josh

I play drums. Reside in Brooklyn, NY. Born and raised in Western Massachusetts.
I play in a few bands and with various people: SHILPA RAY & HER HAPPY HOOKERS, KAPOW!, THE VONTONS, RICHARD MCGRAW, SIWAT THITIWATANA, STRIPPER BAND (AKA PETER PAUL & HITLER), ALISTAIR SIM GROUP, STAN PYRZANOWSKI, BEN SADDOCK.
I used to play with these great bands:
THE FEVER MONUMENT, BEAT THE DEVIL, THE UNFORGETTABLES, THE ROYAL FAMILY, THE DEAD VON ERICHS, JEN KEARNEY AND THE LOST ONION, THE BOSTON HORNS, AARON & MORDECHAI, THE AMBITIOUS ORCHESTRA, THE CARNIES.
Peace In.
JWF
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http://love.apt6d.com/2009/04/18/shilpa-ray-and-her-happy-ho okers-at-the-empty-bottle-chicago-416/
4/16/09 Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers: at The Empty Bottle, Chicago
Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers came to Chicago Thursday night and blew the crowd away! The setlist was only 8 songs long; 5 out of 8 from the CD she sells at shows (and darling’s it’s the only way you can get one, so go to her damn show and buy one!) I could have stayed and listened to her play 8 more. She’s got the kind of talent that allows her to make every song different and great in its own way. Most people will fall in love with her for her cover of “I Only Have Eyes For You” which is post-punk brilliance with a 50s nightclub twist. But stick around, because by the time she hits you with “Filthy and Free” you’ll want to dance with her in the aisles, or with anyone for that matter. Her band is a pleasure to watch, if you can take your eyes off of her for even a moment. Andrew Hoepfner ..boards and maracas amazed me with his energy! That man surely must go home with bruises with the way he beats that maraca on just about all parts of his body and the microphone. Vincent Cacchione or Jay Braun was on guitar and was a total pro, preforming a stunning solo on a song I can’t recall at the moment (do you remember, fans?! there was only one guitarist, or am I losing my mind?!), Josh Fleischmann on drums was hot, hot, hot, and kept Shilpa literally bouncing off the stage all night. And Nick Hundley, on bass was really, really fun to watch and hear. He played a MusicMaker, he danced and sang without a mic, and when I told him I liked his playing, he called me sweetheart. Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers have real talent, enough know-how to navigate the music world, and a sound that you are not going to hear anywhere else. Oh! you want pictures of a great Shilpa Ray show? Go see Brooklyn Vegan’s page, it’s awesome!
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http://stompbox.trismccall.net/
Tris Mccall says:
NO SMOKE MACHINE NEEDED
Sunday, November 9, 2008
"pianos made us wait until one thirty in the morning before giving us what we wanted. then shilpa and her band did the rest. my understanding is that the happy hookers were down a man: the creaky boards singer sometimes adds casio and vibraphone. i’m sure he kicks butt, too, but last night, the lineup and the instrumental balance were perfect. jay’s guitar didn’t overwhelm the harmonium at all, no matter how hard the band rocked — and they rocked hard. jay’s a pro at that sort of thing. he never steps on the singer. his rep as an onstage provocateur and agent of chaos aside, he’s an extremely disciplined sideman. he only *looks* like he’s getting out of control. but you knew that already.
midway through the first song, it occurred to me that although i have heard josh play hundreds of times, i’d never actually been in the *audience* for one of his performances. even at practice, my back has usually been turned at a right angle to the drumkit. so last night was my first opportunity to witness the joshua d. fleischmann experience as a fan rather than an enthusiastic accomplice.
so for forty-five minutes, i watched him blow a hole in the pianos stage and shake every stone on ludlow street. he was in complete command behind the kit, and he matched shilpa’s spellbinding intensity — which wasn’t something i imagined anyone could do. he gave her stories the ballast they needed. he brought the power. this time out, she wasn’t just hollering over the harmonium: she had the artillery to back her up. and when she jumped into the crowd to dance with the fans, i half-imagined she was doing it to marvel at what the rest of us had been seeing — a drum performance both bone-rattling and funky, and a hell of a lot of fun to watch, too.
bill james once infamously called don mattingly “100% ballplayer, 0% bullshit”. josh is 100% musician, 0% bullshit. he doesn’t toot his horn or play games or indulge in empty showmanship; he practices and studies and listens, and pays attention to the sound of the city. as cool as his day-to-day demeanor is, you can tell he’s always itching for the next opportunity to bang a snare. josh is pure dedication and love. the piano player is along for the ride, and josh makes sure the trip is always illuminating. it’s been an incredible privilege to rock with him. you know he’s a great guy, too, but that’s the easy part. he showed us the hard part last night".
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http://keplermusic.com/report.htmlkapow
KAPOW!
FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2007
I've seen Kapow! five or six times and they are markedly better each time I see them. Their rhythm section, which features Justin (The Negatones) on bass and Josh Fleischmann (ex-Beat the Devil) on drums, might possibly be the best rhythm section currently playing nyc regularly. Justin was particularly incredible tonight and Josh does Keith Moon and Nick Mason justice. Add in Justin's brother Jay Braun (the Negatones leader) and Chris Isom (the Psymatics) on dual lead/rhythm guitar and synth wiz Tris McCall and you have a smoking group. Their two minute songs like "Girl" and "Make U Mine" are so easy to digest, that their set flits by before you know it.
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shilpa ray and her happy hookers