Jonathan Foster comes to Steve’s Guitars on April 26

Award-winning folk-Americana singer-songwriter Jonathan Foster is making a tour stop at Steve’s Guitars on April 26.

Foster, originally from Cranberry Lake, New York, is currently cranking out music in Redding, California. He has been crafting tunes for old souls for over a decade. In that time, he has released five independent studio albums and played over 300 shows in the U.S. His 2021 album, titled “Lantern Shade,” is packed with musical residuals from the past year of reflective moments during uncertain days.

“The great thing about my style of music is they are story songs,” Foster told The Sopris Sun, “meaning they can be somewhat left up to the listener for interpretation.” Foster said he often does not write his setlist until he’s physically at the venue, feeling the atmosphere, season and geography “to build a relationship with the audience.” 

His current project, which has the working title of “Roadside Attraction,” draws inspiration from traveling while on tour. “There is such a difference between all these different places I go to,” he said. “This new album will have little snippets of the Southwest, Rocky Mountains and the Northeast, where I originally come from, and a little bit of everywhere else in between.”

Needless to say, he’s excited to visit Carbondale for the first time. “There’s always this little bit of extra anxiety and intrigue when I go to a new place,” he said. “Every inch and turn of the music industry can be quite challenging at times, and a lot of it stems from how to make a living as a working musician.”

While struggles may face independent artists at every turn, “I always feel like I have the greatest job on earth when I’m on tour,” Foster stated. “When there are good things to do outdoors, I can mix music and do other types of traveling, my cup is full.”

For aspiring artists, he said there’s no time like now to find yourself and run with it. “It’s easy to emulate others and it’s hard to find ourselves through our art. The only way I see the most successful people take those next steps into their professions is by throwing that spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks and makes you feel good.”

Learn more about Foster’s music and tour at jfmusic.net

For tickets to the performance at Steve’s, visit www.stevesguitars.net