A breathtaking dreamscape of through-hiking the Appalachian Trail. A conversation between a child and mother nature. A revved-up boot-stomping ode to antiquities. These are just some of the things you’ll hear from Jim Thorpe singer-songwriter Joshua Finsel on his gorgeous new record No Honey, and this week he brings them to life set to sweeping Americana tones in WXPN’s performance space.
A longtime Lehigh Valley musician — he fronts the band Free Range Folk and is a solo banjoist as well — No Honey is the latest release under Finsel’s own name. In this session, he chats with The Folk Show’s Ian Zolitor about making his distinctive brand of psychedelia-influenced roots music. They break down songs and reflect on honoring the past while looking to the future. We hear about Finsel’s love for cerebral lyricism, and the friends-and-family nature of this ensemble of players. On this session, Finsel’s wife Amber plays bass and sings, their daughter Ada is a guest vocalist on “The Drought,” and the band is rounded out with neighbors and close companions: Brett Andrew on electric guitar, Doug Makofka on accordion and keys, Dennis Patrick on drums.
Watch the conversation and performance below, from the hard-hitting slow burn of opener “Before The Snow” to the gnarly rock of the closing “Reputation Blues.” No Honey is out February 6th, it can be pre-ordered on Bandcamp, and Finsel and his band perform that night at Jim Thorpe’s famed Mauch Chunk Opera House for an album release celebration. Tickets and more information can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.