The Portland, Oregon-based guitarist and vocalist Joshua Josué taps into his Mexican and US roots on his debut album, Beneath the Sand, released via Electric Chololand Records. Recorded at Goat Mountain Recording Studio, a solar-powered oasis in the Mojave near Joshua Tree, this Chicano-rock collection proves perfect for long trips in desert heat and reflecting on a panorama of emotions.
Beneath the Sand exhibits Josué's impressive ability to harness the effects of grief, joy, and wonder, with songs that enchant on a visceral level. Imagery of breathtaking Central American and Southeastern US landscapes emerges through his sentimental strumming and romantic lulling.
The multifaceted songwriter assembles a diverse roster of guest musicians to assist in telling his riveting ten-track tale, including Rowland Salley (Chris Isaak Band), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), and Murry Hammond (Old 97’s), among others. Not to be outdone, Josué's dog, Bogart, plays a significant and influential role as well.
In my email chat with the Mexican-American artist, we discussed what lies in the foundation of Beneath the Sand. Josué remarks on specific songs along with magical events that gave the full-length its capability to capture the listener's heart.
Michael Centrone: What is the meaning behind the album's title, Beneath the Sand?
Joshua Josué: "Beneath the Sand" is the title track from the album, though it wasn't even on the original list of songs to record. The night before our session, Ben Rice (Ben Rice & The PDX Hustle) and I had started sketching out an idea that felt worth chasing. The next day, at the end of the session, I asked Roly Salley if he'd help us finish it. I was thrilled when he said yes—his songwriting has always inspired me, and his Grammy-winning "Killing the Blues" is one of my all-time favorites.
When Roly asked what the song was about, I had to admit I didn't really know—just that it carried a kind of melancholy. That night, the three of us sat in a small cabin in the Mojave Desert with some Modelos, strumming chords, trading lines, and following Roly's encouragement to sing whatever was in my heart. The lyrics began to spill out as if they came from somewhere outside of me.
Slowly, the song revealed itself: a reflection of the grief I'd carried after a devastating loss years earlier. I'd spent so many nights alone with a bottle of tequila, and even ran away to Central America for a time, trying to outrun the pain. But in that cabin, the song gave me a way to turn that grief into something tangible—something I could finally set down.
After recording "Beneath the Sand," I could see how this song, even before it had been written, is what brought me to the desert to record. It was the reason I ended up here, the reason for the thousands of miles I rode through Latin America, the nights of playing dive bars across Mexico, the countless nights of heartbreak over a bottle of booze. This song had to be written. And once it was, it showed me a way to move forward and lay down the unhealthy pain I'd been carrying for far too long.
Centrone: How else did the remote atmosphere of Goat Mountain Studio influence your material?
Josué: Goat Mountain Studio was the perfect place to record this album. The heartbeat of the record is the high desert itself, and the studio sits right in the middle of the Mojave with 360-degree views of breathtaking desertscape. Jackrabbits and roadrunners wander past, tumbleweeds roll by, and one night we were even treated to a thunderstorm. Being there felt like stepping into a Sergio Leone spaghetti Western; how could that not be inspiring?
I have the belief that songs don't necessarily get written; they simply present themselves to the right person. So, if you can sit quietly and listen, the universe will show you where to put your attention, and then the song can reveal itself to you. Being at Goat Mountain gave me that space to listen to the spirit of the universe.
Photos by Lucy Sandoval
Centrone: How did your motorcycle tour through Mexico and Central America inspire your writing?
Josué: It was such a great experience for songwriting—constantly being thrown into new and unexpected situations, meeting new people, and getting to play with eclectic groups of musicians. It's literally music without borders. I was able to take those experiences and write from a new and exciting place.
Centrone: Who is ‘she’ in the track "She Is Guadalajara"?
Josué: ‘She’ is Guadalajara, quite literally. Guadalajara is a city I love deeply—the culture, the people, the music, the nights drinking tequila in Plaza Expiatorio with friends, and the sound of mariachi music echoing through the streets. Whenever I leave GDL, it breaks my heart, and when I'm away, my soul aches to return. This song is my love letter to Guadalajara, the City of Roses. Sometimes I wonder why I ever left a place that means so much to me.
She will always be beautiful, with or without me. That city has a spirit, a spirit that will endure long after we are gone.
