Josiah and the Bonnevilles: Belly Up

Josiah Leming has paid his dues. As a teenager from East Tennessee, his devotion to music led him to hit the road, where he lived in his car and played for anyone who would listen. That took him all the way to a major record deal when he was only nineteen. When that ended, he refused to give up and became an indie artist, relying solely on the music and his undeniable gift for crafting relatable songs that led to a devoted fan base he calls the Bonnevilles. He appreciates them so much that he includes them in his artist name. “They’re the reason I’m able to make music,” he says.

2024 saw Josiah and the Bonnevilles reaching new heights, completing a headlining tour of thirty-three sold-out dates followed by a slew of international stops that proved his global following. He has become known for raw emotion and a profound connection to his audience. This newfound attention has led to much anticipation for his new album — and As Is lives up to the expectations.

“I knew I had a responsibility to try to become a better writer, a better artist,” he says. “One day that feels like a blessing, and the next it feels pretty intimidating.” Instead of reproducing his popular sound from the self produced “Endurance”, he decided to expand it. “I think it would have been hard to keep my excitement to go out on the road with another kind of acoustic record.”

His tenth studio album finds him going more electric than ever before, even as he unplugs from the digital world. “I feel like a grizzled old veteran at this point,” he says, even though he is only thirty-six. “I’m desiring quiet, a work space away from the internet…I felt like it was important to pull back this last year and try to understand what’s on my heart.” What he found there resulted in an album focusing on joy, sorrow, and working-class issues that feel very of the moment in a time when so many Americans are struggling to make ends meet.

Leming comes by his empathy for working people honestly. He’s one of nine siblings, born and raised in Morristown, Tennessee, right in the heart of Appalachia. He taught himself piano when he was eight and was writing songs by thirteen. As a child he was intently aware of his community and intensely proud of his people, something he thinks about even more in these trying times. “I look at my I look at my folks in East Tennessee and very few of them seem to be winning in this new world,” Leming says. “Being a regular person, working, trying your best. I think that’s something to be proud of.”

His records have always been intensely personal. But on As Is he wanted to step away from being the main character and instead use vignettes to express essential truths he has learned. “I want anyone to be able to put it on and not think about me when they're listening. I want them to be in the emotion.” Because of this he made a conscious choice to not include himself on the album cover.

Leming chose ten tracks from ninety-six songs he has written over the last year and a half. As Is features the most co-writes he has ever recorded. “I love writing alone, but I wanted to bring in some trusted partners on this one,” he says. The resulting list features some of the most acclaimed songwriters working today. There’s Nashville powerhouse Natalie Hemby, a two-time Grammy winner who has written for everyone from Lady Gaga to Miranda Lambert; Joel Little, a Grammy winner who has written with Lorde, Taylor Swift, Noah Kahan, and many others; Scott Harris, best known for work he’s produced or written for artists such as Shawn Mendes, Dua Lipa, and The Chainsmokers; and others.

To help him find the sound he hoped to achieve, Leming brought in Konrad Snyder as a co-producer. Snyder has engineered or produced some of the best work to come out of Nashville in the last decade, including tracks by Kacey Musgraves, Stephen Sanchez, and Noah Kahan. “It was an amazing partnership with Konrad,” Leming says. “I never had to touch a computer or a piece of gear; he's a whiz with all that stuff. I’m usually so hands-on with my stuff, switching between setting up, tracking and editing but on this record I got to just perform the songs.”

The songs on As Is feature Leming’s vivid sense of place, precise yet poetic lyrics, and  emotion that is always longingly expressed by his vulnerable vocals. This collection is more up-tempo than most of his work, which is something Leming and Snyder strived to make happen on about half the songs. “I was thinking a lot about the energy, of having a couple songs that can amp up people at live shows,” he says.

This power is especially apparent on songs like opening track “Good Boy”, which boils toward a rousing breakdown, “Carolina Heart”, a tune Leming calls “less existential and my attempt at a feel-good song,“ and “Going Gone”, a nostalgic track about the passage of time. “Mountain Girl” is a foot-tapping harmonica-led tribute to Appalachian women. There’s the jaunty rock of “Redline”, and a song called “One Day at a Time” that is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever struggled with addiction, depression, or a lack of confidence. Leming’s fans often cite his storytelling abilities as one reason they love his work, and that takes center stage on the title track, a spoken-word song. “Where It Starts” is a meditation on how heartache can lead to great art. The first single is the powerful “Hell Without the Flames,” the album’s darkest track that also showcases some of the best lyrics and vocals of his career.

They all make for a collection of songs that take the listener full circle. “There’s all these kinds of love stories, and it walks through many variations on heartbreak, ultimately landing on home, acceptance and overcoming that hurt. I just want people to be able to see themselves in the songs.”

That’s what it’s all about for Leming. “The only goal for me is to make something real, and honest, and that can get them through the day,” he says. “I gave everything I have for this album. I laid it all on the table, which is what I always want to do.” 

As Is proves to be all of that, and more, a milestone for one of our most authentic and resonant artists working today.