Josh Heinz is originally from Tennessee, but he’s now a pillar in the Coachella Valley local music scene. He is the frontman for Blasting Echo, the guitarist for 5th Town, the founder of the Concert for Autism, and the host of Open-Mic Night at The Hood Bar and Pizza every Wednesday. See Blasting Echo Saturday, March 16, at The Hood during Dali Llama’s CD-release show. For more information on Heinz’s bands, visit www.facebook.com/blastingecho and www.facebook.com/5thtown. He was kind enough to answer the Lucky 13; here are his answers.
What was the first concert you attended?
Probably Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith. But my first real “rock” concert was Heart on their Bad Animals tour at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, Tenn. I think that was 1987. I was 12.
What was the first album you owned?
Hmm … it’s hard to remember for sure. My first albums were bought on tapes. Maybe it was Heart’s Bad Animals; maybe it was Guns and Roses’ Appetite for Destruction; or maybe it was Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. But I know that before those, I had a Best of The Doors tape, which doesn’t necessarily count as an album. That’s more of a compilation.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Besides practice recordings of new Blasting Echo songs and mixes from the upcoming 5th Town record, nothing specific. I’m kind of all over the place, certainly (including listening to) live Pearl Jam shows. I listen to a lot of local bands from our music community and bands from my time in Memphis—specifically The Subteens. Look them up. Find Burn Your Cardigan. It’s good stuff. I’m also lucky to have recordings from the last two Concert for Autism benefits, so l listen to a lot of those performances as well. Perhaps I need to commit to finding more new nationally known bands.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
EDM. I get why people are into it, but that’s not my thing.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Neil Young. I’ve been a fan for a long time. I was bummed I couldn’t see him at Desert Trip. I just couldn’t afford it. Everyone I’ve talked to who was there for weekend two said it was incredible.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I don’t think I have one, but I listen to a lot of movie and television scores. They just take me places in my head, and I love it. I enjoy works by James Horner, Michael Kamen, James Newton Howard, Thomas Newman, certainly John Williams and Hans Zimmer. Zimmer’s score for The Thin Red Line is my favorite. I also love the scores that Trent Reznor has done. Before he ever officially scored anything, he was doing instrumental pieces with Nine Inch Nails that were beautiful, moving and powerful.
What’s your favorite music venue?
Probably The New Daisy Theatre in Memphis. I only played it a few times, but I saw a ton of shows there. It’s a small theater on Beale Street that holds about 1,000 people—nice and intimate for a theater.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
Since Blasting Echo is working on new material to record soon, most of the lyrics stuck in my head are my own—because I’m trying to remember them.
What band or artist changed your life? How?
Certainly Pearl Jam. The lyrics and the music spoke to me in a very heavy way when they came out. It gave me an honest voice that I identified with, and that inspired me to follow suit by writing and creating my own music to deal with things going on in my life.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I’m sure there are more important questions to ask more important musicians, but right now, I can only think to ask Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam: “Why has your dirty tone become less aggressive/crunchy over the years?”
What song would you like played at your funeral?
I don’t know. When I was younger, I probably would have said something somber. But now I think I would like something more celebratory of my life, my wife and my kids.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Pearl Jam, Vs.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
Blasting Echo, “The Light” or “It’s Not My Time.” (Scroll down to hear them!)
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