Josh Savage, Elijah Wolf

Josh Savage sang before he spoke, lulling himself to sleep in his Paris cot. Born in England and relocated to France after his father borrowed a tie and went for an interview on the way back from the Italia 90 World Cup, Josh inherited that 'Let's see what happens if we try this' attitude.




This same approach to life led him to being selected at the age of 8 as a treble soloist for l'Académie Vocale de Paris. He astounded many when, at the age of 11, he stepped in with only 1 week's notice, learning the solo treble part in Hebrew in the 3rd Chichester Psalm by Leonard Bernstein to perform with the adult choir at the American Cathedral in Paris. Returning to live in Winchester, Josh was immediately selected to join the National Children's Choir as a soloist, touring Australia and New Zealand.




He has now so far supported acts as diverse as Razorlight, Rizzle Kicks, Reverend and the Makers, Roll Deep and even some acts with names that don't begin with 'R' such as Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Catfish & The Bottlemen- although of course he couldn't resist performing in front of Royalty in Dubai.



From emulating the music his parents played as a baby, Josh still soothes, excites, and engages his audience, with Huffington Post naming him in 'Ten Artists to Watch' and saying "Fantastic song writing and a resonant, rich voice, Josh exhibits real skill as a musician and singer".




BBC 6 Music's Tom Robinson praised Josh 'BEST OF 2014' and the lead track of Josh's French EP; "'Quatre Épines' est déjà formidable... Loving 'Quatre Épines'" and Social Assassin said "To have produced a work of this quality under any circumstances would be justification for him to feel proud; to have done so as the result of a self-released work without the support of a record label is nothing short of outstanding. Josh Savage is going to become a household name; if he doesn't, I will willingly eat my laptop".




From his bohemian childhood attending Vivienne Westwood fashion shows and immersing himself in all the creativity and urban sounds around him, Josh (now speaking as well as singing) used his voice to thoroughly object to his parent's encouragement to practice regularly for his piano and trumpet lessons.


Being the great-grandson of a man who came from a working class British background to play a major role in the design of Spitfire Aircraft during World War Two, the most important thing to the child apart from his music was winning this battle. Once his parents had admitted defeat and they moved to Winchester, Josh, at the age of 12, missing the music lessons asked to restart them, picking up guitar along the way.




Because of these role models Josh was lucky enough to have, he developed a strong work ethic that continues to this day, and recognised early on that it's not enough to just learn the tools of his trade but that he has to understand every aspect he possibly can in order to achieve excellence.




Josh did a music degree at the University of York and his band Taming The Savage was named by York Vision as "Best band on campus". He featured regularly on BBC Introducing and was a trumpeter for Soultana.



Josh has gigged extensively across the United Kingdom, mainland Europe, and the Middle East whilst constantly striving to learn and improve- or at least 'Try again and fail better' as he sings on Lost In Paris.




Josh loves trying to create something new, where music knows no cultural or language boundaries, in fusing his cross cultural roots and being inspired by the melting pot of backgrounds he grew up with. He was also deeply inspired by his grandfather's love of poetry and by the resonance of Keats having written poetry on St Giles Hill where Josh spent much of his time as a teenager.



He has also set up the Winchester branch of Sofar- Songs from a Room- a movement to support new music by providing an intimate setting to showcase in living rooms. Sofar is a way of bringing music back to life and into the heart of the community, and Josh says "I was first introduced to Sofar Sounds when I was invited to play it in Oxford on my first tour in 2013. 60 people were all crammed into this tiny student-house living room, yet none of them made a sound during my set. I couldn't believe how attentive everyone was, something rare when playing gigs in bars these days. It was the best gig I've ever played. I just had to introduce and share the experience to music lovers in the south of England in Hampshire and use it as a means to support up and coming artists I've met on my tours".



