Category Archives: recording

Raindrops and Watercolors – Available Everywhere

Christina Alessi & the Toll Collectors released our very first EP in Late November 2020 – Raindrops and Watercolors. You can stream it or download it everywhere now! 

Click on the image above or on this link to be taken to all of the streaming and download options – https://linktr.ee/thetollcollectors.

Listen to Two Toll Collectors Singles Now

The first two singles are out from our forthcoming EP, entitled “Raindrops and Watercolors.” You can listen to “Whatever Gets You Through” and “Where the River Flows” now pretty much anywhere you can listen to music. Here’s a handy link that will get you to many of the place quickly! Please follow Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors and add us to your library and playlists!

Listen now >>

Hope you enjoy them! The full record will be coming soon. 🙂

New Exclusive Track

I’m excited to announce I have a new song available – “Think It Through.” It’s a reflection on all of the politics that has erupted around the COVID-19 pandemic and a reminder that we should look out for each other and try our best to keep each other safe. I recorded it at home and played all the instruments on the track.

It’s available exclusively by donating to the Spondylitis Association of America. Earlier this month, I participated in the virtual Banding Together Webathon benefit organized by Lazlo of blowupradio.com. He hosts the benefit each year as it’s a cause near and dear to his heart – his wife suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis. Donations are used to fund research as well as programs and services for the community.

To receive your compilation of 65 exclusive songs from the NY/NJ music community, including my song, you can donate here – https://spondylitis.org/webathon

Thank you for donating and I hope you enjoy the compilation!

“Whatever Gets You Through” Lyric Video

Christina Alessi and the Toll Collectors have a new EP coming out. We tracked it live in the studio and we’re super proud of it. The first single is called “Whatever Gets You Through” and is now available on all of the platforms – check it out here https://linktr.ee/thetollcollectors. You can watch the lyric video for it on YouTube right here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydEl8B18jss

Latch

Today, I’m releasing a brand new cover song – “Latch” by Disclosure (featuring Sam Smith).

I tried to reimagine this club hit from Disclosure as something you might enjoy on your favorite acoustic playlist in your living room. A pop song, in its power and simplicity, can often have potential to be interpreted in many different genres. Yet, so often we only get to hear the one version. With this interpretation, I wanted to stretch the song to a place that sounds familiar but feels like something new. Without the bass thumping, there’s a tenderness and a vulnerability to the song. In this version, you’re in on the secret – it’s a love song. Someone so consumed by love that they want to latch onto it and never let it go. 

The cover image comes from an photo I captured on Lover’s Bridge in Prague. There were so many locks attached to this bridge, where people from all over the world would come to “lock in their love.” I thought it was a nice fit.

As for the music, my good pal Ty Tuschen played electric guitar on this, including the tasty lead. I sang and played all of the other instruments.

This single is now available everywhere you can consume music – Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon Music, Tidal, iHeart Radio, Pandora, and more.

Here are handy links:
Spotify
Apple Music / iTunes
Amazon Music
YouTube
CD Baby
Deezer

Hope you enjoy it! If you do, please share with others. Thank you!

Listen to a Recording of My Performance on Banding Together 2018

In case you missed it, you can now stream my performance on www.blowupradio.com as part of Banding Together 2018. On Friday, October 19th I traveled to Blow Up Radio’s HQ to perform as part of Banding Together 2018, a benefit for the Spondylitis Association of America.

Check it out in the embedded player below, or listen directly on SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/joshbicknell/josh-bicknell-live-2018-banding-together-webathon-for-spondylitis-association-of-america

Atlantic City

AtlanticCity-cover

Listen on:

I’m excited to share with you a new piece of music – a cover of the Bruce Springsteen classic, Atlantic City.

This version takes the song to a place I don’t believe it’s ever been to before. To me, it conjures up a cold, windy, and desolate evening on the beaches of this classically-tragic New Jersey shore city. It sounds like something you might hear on the Stranger Things soundtrack.

It starts with a dark analog synthesizer sound that pulses slightly, conveying the constant movement of the ocean. Along with a sparse drum machine, this sound makes up the foundation of the arrangement.

As the song continues to build momentum, the bridge arrives, bringing an entirely new sonic landscape; lifting the song with brighter guitars, strings, and sounds of the ocean that propel the song into its closing. The vocal performance is stark, up-close, and at times, just a whisper. It is haunting yet intimate.

As I listen to this arrangement today, it brings to mind the current state of Atlantic City, the city. Having been released from state control, will it be primed for a rebirth? Or continue on the same haunting path?

The casinos can shine bright, but the beach can still get very cold at night.

I hope you enjoy this new interpretation of a classic.

And if you do, I’d be honored if you added it to your music library, one of your playlists, shared it with a friend, or just let me know that you listened. 🙂

Enjoy,
Josh

Silent Night Now Streaming + A Holiday Music Playlist

silent_night_cover

I’m happy to announce that my recording of “Silent Night” is now up on all major digital platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, and Bandcamp.

In celebration, I’ve made public playlists of some of my favorite holiday music, both old and new. It’s currently filled with 3 1/2 hours worth of music. Perfect to have in the background as you open presents, spend time with family and friends, travel, or any time you want to get in the holiday spirit. Set it to shuffle and enjoy!

Silent Night

SilentNight_Cover

Last Wednesday, I came home with an idea for a song arrangement. I recorded it right away and today I’m releasing the recording to you. I’m not entirely certain what sparked it, but I suspect it had something to do with having a desire for peace during this holiday season. The phrase “sleep in” stuck in my mind and I had the idea to loop it. From there, the rest of the arrangement came together quickly. The vocal loop offered a sense of motion while also adding a peaceful, sleepy element to the song. Perhaps if we all slept in a little more often, we’d have a little more peace and be a little less on edge?

Here’s to sleeping in this holiday season. The image for the cover you see above is one I captured during the blizzard in NYC on January 23, 2016. The roads were closed and for a night the Manhattan streets were quiet and peaceful.

Please enjoy my interpretation and recording of this holiday classic, Silent Night.

It is currently available to stream and download (pay what you want) from Bandcamp. In the coming days, it will also be available on all of the major streaming services like Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.