Getting To Know: Joe Cang

Introducing Durable Human, the first of two new solo albums from Joe Cang, born from a time of personal and global upheaval. These tracks, a mix of songs from past years and fresh creations, share space with equal urgency and bandwidth.

In an era marked by uncertainty and rapid change, Joe felt compelled to rescue these songs from hard drive obscurity, so they could reach whoever might find them — or be found by them. This album is largely a one-man operation, featuring two co-writes: “Money Love” with Jon Cohen and “Golden” with Andrew Roachford. There’s also the live band energy of “Crossroads” and the haunting vocals of Esther Dee on “Victim.” Beyond that, it’s a solitary journey, one man locked in a studio, crafting a landscape of diverse styles and moods.

Full Time Hobby will be the second release, offering more story-driven songs with a live, organic feel. From the dramatic escape narrative of “Last Train” to the heart-wrenching tribute “Curtains,” these tracks capture moments of personal and historical significance. Songs like “Reach For The Sky” and “Baby In The Bathwater” reflect the raw, eclectic nature of the project, drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical influences.

Both albums are brought to life visually by the legendary Lawrence Watson, whose cover photography captures the spirit of these records. Dive in, take a listen, and perhaps find a new companion in these times of uncertainty.

You’ve mentioned that the shockwaves of recent personal and global losses inspired you to bring your music out from the hard drive and into the world. How did these experiences shape the themes and emotional depth of the songs on Durable Human and Full Time Hobby?

I just had a strong sense of many songs sitting silently on my hard drive and wanted to give them a space to be heard and shared by whoever they connected with.  So more than inspiring the actual narrative themes of the lyrics, the loss of a few people close to me and the parallel sense of an increased unraveling, deeper division and fractured human connection, focused me to re visit and finish some older songs and to write, record and complete newer ones.

In these times of uncertainty and "accelerating free fall," you’ve created a diverse range of songs in various styles and moods. How do you see your music as a response to the current global situation, and what do you hope listeners take away from these songs during such turbulent times?

Diversity has always been my musical experience, I like one song by someone and not many more etc, I guess Im not that stylistically set. So I don’t have any specific expectation or intention for how anyone else responds or interacts with any songs. I stay as close to my vision and inner artistic sat nav as I can, and as I may be commenting on whats happening around or inside us, it will be likely to resonate with some people, possibly expressing what they feel also, bringing some clarity, a smile or just a healing head nod groove!

While Durable Human is largely a solo project, you’ve collaborated with talented artists like Jon Cohen, Andrew Roachford, and Esther Dee. How did these collaborations influence the final sound of the album, and what was it like balancing your individual creative vision with their contributions?

Both Jon and Andrew are co writers which is a uniquely magical shared experience, and although Andrew is a fantastic singer, we decided Golden fitted me better vocally so I then produced the recordings alone.

Also with Money Love , which Jon and I had written some time ago, he added some masterful keyboards to the final production, which was the sonic cherry on the top.

So in both cases, I was still making the production decisions alone, and my vision stayed pretty constant.

The song VICTIM which features the exquisite vocals of Esther Dee, is written and produced by me, yet the harmony Esther found on the chorus opens out the vibration with such poignant beauty,  she truly brought her own essence into the song which is a great enhancement, no balancing needed!

Full Time Hobby features deeply personal songs like "Last Train," which recounts your father's escape from Poland, and "Curtains," a tribute to your late cousin. Can you share how these stories influenced your songwriting process, and how you approached translating such personal experiences into music?

My cousins death was so poignantly sad and Dickensian as she was recently widowed herself when diagnosed, and she deteriorated very fast. The shock of her passing was deep and somehow the song emerged, without any plan to write one, in fact I actively tried not to do it. However,  the writing and recording allowed me to process the pain and sadness somehow, which felt a very rare gift from her to me.

The song about my father, Last Train, tells the story of his escape from Warsaw, as a young child, as the invasion of 1939 was happening. Again it allowed me to process and articulate memories and impressions of him in the form I know best, song. As he has advanced Alzheimer’s now, it impossible to share this with him, yet it again has a sense of emotional cleansing and a celebration of his life.  Also, although he wasn’t really aware of my musical context, he loved music and could actually write songs and poems easily so theres a certain completion there.

You’ve mentioned that Full Time Hobby includes a tribute to JJ Cale, whose music had a profound impact on you during your formative years. How have the influences of iconic musicians shaped your work on these albums, and what legacy do you hope your music will leave for future listeners?

Yes, Baby In The Bathwater is a direct homage to the great JJ Cale, who was one of my default late night listens through many teenage years.The world weary, laidback, laconic effortless ease, convinced me that life COULD be mellow and sweet.

I cant really say how other artists have been an influence on these songs specifically, but in someway all ones influences are part of the ongoing journey and alchemy of inspiring and pushing one to make something different or at least, personal. My wish for any legacy would simply be that some people feel inspired, expressed or uplifted after hearing some of my songs, and maybe write some of their own.