Mighty Joshua at Sprint Pavilion – September 7
The Guide chats with Mighty Joshua, VA’s 2-year running Reggae Ambassador, who’s kicking off his tour TOMORROW, September 7 with Love Canon at the Sprint Pavilion in a beautiful mashup benefiting The Front Porch.
On Mighty Joshua’s last visit to Charlottesville:
The last time that I came to Charlottesville, I stopped on my way back from playing Floyd Yoga Jam to visit my mother in Keswick. While there, I asked my mother for advice, walked my childhood yard barefoot and rode motorcycles with my nephew. The festival was amazing! It wraps up our summer tour and allows us to enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors of Floyd Co. They put us up in a really nice house, but we ended up camping by the creek. While in Charlottesville I stopped by Juice Laundry, and went to my moms in hopes to get some potato salad.
On the Best and Worst of touring…
The best thing about touring is the time on the road spent with some of your best friends. When we aren’t on stage, we’re exploring the town or city that we’re in trying to take in as much of the local culture as possible. My band loves to eat and meet the locals. We eat together, and laugh a lot!
The worst things about touring for me is, trying to adjust to a normal schedule of sleep and work once the tour is done. I love a good road trip, but when you realize how much time you spend in a car vs the stage it can be a little maddening.
On his relationship to Charlottesville…
Charlottesville is filled with natural beauty. I grew up in Keswick, and spent a lot of my formative years in C-Ville. I had a wonderful childhood, so my memories of Charlottesville are equally as wonderful.
As an adult, I see that it’s a complex little town, that is proud of its history and seemingly nervous about it’s future. The future of Charlottesville doesn’t look like its “founders” and that really scares some people.
I’ll always love Charlottesville, it’s the perfect little place that has great opportunity and responsibility to show the world how to grow past your past, really evolve.
Favorite Charlottesville Memory?
One of my favorite Charlottesville memories include my mother and father taking my two brothers and I to Booker T. Washington Park right after a snow storm…it doesn’t snow like that anymore. We would fill those huge inter tubes used for 18 wheelers with air, and literally fly down that big hill together. One year we were on the cover of The Daily Progress, airborne.
Best Music Moment?
I haven’t had it yet, but coming home and playing a sold out show in Charlottesville was pretty amazing. There was a line out the door, with people waiting in the rain. I couldn’t believe it.
First time you felt like a rockstar?
I’m not sure if it made me feel like a rockstar, it was quite humbling. I was in Kenya E. Africa in support of a children’s center in Makindu and to play a few shows. I had been in country for 24 hours before I visited Nairobi National Museum. While at the museum a couple approached me and asked if I was THE Mighty Joshua. It was probably due to the amazing promotional efforts of my band there, Yellow Light Machine, but the reality that I was playing music in the motherland set in at that moment.
Most recently we played a festival where our hospitality rider was fulfilled completely. I composed our rider a while ago and had forgotten a few of the items that I had listed. When we arrived to the festival and entered our tent backstage I saw a full spread of the weird random things that I had put on our rider long ago…Dried mango, sparkling water in glass, unscented lotion, and I’m still not sure where they got a bengal tiger from!!!
On Music, Education and Volunteering…
I truly believe that music is the language that we all speak and understand. Music can start wars or end them! Music can bring communities together in ways that politicians, and religious leaders can not. When you hear the phrase “We must build more bridges, and tear down walls”, organizations like The Front Porch are building bridges for the Charlottesville communities. Music education for our youth is a valuable investment, that has a sure return.
I also support what The IX Art Park represents in this city. When I was a youth in C-Ville nothing like it exists. Spaces like this will help Charlottesville evolve.
Internationally, I and my band have supported the Makindu Children’s Center in Kenya E. Africa for well over a decade. MCC is an amazing place helping create a brighter future for some amazing kids!
Fall tour kicking off at Sprint Pavilion on Saturday, September 7th. Doors open at 6:00pm, show starts at 7:00pm, and $25 general admission tickets are available now!
