Josh Hoyer did not travel from Lincoln, Nebraska, to the 2025 International Blues Challenge in Memphis expecting that he and his band, Soul Colossal, would win top honors. His previous trip to the IBC in 2014 had more disappointing results, but this year the judges’ appreciation for Soul Colossal’s brand of soul-blues and their all-original music landed them first place in the band division.
Last year, Soul Colossal’s album, Green Light, was awarded Best Self-Produced Album at the IBC. Perhaps that served as an indication that the blues world was becoming more expansive in its vision of what constitutes the blues. The band represented the Omaha Blues Society and is most appreciative of the opportunity and support provided by the Blues Society and their fans in Lincoln.
American Blues Scene spoke with Josh just two days after he got home from Memphis.
Has the adrenaline worn off yet?
Yes, I actually got a cold Saturday night. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to perform. My voice was kind of shot. Since getting home, I’ve done nothing but sleep. I’m pretty worn out.
When you went to IBC in 2014, I remember you told me that the score sheets said you weren’t blues enough.
You just never know with the judges. Obviously, we played more soul-blues, so if the judges feel strongly that that’s not their vision of blues, that’s how it goes. I was a little sour about it at first, but I get it now.
What was your game plan this time? What did you do differently, if anything?
Honestly, we played two of the same tunes as the first time. We have about 70 original songs that we play; I just picked the ones heavier towards the blues. I don’t feel like we changed anything about who we are. We were just a little more selective about which songs we used.
I know you were without Benjamin (Kushner), your stalwart guitar player for how many years.
He just passed away last March 2024. Due to his illness, he got off the road and stopped playing with us in 2023. Ben’s been with me since the beginning. We started the band in 2012. He’s the only one who stayed the whole time.
Did you feel his presence?
Oh yeah. There were a lot of things – certain tunes would come on when we walked in a club that would remind me of him. I looked out the corner of my eyes a couple times and thought I saw him walking around. He just left such a beautiful imprint on my life and everybody else’s life in the band. He is very much with us all the time. Obviously, we want it the other way. He’s very much still with us.
What was it like to be on the Orpheum stage?
It was really beautiful. I had never been there. It was neat being backstage seeing all the different productions that had been done there. I shared some pictures with my oldest daughter; she’s into musical theatre. It looked like there had been a lot of cool musicals there. It was definitely a neat opportunity to play on that beautiful stage.
As you were waiting for the results backstage, sometimes it takes an hour or two to get the results that Saturday. It seems like it wasn’t that long this time.
They have a new digital way of keeping score so they can do the multipliers quickly. As each band would go, the score would be logged in. It only took 15 or 20 minutes to get the results.
As they were announcing the third place and second place winners, were you thinking, oh boy, either we’re out of the top three or we were going to get the top one?
I really enjoyed all the bands. You never know what a judge is looking for. Like Joe (Whitmer) said, you’re not competing with each other; your challenge is to compete against that score sheet. How they define blues or anything else is kind of subjective. I was proud of how we played and thought we had connected with people and spread some joy in that room. That’s all I knew. I was really surprised.
So what’s the next step? What happens now?
I don’t know. I love being at home a lot. I’m looking forward to exploring opportunities if they come our way and making some new music. I would love to go play Telluride, do the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise, and play at the Big Blues Bender in Vegas, if they’ll have us. I’m not really looking to get back in a van and hit the proverbial road for club date after club date after club date.
We definitely think our music speaks to people and is a healer in its way and spreads joy. So if there are festivals who want us to come play, and it makes sense, I definitely want to play these events. I guess we see where we go from here. I didn’t expect to win. I asked the guys if they wanted to audition. We have a couple of younger guys in the band who said, “I’d love to go to Memphis!”
I’m glad it worked out the way it did. I’m really thankful that it seems like the songwriting, the originality, was really valued. I’m just thankful the music spoke for itself, and the judges saw that. We’re not trying to show off – no grandstanding. We really just played from the heart. You’ve seen us; you know what we do.
We got the best self-produced CD last year at the IBCs for Green Light. That was really cool and unexpected. There’s some definite soul music in there and a lot of funky R&B, some jazz overtones. There’s a lot of styles on that album, but it’s very cohesive. It was very responsive to what was going on at the time, the shutdown during Covid, politics. It’s kind of a heavy and beautiful album, I think. I was really pleasantly surprised that it was chosen as their favorite. It makes me feel good as a songwriter to know that the people who have been doing this for a long time are valuing what I have to offer as a songwriter. That’s everything to me.
Sometimes you hear comments like, “That’s not really blues.” But Curtis Salgado wins a lot of awards, so apparently soul-blues is one of the rooms in the house of blues.
I’m leaning into the soul-blues, and it’s nice. I’ve become a huge fan of John Nemeth lately. I’ve always liked his music, but I’m going back and listening again. He’s a great songwriter as well. As I go forward, I have a plan to write a record this year and then I have another group I play with. I’m trying to write three albums before I turn 50, which will be one year from September. I’ve got a year and three-quarters to get ‘er done.
Who else do you play with?
There’s a group here in Lincoln I play with called The Church of Blues. The guitarist’s name is Levi William, and he used to be on the road with Shawn “Lilslim” Holt, who is Magic Slim’s son. He’s a fantastic guitar player. And then, one of the guys from the old Zoo Bar guard, Joe Gourlay on drums. With Dave Boye on bass, we’re a quartet. We play straight blues, and it’s a lot of fun.
You also work at the Zoo Bar, right?
Yeah, I book bands; I clean during the week, which I love. It’s a great place to be when there’s no one in there as well. I’m helping take care of my 15- and 11-year-old daughters now.
I’ll start a new job in a couple weeks – music for hospice patients as a music therapist.
You’ll excel at that.
I’m looking forward to that. You always want it to mean something. I enjoy playing at church, and I enjoy playing at the bar. It will be nice to help people any way I can.
That reminds me of that video you did with the older couple dancing – “Parts of a Man.” Is this like a new thing in hospice care?
They’re utilizing music therapy to reach some patients probably dealing with Alzheimer’s or dementia, hopefully bring them back some memories and bring them back to the present so they can visit with their loved ones. I’m going to have a lot to learn. I just know that the opportunity presented itself, and it sounded right up my alley.
I used to have a vision of what it was to be successful as a musician. I think that is something that, as you age, changes. I’m just thankful to be able to play music for a living. It’s probably one of the only times in human history that all of us random people can play music for a living. So whatever way I can utilize that skill to help the society around me is awesome — in a club or a church or playing for a hospice patient. I’m thankful for the opportunities. That’s successful right there, I think.
Things are good, things are happening. I couldn’t be happier for you, and you’re such a nice person.
I have a lot to be thankful for.
