Joshua Hyslop

Every songwriter finds his or her own way to summon the muse. Some lock themselves away in a bedroom, a hotel suite, or a studio and wait for inspiration to strike. Others deliberately choose, in the words of Robert Frost, a road "less travelled by". Joshua Hyslop took the latter route on his way to Where The Mountain Meets The Valley, the debut album by the 24-year old Vancouver native. And it did, indeed, make all the difference.

Joshua Hyslop can be described as a modern folk musician, an amalgam of influence in the classically romantic tradition of Damien Rice, Ryan Adams, Iron and Wine, and Sufjan Stevens. Like the said proclaimed folksters before him, Joshua is inspired to write largely as a result of the people and relationships surrounding him, while also subjecting his songs to his own vulnerabilities, doubts, and conflicts. He integrates these revelations with his agenda of lyrical candidness, creating an expressive and open art form.