| Joe Pug | |
|---|---|
Joe Pug live in 2011 |
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| Background information | |
| Genres | Folk/Acoustic/Country |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Acoustic Guitar, Vocals, Banjo, Harmonica |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Lightning Rod |
| Website | Joe Pug official website |
Joe Pug (born Joe Pugliese) is a singer-songwriter from Chicago. He has released two EPs, Nation of Heat and In the Meantime, the latter of which has been made available for free on his website. He has toured extensively since 2008 and has opened for alt-country pioneer Steve Earle, singer-songwriter Josh Ritter and folk rocker M. Ward among others. Pug released his first full-length album, Messenger, in February 2010.[1]
Contents |
Originally from Maryland, Pug attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School before going on to the University of North Carolina, where the day before his senior year as a playwright student, he resigned himself to beginning his career as a musician.
Pug packed up his belongings and while traveling found himself finally arriving in Chicago. Working as a carpenter by day, the 23 year-old Pug spent nights playing the guitar he hadn’t picked up since his teenage years. Using ideas originally slated for a play he was writing called "Austin Fish," Pug began creating the lyrical arrangements that would later become the Nation of Heat EP.
The songs were recorded fast and fervently at a Chicago studio where a friend sneaked him in to late night slots that other musicians had canceled. Finally, the EP known as "Nation of Heat" was released in 2008.
An EP of songs that were recorded but not released on the "Nation of Heat" EP called "In the Meantime" was released in 2009 for free on his website for anyone who joined his mailing list.[2]
After extensive touring Pug stepped back into the studio to record his first full length studio album, "Messenger". The album would be different from the original EPs in that they included a full band on some tracks. A more somber set of recordings, "Messenger" was released in 2010 to great reviews.[3]
Once again Pug embarked on a lengthy tour to promote himself and his music across North America with opening act "Strand of Oaks". The two of them would record a two song EP of each act covering a song from the other[4] before Joe finally prepared to step back into the studio the following summer. The unnamed album will be completed sometime in 2011.
In response to chronically high service fees on tickets, Pug has also begun experimenting with ticketing his own tours, selling directly to fans via his website with substantially lower fees, and often no fees at all.[5]
Studio albums
Studio EPs
Official Bio