. When Josh sings, plays or performs, there are no boundaries. He weaves his heart and soul into every song, whether it's an original composition created for his solo or band projects, or covering anything from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye to Dylan, The Avett Brothers to The Beatles, there's nothing I can think of, or heard, that he can't do, and do powerfully well. And when he comes to the mic and effortlessly pours out those controlled and commanding vocals, one can only stop, listen...or groove..then ask for more. Music is not only IN Josh Panda's blood, it IS his blood." -Laurie Koster (Charlotte Area Promoter)
ah cool... you did get these uploaded... yeah, it's the "embed" mechanism... you are awesome... sorry the extra playing the other night didn't work out. That would have been THE BEST... oh well! another time.
Shit fuck god damn mutha fukah!?!? Know what? We're runnin outta time already. Let's blow this mutha up! Kinda tired ... So only mentioned you to George Porter Jr. & Ron Holloway. And any of the 10,000,000 people who Could look at it. I ain't playin, but you sho is! Thanks forever. Do your thing, T
yo!! fun tunes... where they recorded at the skinny? i thought I was hearing a mandolin but i don't remember hearing one at the lantern... fun to see ya on the burl street in the early eve yesterday... you rock!! or croon... or something!
just thought i would say hi and that you put on awesome show saturday night at the evening muse. my mom was quite surprised with your style of msic but we both agreed "that boy can sing his off" so please come back to charlotte/NoDa soon. I know my mom(Jeanine) misses you and i sure would like to see you sing again, so dont be a stranger.
We're extremely excited about our return show in Charlotte this week! We're playing the Neighborhood Theatre on Good Friday April 10th with our good friends, Boulder Acoustic Society, and we hope you'll be there.
Tickets are still on sale now at www.neighborhoodtheatre.com . Thanks for all of your support thus far and please be on the look out for announcements about our new album release this summer!
dude; your song writing is really inspiring to me. your lyrics are really effin good. im gona make it up to some of your shows in nc if i can. take care
i'm gonna pretend my name is carmen and that the song is really for me. absolutely love it and hope you are WELL and WARM and loving life dear panda paw.
