Formula Indie Sessions : Interview with Josh Harris
1. What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My earliest music memories come from the mix in my house. My parents loved classical music and jazz — Dizzy Gillespie would be around —
while our housekeeper kept the soul station KDIA playing throughout the day. So from an early age,
I was hearing jazz, classical, and soul all at once, and that blend shaped the way I hear music.
2. How did your passion for creating music begin?
My passion for creating music started when I was about five. My parents rented a piano and offered lessons to my two brothers and I,
but I was the one who stuck with it. Almost right away, I found myself trying to imitate the music I heard on a TV beer commercial.
That was the first moment I remember wanting to create music of my own — and that instinct never left.
3. What’s the story behind your current music project?
The story behind my current project is really about staying creative. I’m always writing, producing, and exploring new ideas, and
Big Feet Records has become the place where all of that comes together.
I don’t focus on one single project — I keep moving between songs, collaborations, and videos,
following whatever feels inspired in the moment.
4. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
I’d describe my sound as a blend of soul, jazz, R&B, and reggae, grounded in classical piano training.
That foundation still shapes how I write and arrange. I also studied recording engineering and
helped construct a studios in North Hollywood,
so there’s a technical edge in the mix as well.
5. What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Joining my first reggae band, The Shakers, completely changed how I approach music. I grew up playing rock ’n’ roll,
where the instinct was always loud and louder.
Reggae taught me the opposite — to play only what’s needed, to leave space, and to become one part of a bigger machine.
Learning how to hold my place in the band reshaped the way I think about music to this day.
6. What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
I’ve always worked in Pro Tools, running on a Creation Station computer from Sweetwater. Native Instruments and the Loopcloud sample library
are big parts of my workflow too. And when I want something real and soulful, I go to my Hammond B3 portable organ.
Those tools together make up the core of how I create.
7. Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Right now I’m fascinated with Melody Gardot. There’s something about her phrasing, tone, and delivery that really draws me in.
She has this understated confidence — nothing forced, just pure musicality and emotion.
8. How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
My personal experiences have shaped my music in a major way. I spent time touring the world with The Untouchables, a great two-tone ska band,
and that taught me what it meant to really live inside the music. Later, Carol and I built Rustic Bakery together, which grounded me in a different kind of creativity
and discipline. After we sold the company and moved to San Diego, I finally had the space to return to music, which led to the start of Big Feet Records.
All those chapters influence how I approach my work today.
9. What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope listeners feel the love I have for what I do. If that sincerity comes through in the music and people connect with it in their own lives,
then I’ve done my job. I want the honesty and the joy in the work to be the thing they walk away with.
10. What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
The most important lesson music has taught me is that you’re never alone if you’ve got music beside you.
No matter what’s going on, music fills the space and keeps you grounded. It’s a constant companion.
11. What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’d love to play some of the jazz festivals in Europe. There’s a real appreciation for musicianship over there, and it would be great to
put together a small band and do three or four intimate shows where the music can really breathe.
12. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
If I could collaborate with anyone, past or present, it would be The Beatles. The idea of sitting in as the piano player on a song or two really speaks to me.
Their sense of melody and harmony was on another level, and being part of that moment would’ve been incredible.
13. Where can our listeners follow and support your music?
Listeners can find me on the Big Feet JoshHarris YouTube page, which has a wide collection of our videos. Our website, BigFeetRecords.com,
features the full catalog, and my music is also available on Spotify, Amazon Music, and iTunes.
14. Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I’ve been going through my catalog and rediscovering music I haven’t heard in years. There are mixes in there with real magic that never came out.
“Middle of the Park” is a good example — I made it about a decade ago, found it again recently, and turned it into a video that’s now doing incredibly well.
My dream is to keep uncovering those moments and letting them shine.
15. What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope listeners can feel the love I have for what I do. If that sincerity comes through and people connect with it in their own lives, then the music has done its job.
