When asked once about his musical abilities, Jazz great Miles Davis simply and eloquently said, “It’s always been a gift with me, hearing music the way I do. I don’t know where it comes from, it’s just there and I don’t question it.”

This is one of many musicians who influenced Josh Flint. People don’t play and sing like Miles and the musicians of yesterday anymore. At least that’s what I used to think.

Have you ever gone to a movie knowing that you were going to like it, but came out of the theater altered in some way? Not only was the movie amazing, it made an impact. Such is the way you feel after hearing Josh Flint.

It was a little over three years ago that a friend invited me to hear him play at a bar in Nashville. Josh was also there that night to entertain the crowd. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little shocked when he started to sing. It wasn’t because I thought he couldn’t sing. It was because there is absolutely no pretense with Josh. It’s hard to believe that anyone who is that talented could be so humble about it.

It’s old school music with a new school spin. That spin is completely Josh Flint. The listener hears bits of Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and even some newer Amos Lee-type sounds. It’s just bits and pieces of the people who he listened to growing up. The difference is Josh also has a talented ear that finds new sounds and combines them in a way completely outside of the mundane.

The guy is smart and the lyrics are a constant reminder of how intelligent he is. “Life’s a broken record. Always easy to say tomorrow’s gonna be the first day. I’m gonna change. I’m gonna get myself together this time. All I need…all I need is for that sun to rise.” The music is a peek into the mind and personality of an artist constantly analyzing himself and the world around him.

Each song is musically written like the score to a movie. The song is a movie in and of itself. You are drawn in from the beginning and taken step-by-step through each and every emotion. The music builds and crashes and tumbles through the scales in ways that are fun, yet terrifying, heartbreaking, yet passionate and peaceful, yet unnerving. They are written in the way a life is lived. No emotion is left untouched.

Do you know how you can tell the talent an artist possesses? Go to a writer’s round full of respected and proven musicians. Watch their reaction to each person playing. The last time Josh participated in one of those rounds, I watched the other musicians smiling and shaking their heads in awe. When Josh stands on stage and plays the guitar he is in another place. The instrument becomes a makeshift drum as a supplement to the strumming and the voice takes on a life of its own. Rooms become silent because no one wants to miss a single beat.

The last time I stood in the back of a quiet room listening to Josh perform I caught myself smiling. It wasn’t just a little grin. It grew with every verse. By the end of the song, I was literally leaning toward the stage to hear more. The song took on a life of it’s own with many detours, u-turns and yellow lights. By the end of the tune, I was completely lost and glad to be. If a piece of music can do all of that and still get me where I need to go, why would I ever want a map?

As I sit here writing, I feel like a failure. There is no way for me to truly give Josh the credit he deserves. The voice is huge and the musicianship is stellar. The bottom line is the talent is indescribable. It’s a feeling and feelings must be felt. Reading about this artist will not get the point across. Please take a minute to soak in the music on Josh Flint’s MySpace page. You won’t be sorry you did.

True musicians play with no fear. Josh Flint is one of those artists. He plays and sings with an unrestrained passion for the music and the song. The listener not only hears, but also feels the honesty in each tune. It’s something you cannot fake. Josh plays on emotion and makes no mistakes.

As Miles Davis once said, “Do not fear mistakes. There are none.”

Josh Says Quiz

1. Vinyl or Digital:
“I’ll always have a place in my heart and on my shelves for vinyl. I love it. There’s a warmth and soul that comes out of those records that is hard to find anywhere else. I do, however, fully embrace what recording with digital is slowly doing for musicians who otherwise may have given up on a dream to record music in the ways they want. As more and more people learn to use the tools that are becoming easily accessible these days, maybe the acceptance towards an inundation of mediocrity and mindlessness in the music to which many people are exposed will begin to fade.”

2. Reality TV or Disney Movies:
“I’ll have a drink and wait in the other room.”

3. Writing or performing:
“I couldn’t live without either. Writing keeps me sane and performing keeps me writing.”

4. NFL or NBA:
“If it weren’t for football, think of how many people would be uncomfortable all day on Thanksgiving.”

5. Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix:
“Can’t really go wrong with either, but I gotta give that one to Hendrix.”

6. “A Shot at Love,” “Rock of Love,” or “Flavor of Love”:
“I have a clock fetish, so I’ll go with the latter.”

7. Studio or Stage:
“Stage for sure. I love working and creating in the studio, but the feeling of performing on a stage completely encompasses my personality at that moment. There’s no turning back. It’s time to let it out and show people what you’ve done.”

8. K-Fed’s Track Suit or Bret Michaels’ bandana:
“If I had either in my possession they would be kept in a sterile environment until the ebay auction ended and someone else assumed ownership. I would spend the money I made on music, whiskey and gasoline.”

9. Fake or Real:
“They’re real.”

10. Angelina or J-Lo:
“If they want it that bad, I’ll let ‘em fight it out.”

If you were invited to join one current musical group, which group would you want to be a member of and what would you play?
“I wouldn’t mind playing a fly on the wall when the stones are around.”

If you could have composed any single piece of music that already exists, which would you choose?
“I’d like to take credit for “lover, you should have come over” but, thankfully, Buckley got there first.”

If you could arrange a jam session with any three musicians in history, who would you include?
“For a jam, i would include (but not limit to) Miles Davis, Billy Preston, and Animal from The Muppets.”

If you were to choose a musical instrument that best describes your character, what would it be?
“Trombone.”

If you could have a song written about you, what musician would you want to compose it, who would perform it, and what would it be called?
“Composed by Bob Dylan, performed by Tom Waits and Muddy Waters, and called “Someone Get Me Out of Here.” …scratch that. I might go write that one in a few minutes…”

If you could solve one unsolved crime, which one would you solve?
“I’d like to have the dirt on that whole Kennedy thing.”

If you could arrange a rock concert with any three musicians or groups to play on the same bill, who would you invite?
“Otis Redding, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Chris Whitely. I think that show would make me exceptionally happy.”

If you were to be stranded forever on a desert Island and could only have one book to read, which would you want?
“‘Catcher in the Rye.’ I don’t seem to get tired of it, and that’s a pretty good desert island quality.”

If you were instantly able to play one musical instrument perfectly that you have never played before, what would it be?
“A good portion of my early exposure to jazz was ‘Kind of Blue’ by Miles Davis, ‘Giant Steps’ by John Coltrane, and ‘Time Out’ by Dave Brubeck. These are still three of my favorite albums. Having grown up playing the sax I loved the work by John Coltrane and Paul Desmond on their respective albums, but I’ve always wanted to play the trumpet as well. The way those instruments can interact under the right guidance is brilliant.”

If you had to lose one of your five senses, which one would you give up?
“Smell I suppose… but then I think that would make me lose most of my sense of taste, right? So if I’m gonna lose taste anyways I might as well keep the ability to pick up a scent. I’d probably miss taste, but i could win some damn good bar bets. After that, sight… as long as I didn’t lose it in some ridiculous way like mistaking superglue for eye drops.”

If you had to choose one color that describes you most accurately, which color would it be?
“Outer space. It’s real. Thank you, Crayola. Without you, I’d still be coloring myself peach.”