Interviews, News, Reviews

Jericho Woods explore their musical roots with new release

by Jessica Blankenship

For many that follow the Kentucky music scene, their ears tend to head east towards Appalachia.  However, most do not realize that Kentucky has such rich potential with those beyond the mountain region.  One of those musical talents is Jericho Woods, who is releasing their second album on May 3, 2019.  We recently sat down and talked with Josh Mitcham, lead vocalist of Jericho Woods.

Even though the song is at the end of the album, “One Perfect Song” details about being on the road on tour.  According to Josh Mitcham, “We decided that if we’re going to have to be away from home, we might as well enjoy it.  We were coming down from Illinois heading towards Kansas City, and it only took us 45 minutes out of the way to go Mark Twain’s birthplace there in Hannibal.  I love Mark Twain and they had a really cool micro-brewery and we ate hot wings.  We checked out the town.  If you’re rushing from point A to point B, the instead of all the hotel rooms like pretty much the same. Anytime someone has had an interest in something, we will stop by and visit.  That’s the fun thing for me.  I really enjoy being out on the road.  We love being tourists.  What’s the point in touring America if you only see the inside of a bus or a smoky bar somewhere?”  This would also be one of the band’s favorite songs to perform live for fans.

Over the years, Josh Mitcham and his cousin, Paul Priest, have stayed strong in performing in the band.  There have been a few changes over the years, but Josh and Paul have enjoyed being the original members.  When asked what motivates them to keep performing, Josh noted, “We don’t really have a scene where we’re from.  We’re not near a big city music scene really.  The ones that have been really receptive to us are Bowling Green and Lexington, which are a couple of hours away in both directions.  We really sit back and ask ourselves what the people around us respond to.  It’s working men, like in ‘Monday Morning Cigarette’ song on the album.  They’re getting up and going to work that takes an hour of driving to get there and an hour to drive home.  Then you’re still tired and still have to be dad, be a husband.”

For many that try to describe the style of music of Jericho Woods, it would more of a rural living sound as compared to those living east of I-75.  “It’s regular farming folks that live in a small town and don’t have much going on,” according to Mitcham.  “We’ve got a lot of the same problems on our side of the state as compared to those across the state.”

Throughout the album, there is a unique blend of country, bluegrass, even blues, jazz, and coastal sounds.  With “Firefly,” it is an upbeat tune that you can imagine driving in your truck down the highway.  However, when you listen to “Ms. Divine,” you have a Latin American influence with the beauty of the lyrics in the song.  A true musician can expand their musical boundaries, yet make the music sound like their own.

If you get a physical copy of the new cd, you will notice some interesting artwork on it.  Not only is he a singer-songwriter, FFA Camp Director, and performer, Josh Mitcham has completed some beautiful pieces of artwork.

“If you notice it, it has a bass clef and a treble clef,” according to Mitcham.  “One side represents Paul and one side me; it’s representative of all things important to us.  It isn’t a religious record, but it was deeply spiritual to us with a lot of things we were talking about.  It is sacred to us.  If one of these songs helps turn the tide, that would be great.”

As far as the name Jericho Woods, it originated from the Bible in the book of Joshua with the Battle of Jericho.  With the Woods added on, they wanted to, “have a sound of a Marlboro man, earthy, regular old country guy appeal to where they thought it was somebody.  Of course, we get that all that time when someone calls one of us Jericho.”

Fans can check out Jericho Woods with several upcoming shows in support of their album release.  On May 25th, they will be at Country Boy in Georgetown.  They will also be performing at Master Musician’s Festival in Somerset, Thursday Night Live in London, Manchester Music Festival, and more.  Be sure to check them out online at https://jerichowoodsband.com/ and on Facebook.

Jericho Woods “One Perfect Sound” Track List

  1. Wrong Thing Right Reason
  2. Firefly
  3. Hangover Town
  4. Love the Way You Love Me
  5. Song Like This
  6. Monday Morning Cigarette
  7. Wrong So Gone
  8. Miss Divine
  9. Tennessee
  10. One Perfect Sound