Centrone: Is there an intention behind writing bilingual lyrics?
Josué: I've spent much of my life surrounded by Spanish, but it took me a long time to find the confidence to sing in it. As a kid, I was shy and often teased by other Mexican kids for my "Pocho" Spanish. Eventually, I stepped out and began singing in Spanish as a way to honor my grandfather, Rafael, who used to sing beautiful renditions of Vicente Fernández songs. I like to think he can see my music career from the great beyond and feel proud that his grandson is carrying on the family's musical tradition.
Part of my heart lives in the United States, and the other in Mexico. I'm fortunate to have two lands that I love, and singing bilingually allows me to share that dual love through my music.
Centrone: Tell me about your dog friend, Bogart. How does he inspire you?
Josué: Bogart is my fifty-five-pound Black Mouth Cur-Pit mix and my number one guy.
I was pretty nervous going into the studio to record with some of my musical heroes, and I can sometimes be self-isolating. But even in those times of self-isolation, I still feel close to Bogart.
So, as the anxiety crept in and I was heading out to the desert to record at Goat Mountain, I had a moment of clarity. I'm like, "Hell, I'm heading out to pursue one of my dreams by recording this album, and I have Bogart riding shotgun with me. I'd be a fool not to savor these moments." And with that thought, I sat down and wrote "Bogart & Me" in about ten minutes.
Centrone: How crucial a role do Roly Salley and Mitch Marine (Dwight Yoakam Band) play in telling your stories through the songs?
Josué: Both Mitch and Roly were instrumental in helping me bring these songs to life. They've been part of so many incredible albums over their careers, and they bring not only a deep understanding of the art of songwriting and recording, but also a generosity of spirit. In the studio, they offered invaluable insights and suggestions while encouraging me to stay true to myself.
A perfect example of this was the day we recorded "El Silbato." I walked into the studio a little nervous about how to present it, telling Mitch and Roly that the timing felt off, that I might need their help "straightening it out."
Mitch looked at me and asked, "Why does it need to be straightened out?" I explained that there were extra beats in some places, shorter measures in others, and that it just wasn't musically "correct." He shook his head and said, "Let's just play it the way you hear it in your head—because that's the correct way."
Then he handed me a guitar and passed Roly a pen and paper. I began playing while Roly charted the song in real time, with Mitch offering quick cues: "Hanging on the four," Mitch would say. "Got it," Roly would reply, scribbling notes. "Half a measure on the five." "Yep, got it," Roly confirmed.
When we finished, Roly made a copy of the chart, and we recorded the song in a single take. I assume if it wasn't for that insight, we could have spent all day trying to fix something that didn't need fixing.
Centrone: What artists influence your guitar-playing style?
Josué: I love Ritchie Valens for his attack; he doesn't have a large toolbox of skills to work from, but he creates something sonically that I've never heard anyone replicate. So, when I'm in a pinch, I just ask myself, "What would Ritchie do?"
But, funny enough, it's the guitar sounds that come out of the Chris Isaak Band that have been my biggest influence. Both Jimmy Wilsey and Hershel Yatovitz have been guitar heroes of mine. I've been chasing their guitar tones for most of my life. So, when I got Hershel to play some of the lead guitar parts on this album, it kind of blew my mind.
Centrone: What is your favorite part of being on the road?
Josué: Performing in new towns and getting to meet new people has got to be the high point, but I love almost every aspect of the road—the truck stops, the world racing past on the Interstate, the late nights driving the van when everyone else has fallen asleep and I'm the only one awake, alone with my thoughts as the drone of the wheels keeps me company. Maybe if this album gets legs under it, we'll have the chance to move from the van to a bus—you never know.
Centrone: What is the overall statement you'd like to make—an introduction of yourself—via this debut release?
Josué: I want to introduce myself as an artist who's honest and unafraid to share vulnerability, and can also show the fulfillment of a life of travel and the long stretches of solitude that have deeply influenced me.
I want people to hear that this record isn't just my story, but also that even through loss and struggle, music can carry us forward. These songs are born out of miles of desert highways, wandering, and wrestling with grief, and they represent the path I took to find my way back to myself.
My hope is that this album introduces me not just as a songwriter or performer, but as someone who believes deeply in music's ability to transform pain into something beautiful.
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