Josie Pace

Josie Pace:  I knew I wanted to play after seeing my Father play guitar and sing in my very early years. I was heavily influenced by bands like Heart, Joan Jett, Jimi Hendrix and The Eagles. I knew singing was my passion but with learning to play guitar I could create an actual career from the ground up. Writing my own songs, playing them on the guitar and singing them. I started lessons when I was 11, teaching myself to write songs, learning structure and keeping rhyming dictionaries and notebooks with me at all times. I love being able to create something out of just a feeling. Songs aren't tangible but they can stir emotions and make you cry or laugh, dance or sit like a stone, still, and revel in the emotions that were created out of thin air.  It almost feels like a superpower to me. 
Josie Pace:  I remember it took a very long time for us to start working together because I had been getting emails from so called “producers” claiming that they could help me be the best of the best at writing…if…they could only hypnotize me. Needless to say I was wary of anyone claiming to be a producer. But Ken was persistent, sending me his Facebook page, things he's done and accomplished and even his girlfriends Facebook page. After a photoshoot with my friend and very accomplished photographer Scott Sprague, I learned that Ken was also very close with Scott and most definitely didn't want to hypnotize me. We set up a meeting shortly after. Honestly, working with Ken was like we had been working together for years. It took a little while to become comfortable but the ideas and things we started accomplishing right off the bat were inspiring. We joke around a TON, maybe a bit too much for the average person, but it’s never a dull moment in the studio. I think that we work well and bring out the best parts of each others craft, creating music that is fresh and new. 
Josie Pace:  When Ken and I had first started working with each other we shared our favorite bands and showed each other what we enjoyed listening to. One of the bands being IAMX where Sammi Doll plays synths. We went to see IAMX at The Shelter here in Detroit and stood in front of Sammi for the entirety of the show. I had written the song “Perfect Replacement” and we decided to send her an email asking if she would be interested in singing on it. She was ecstatic and said yes! Sammi is so sweet and we all became fast friends after working together, recording the vocals and filming the music video for “Perfect Replacement”. So when Ken and I finally decided to cover Placebo’s “Pure Morning” it was a no brainer to ask her to team up once again. Being a song about female strength and friendships, it was a match made in goth heaven. 
Josie Pace:  The title is the word Noxious written in leet speak, which uses numbers, symbols and letters to create other letters. IV0 X 10 V 5
Josie Pace:  While writing the album, I wasn't really thinking of sticking to a theme, but after it was finished I realized the theme is inner conflict. I use writing to help myself as a sort of therapy. All of the songs are inspired and written about certain moments in my life. A lot of moments in which were hard for me to overcome, self doubt, depression, anxiety  and even grief. I feel like everyone has moments like these. Everything is very relatable and I like writing in more of a poetic format so that the listeners mind tailors the song to them. It brings the listener in and each song becomes personal to what they have experienced. 
Josie Pace:  My favorite song on the album would have to be “Vicious”. That song is still very fresh to me and holds a special place in my heart. I wrote it while grieving the sudden death of a very close friend. I had never felt a hurt like this before, and she means so much to me that I needed a way to keep her close. I put all of my anger, confusion, sadness and tears into this song. If I listen to it too deeply or perform it and lose myself in the lyrics, it still chokes me up. Everyone deals with grief in different ways, but having this song to reach out to others and show them they aren't alone is something she would've loved. 
Josie Pace:  “No Cover” is a music competition for bands with original music, hence no cover. The judges being: Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, Alice Cooper, Bishop Briggs, Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders, and Gavin Rossdale of Bush. We drove out to LA to perform on the show and stayed there for about a month filming. It was definitely a different experience but it was a learning experience in the end. You can watch the episodes on Sumerian Records YouTube Channel. 
Josie Pace:  As of right now we are trying to plan out shows and tours to promote the album and finally play cities we haven't played yet. I am so excited to meet new fans and perform in new places. Ken and I have talked about possibly releasing a single in the near future, and I have been working on writing some new material possibly for another album.  
Josie Pace:  Thank you so much! I loved answering some questions for you. If you'd like to listen to my music, watch my music videos or check out some photos, and merchandise you can visit WWW.JOSIEPACE.COM. My album “IV0X10V5” is available on vinyl, CD (including a bonus track) and digital download.