Meet Joshua Van Ness

An Interview with Joshua Van Ness

Hi Joshua, where do you currently reside?
I live in East Brunswick, NJ

How many years have you been playing?
I started out as a drummer around the age of 12.  I've been performing publicly since I was a teenager, so I'm coming up on 20 years.

What musicians influenced you?
So many!!!  I grew up in the era of actually seeing music videos on MTV, so the pop sounds of the late 80's and early 90's were always there.  I would have to say that my two biggest influences are the Black Crowes and Prince.  I am also a big fan of King's X and Tom Petty.  In general, I like any music that has soul or authenticity.

What's it like to gig or tour?
It has been a long time since I toured and I miss it.  There is something about traveling to a new scene, experiencing a different energy, seeing amazing sights along the way, and then killing it on stage.

Gigging for me was and always will be the payoff, even more so than actual money.  It's your time to put your hard work and practice to use.  Also, once the music is "under your fingers," it's when you get to lose yourself a bit.  That is a feeling like no other.

Tell us about your gear.
These days I play the guitar a lot, and while sometimes I play solos, I consider myself to be a really solid rhythm player.  For me, it's all about gear that allows me to play diverse styles of music, yet offers consistency.  Currently, my main guitar is a custom-made instrument that was put together from parts of an old Fender Strat.  I kept the original neck and most of the guts. However, I replaced the body.  Now it features a portrait of my daughter, painted by my sister on the body of the guitar.  I stained and sealed the wood myself and had Porter pickups installed.

I play through a Fender Deville amp because I just love that out of the box Fender reverb on the clean channel.  When I need to distort, I go to a Tube Screamer which really helps pull the crunch out of the Porter pickups and also produces a solid bluesy sustain.

For drums, I have been playing a Taye kit for about five years now.  I really love that the drums are a little smaller (20" Kick, 10", 12", and 14 toms).  Again, versatility is key.  I like to play a lot of styles, and these drums hold their own from rock to R&B to jazz.


Click on to Joshua's Facebook page or at www.sonicbids.com/band/joshua-van-ness to see what Joshua is up to.

Get interviewed on our blog. Drop us a line at:

tothegig@gmail.com