Josh has self-released two EPs; 'Mountains In Hurricanes' and 'Spaces'. His track Mountains In Hurricanes has been a regular feature on BBC Introducing and received critical acclaim from the radio panel. Reviewing the song on the BBC, Ian Sillett of the Brighton Institute of Modern Music said "His vocal timbre is really warm, it's on point… The string arrangement is beautiful". Mountains In Hurricanes has taken off across the world and was remixed by Austrian DJs Wild Culture. Josh was particularly delighted to hear a university friend report that they had heard it being played in a pizza café in Istanbul. On his most recent EP 'Spaces' the track Lost In Paris was produced by Julian Simmons, whose credits include Ed Sheeran and The Guillemots amongst others. 'Spaces EP' charted #28 in the iTunes singer/songwriter, a feat not easily done without management, publishing or a record label.




His performances vary from playing solo, with a string trio, or sometimes with a full band. Josh writes all his own material and string arrangements, organises his own gigs, record production, and promotion- although he gratefully acknowledges the support from those around him, including his boss from Josh's job working in a special needs school, who volunteered to help out as Tour Manager during the busy festival season.




Family and friends are central to Josh's life, and being part of a global musical family is a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. His uncle Matt Faddy is an international commercial composer in Dubai and his mother's cousins Rebecca and Emily Saunders are prominent in the contemporary classical and jazz worlds respectively. He writes songs with his cousins and his sister Aniya supports him on bass and backing vocals from time to time- and is hot on his heels to becoming an established artist herself.




This is just the beginning of Josh's career and he looks set to rise and rise given the response he gets; just rewards for beautifully written lyrics, catchy melodies, and an ability to get all ages and tastes involved in a sing-along.






With reviews like "He blew me away with the beauty of his voice and the lyrics of his songs" from Perspective Daily, and Adrian Sutton, composer of theatre scores for shows such as 'War Horse' & 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' saying "Josh Savage is an impressive songwriting talent with a soaring, heartfelt vocal delivery, just the right wistful tinge, and a keen sense of melodic and harmonic intervention". Josh already has a dedicated and discerning following- although the man himself says he's "Following my passion for music, enjoying the journey and seeing where it takes me. If this music thing doesn't work for me then I have another dream in mind. I'll just lose myself in Paris".


Twenty-one-year-old singer-songwriter Elijah Wolf-Christensen hasn't just arrived, he's returned. His songs brim with adventure, romance, and homecoming, revealing an impressively broad songwriting palette for such a young man. "You start out with information you've been given," he says from his Woodstock, NY, home, "and then you go out and search, and you come right back to that starting point with everything you've collected."

Elijah's story begins with – and returns to – soulful, deeply melodic, acoustic-based folk, courtesy of a Pete Seeger-loving dad and a Dylan-Baez-Mitchell-loving mom. The memories are fond, but soon after picking up an electric bass, he immersed himself in punk rock and hardcore, testing his fledgling wings in several decidedly non-folk acts.

His high school rock trio The Paper Planets edged close to pro status, with management, touring, and recording, until Elijah, whose appetite for music making broadened beyond the band, enrolled in the SUNY-Purchase Conservatory of Music. "I wanted to expand my musical knowledge," he says of this turning point. "And I fell in love with the beauty of life, and with songwriting."

Elijah self-released two eclectic collections as Elijah & The Moon. These garnered airplay, a licensing deal that netted a Subaru ad, high profile gigs like Mountain Jam, and the attention of charismatic Catskill singer-songwriter-novelist-producer Simone Felice. After touring worldwide behind his own acclaimed work, Felice was eager to get back to his native soil to mentor and produce a hungry up-and-comer. When he invited Elijah to his mountain home, it was magic. "We immediately bonded," Elijah says. "We listened to records, opened all the doors in his studio barn, and sang."

A four-day session with Woodstock co-producer Dave Baron, on which Felice and Elijah played everything, resulted in the irresistibly hooky "Be A Man," and the aching, unforgettable "Far From Heaven." Each showcases Elijah's classic melodic sense and dramatic, soaring voice. It's his best work yet, and Elijah is eager to present it onstage. "I write songs every day," he says, "but I also have a huge passion for playing to audiences." Elijah, indeed, may get categorized as "folk," but the live presentation is definitely a show.

Elijah Wolf-Christensen's roundabout journey encompasses a lot: folk, punk, rock, and finally back to a distinctive spin on modern acoustic music, all infused with friendship, love, and the shadows therein. "Realizing I've come full circle was a big moment for me," Elijah says. But this journey, clearly, is just beginning.