For Josh Cournoyer, a move to Nashville, after being a fixture in the Providence music scene for years, never really erased the scene from his life. This year, Josh has found himself creating his first solo album under the moniker I&R that works to reconcile his feet planted in both worlds.
I&R presents Bankrupt City as a collection of folk musings, fast and slow, hard and soft, all with an edge of pause and existential reflection. With a solid foundation in Josh’s rich, literary lyrics and deep, baritone voice reminiscent of The National’s Matt Berninger or Last Good Tooth’s Penn Sultan, Bankrupt City comes together as a collective approach to creating and recording with various players, each having their own expression and a conversation with each other.
The following is the unedited conversation with Josh Cournoyer about I&R, Bankrupt City and his Friends From Back East Tour:
Photo Credit: Micah Mathewson (Mathewson Imaging Co.)
Q: What went into your choice to have your album release in Providence as opposed to Nashville?
Josh Cournoyer: Providence has been so generous with support over the years and I couldn't shake the idea that this is where I was meant to be on the night the record comes out. I started playing in bands twenty years ago this summer and there's only one place in the world where I can play a show to a crowd that's been there for most if not all of that journey.
Q: Will you be touring with the same musicians featured on the album?
JC: MorganEve will be joining I&R for the night of the album release which is significant because of how much she brought to the sessions for Bankrupt City. The touring band will be include bassist Nick Sollecito (another PVD transplant to Nashville) who has been playing with me since shortly after we finished making this record and will be featured heavily on the next one. Mike Murdock from Smith and Weeden didn't appear on the record but will be with us for the duration of the Friends from Back East tour behind the drums. We'll also have some guests for the shows on the tour, I&R doesn't have a set lineup so we're always finding new ways to include some of our favorite musicians.
Photo Credit: Micah Mathewson (Mathewson Imaging Co.)
Q: Your album is very rich in sound and full in instrumentation. How much of it was envisioned and how much came out in studio sessions?
JC: I have a small home studio where I did a lot of the initial demos for Bankrupt City. Half the songs had a full band arrangement pretty well roughed out before we started recording, but over the year that we made the record we added a lot. I had a lot of trust with the other producers and musicians on the record, which is why we ended up with string arrangements over marching band drums, or a synth lead giving way to pedal steel. Mike and Arun played a big part in the initial sonic blueprint, Joe and MorganEve breathed so much life in during overdubs and mixing.
Q: Would you say this is your first big recorded production since moving to Nashville? Does it feel like an album that could have only come out after moving? Or could this album have been made in Providence? Was it an inevitable collection of songs or a product of place.
JC: To me it's equal, Nashville taught me to fall in love with my craft, but Providence had always instilled that this thing is ultimately about making art. I needed to grow when I moved here, both creatively and as a person. Things that I took for granted gave way to a reality that Nashville would be just fine whether I made records or not. I'm so fortunate to have great mentors, everyone who played on this record has taught me how to be a better musician. How to enjoy what we do and bring gratitude to the process. At least half the people involved in the making of Bankrupt City have Providence roots, having them beside me in making a record in Nashville was one of the greatest thrills of my life.
You can find I&R’s music here.
