Denver’s Joel Ansett and his debut full length The Nature of Us

Denver’s Joel Ansett and his debut full length The Nature of Us (which recently hit #23 on the iTunes singer/songwriter album charts). Tinged with an incredibly human sadness the work of this folk-pop meets R&B master has been featured by CBS and has even seem him as a finalist in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition. The Nature of Us sees him at his best – so much so that his new material received 5th place honors in the 2015 Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Songwriter Showcase.

The point being – any artist who can raise $25,000 via Kickstarter is clearly the real deal. Joel Ansett is creating music that resonates with the people and gives us a reason to carry on. This is art meant for the twenty first century – easily consumed but full of depth, intrigue, and meaning. Joel Ansett may very well be the American folk hero we all so desperately need.

Born in Spokane, WA, Joel Ansett grew up writing songs with his sister in the family living room. She would write poems and he would think of melodies to match. His earliest musical memories were of listening to The Temptations when the family cleaned the house, Fleetwood Mac when they were on road trips or hanging out, and Handel’s Messiah during the holidays.

During his college years in Pittsburgh he wrote songs and performed around campus regularly. Those performances garnered such a positive response that he decided to pursue a career in music after graduating in 2012. Since beginning his career as an artist that year, Joel has built a loyal and energetic fan base simply by writing songs from the heart.

He released his debut EP The Living Room in 2012, as well as an acoustic cover of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” which prompted CBS to write about him in 2013. That same year his track ” Loved At All” was named a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. In the past two years he has gone on a national tour across the country as well as opened for national touring bands such as Deas Vail, David Cook, Andrew Ripp and Dessa. Over the course of 2013 to 2014, he released five singles, allowing him to experiment with new sounds one song at a time. The final single, “Never Ends” was featured on soundcloud’s alternative home page and has received over 500,000 plays since it’s release in December of 2014. Clearly people in the right places love his work!

With the support gained from those releases, in December 2014 Joel decided the time was right to launch a Kickstarter campaign to record his first full length. Thanks to the incredibly loyal and energetic fan base he had built, he was able to raise $25,000 in 30 days.

He took a break from playing shows, and spent 2015 writing and recording his first full length album. The result is a pensive but hopeful singer-songwriter record with soul/R&B influence. Imagine an Ed Sheeran, John Legend collaboration; or Damien Rice and Bill Withers. As an early result of his dedication to this album, his new material placed 5th in the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter showcase in August of 2015.

Suffice to say – with an EP, 5 studio singles, and an independent national tour under his belt, Joel is poised to break onto the singer-songwriter scene with this debut full length album.

 

Websites:
http://www.joelansett.com
http://www.facebook.com/JoelAnsettMusic
http://twitter.com/joelansett
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO-AL3FpzyZhQrdHRz3AgxQ

 

Accolades:

-Featured on CBS News who said:
“Our next video is one of the most amazing covers I’ve ever heard. I was about half way through before I realized this wasn’t a Jason Mraz song, but actually an acoustic version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” sung by Joel Ansett, who I hope goes on to eventually cover every song ever made.”

– Song “Loved At All” was named a finalist in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition

– Toured the nation in summer 2014 playing coffeehouses and house shows.

– Received 5th place honors in the 2015 Rocky Mountain Folk Festival Songwriter Showcase

– Has opened for nationally touring acts such as Deas Vail, Andrew Ripp, David Cook, and Dessa.