Life & Work with Joshua Clemens of Strange Heart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Clemens.

Hi Joshua, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was living in Reno in 2016 when my younger sister Eily got sick with Leukemia. After a really difficult stint for her in the ICU, my wife and I made the decision to move back to my hometown of Royal Oak to be closer to family. The month after moving back, my older sister Erica, who had been in remission with breast cancer, was told it had now advanced to her brain and she was Stage 4. So, it was good that I was home, but the circumstances were pretty terrible. 

I hadn’t written any music since probably 2010, which coincidentally was the last time I lived in Michigan. Part of me didn’t think I was capable anymore, but I wanted to try. I reached out to my good friend, Mike Schneider, a very talented multi-instrumentalist to help me get started. And with his help, wrote a song called “Doesn’t Matter Anymore”. Once that happened, the floodgates kind of opened, and the songs poured out. 

We started trying to piece together a band and added our friend, Bobby Jankowski on drums to join Mike on bass, while I held down rhythm guitar and vocals. Though we had a glaring need at lead guitar. 

Around this same time, an old acquaintance of mine was also moving back to Michigan. Bryce Carrol-Coe is a guitarist who moved from Metro Detroit to Los Angeles to get on a waiting list for a heart transplant after a viral cardiomyopathy attacked his heart. He was incredibly fortunate to get his transplant before it was too late, on 5/14/2016. After a lengthy recovery, he moved back to Michigan in June 2017. Shortly after he arrived in Michigan, one of the better venues in Metro Detroit, The Loving Touch, was planning a Led Zeppelin Tribute show and was looking for acts to fill the bill. It had been years since Bryce played a show, but it felt like the perfect opportunity to get back on stage. He started recruiting musicians and needed a singer to complete the group. I answered the call. 

When that show finished, I asked Bryce to join our newly forming band and he agreed. He’s a dynamo on stage, and his powerful melodic leads and versatility are a great match for my voice, which I tend to push pretty high and hard. His energy is also remarkable considering he was being kept alive with an iron lung not too long ago. To see a picture of him in the hospital waiting for his transplant is like looking at a different person. His recovery is inspiring to all of us. So, we went to work slowly but surely becoming a cohesive solid unit. A band. And we named it Strange Heart. 

In January 2018, after years of being in and out of the hospital, my sister Eily died of Leukemia. She was 31 years old. Three weeks later my sister Erica passed from Stage 4 breast cancer at the age of 47. I know I’m not unique in that, just about everyone out there has lost someone they love at some point. And as you can imagine, this was pretty devastating and even shocking to go through, even though deep down we knew it was coming. The actual experience was scarring. Eventually, you have to pick yourself up and live life. My son, Samson, was born shortly after in April. You try to slow it down and stay in the moment but the days are relentless and it’s hard enough just to catch your breath sometimes. 

As spring came, I started writing again, and when summer hit, our first shows. Singing the songs about the experience was cathartic, and it still takes me back to that time, and it hurts but I welcome it. Our album Sinking Ships came out in November 2018. The whole band poured their heart into it and I couldn’t be more proud. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think every band has its own unique set of challenges, just like people do. For us, playing the music is by far the easiest part. Though it’s not always easy! Our biggest challenge is the logistics in getting together. Balancing everyone’s commitments and responsibilities outside of the band, just so we can rehearse and play shows, is unfortunately where I use most of my brainpower. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Strange Heart is a band that has been described as, “aerodynamic indie rock”, and since I can’t think of anything better let’s go with that. 

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Our bass player, Mike Schneider once worked on a project with George Clinton that was nominated for a Grammy. 

Contact Info:

• Email: info@strangeheartmusic.com
• Website: strangeheartmusic.com
• Instagram: strangeheartrockband
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/strangeheartband
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3bXU3Id4fDb9HFt-GopsNg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/strange-heart-477414687

Image Credits
Dave Lamarand
Joe Murphy