Aside from his work with Magnolia Park, the vocalist and songwriter has been featured on tracks by everyone from 408 to labelmates poptropicaslutz! and plxntkid. Like many of the greats, Joshua Roberts grew up singing in church but seeing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” for the first time was an awakening for him to find his own voice and pursue his calling. Inspired by a diverse mixture of genres and generations, his biggest influences are Justin Bieber, Labrinth, Billie Eilish and Usher; artists who inform his new age R&B/pop style with an alternative twist. He sees this solo venture as a personal journey to push himself not only creatively, but to grow as an individual as well. “It’s a whole side of me that I never talk about or share, so it’s a scary venture for sure but it’s something I feel I needed to take.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic spilled into 2021 and THE WORLD IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE wrapped their fourth album, ILLUSORY WALLS, the Connecticut-formed indie/post-rock quintet had no idea when – or if – they’d get to bring their most ambitious set of songs to audiences. “I actually assumed we wouldn't play this stuff live,” guitarist Chris Teti says matter-of-factly. “Being a live band is really important to us, but we still felt like we had to make this record as personal fulfillment.” So they waited, watching the calendar as tours got scheduled, postponed, rescheduled and canceled. Eventually, the band (Teti, vocalist David F. Bello, keyboardist and vocalist Katie Dvorak, bassist Joshua Cyr and drummer Steven K. Buttery) knew they had to take matters into their own hands, setting out on a headlining tour in October 2021 amidst the greatest personal and professional uncertainty they’d ever faced. The resulting Epitaph Records live album and documentary, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE (Live), is a revealing look at a band hailed by Pitchfork as “a generational voice” in the underground and by Alternative Press as one of the greatest Epitaph Records bands of all time. It’s a rock doc, yes, highlighting the band’s raved-about live show – a blissfully cacophonous swirl of energy, anxiety and catharsis – but also a historical time capsule, capturing America’s tentative re-awakening from the most surreal events in modern times as well as the lengths TWIABP is willing to go to continue their life’s passion.