During the start of the pandemic, Josh Ramsay needed something to do while in isolation. He indulged himself by writing songs in as many different genres as possible. Josh explains, “my goal was to try and do as many genres as possible, so it feels kind of like a variety show. I see it as my ‘calling card’ – not just as a songwriter, but as a producer and arranger.”
Presenting The Josh Ramsay Show, the first solo album from a blazing talent rebooting himself as a brand-new artist. Not that Marianas Trench are kaput. It’s just that when singers with big guitar bands undertake personal projects, they’re often, as Ramsay puts it, what we might expect: “a quiet, introspective, singer-songwriter album. That’s just not me, man!”
The album is a sweeping exploration of musical styles featuring collaborations with a wide range of Canadian singers from across the musical spectrum that rings in at 18 tracks in all. This album is a love letter to music as a whole, never sticking to the same genre twice.
“I’d always planned to do this at some point, and this seemed like the right opportunity,” Ramsay explains. “If the pandemic hadn’t happened, I would have been busy with Marianas Trench. But I needed something to do in quarantine, and with no deadlines I could just tinker away at it.”
No stranger to bold collaborations, Ramsay has worked with marquee names throughout his multifaceted career, including writing and performing credits with Carly Rae Jepsen, Nickelback, and 5 Seconds of Summer to name a few. In true Ramsay style, fans can expect a music offering that is nothing less than spectacular with plenty of familiar faces featured on the new album. These include JUNO Award winner Chad Kroeger, JUNO and CCMA Award winner Dallas Smith, DJ Sharkpocalypse, Fefe Dobson, Fionn, Ria Mae, Sara Ramsay, JUNO Award winner Serena Ryder, and Tyler Shaw.
As with every project he takes on, Ramsay wanted to push his personal limitations and challenge himself as a songwriter, singer, player, and producer. He played every instrument on the album (except horns), produced it, and co-mixed it with longtime friend, Dave “Rave” Ogilvie. That’s always been a defining characteristic of his output as with Marianas Trench, and in his role as producer and songwriter for artists like Carly Rae Jepsen, whose worldwide hit, ‘Call Me Maybe’ garnered Ramsay a Grammy nomination and a SOCAN Award for “Most Performed Song” in SOCAN history.
Ramsay has toured with Marianas Trench extensively in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. When not on the move, the multi-instrumentalist runs his own recording studio, The Umbrella Factory, in Vancouver, BC.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2022
DANFORTH MUSIC HALL – TORONTO, ON
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2022
EMPIRE THEATRE – BELLEVILLE, ON
SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2022
BRONSON CENTRE – OTTAWA, ON
MONDAY, MAY 30, 2022
SANDERSON CENTRE – BRANTFORD, ON
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2022
GRAND THEATRE – KINGSTON, ON
THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022
RIVER RUN CENTRE – GUELPH, ON
SATURDAY, JUNE 4, 2022
THE GRAND THEATRE – LONDON, ON
