No. 80: Joe Pug

Joe Pug is a solo folk artist now based in Chicago. I'm normally not a fan of the type of music he plays. I find folk music kind of repetitive and uninteresting. But contrary to that, I love what I've heard from Joe Pug so far. I've pretty much been listening to him non-stop for two days.

According to his Myspace page, Pug decided to up and move to Chicago the day before his senior year at the University of North Carolina. He came to Chicago, picked up his guitar (which he hadn't played much since his teenage years), and recorded his "Nation of Heat" EP.

What jumps out most to me is his age. At first listen, I would have pictured an old, grizzled guy, but he's actually in his early 20s. The lyrics are interesting and introspective, and his voice is simply flat-out amazing. His skills apparently are becoming more well-know -- he's scheduled to play a number of festivals this summer, including Bonnaroo, Summer Camp and Lolla. He's expected to release a full-length album this year.

I look forward to watching this Chicago-based artist grow as a musician. As far as going to see him at Lollapalooza, I'm not sure how he will relate to the festival setting; I think it'd be much more enjoyable to see him in a small club.

Sounds like: Bob Dylan

Check him out here on Myspace. Go to his home page, where you can request a free sample of his music.

Here's a video of him playing a party after SXSW 2009: