“It only took five years to be an overnight success,” Natalie Closner, lead singer of the band Joseph, said.
Two years ago Joseph made their first appearance at the Barefoots stage. The three sister band from Portland, Oregon were relatively unknown at the time, spending much of their time playing in small shows and concerts trying to find some traction. Joy Moore, director of Barefoots Coffee said she remembered asking her music leader for Barefoots whether the three voices were powerful enough to command a stage for an entire set. Then after the performance Moore said, “They command the stage with such soaring harmonies, you forget that there’s little else but their voices. They had a guitar, a tambourine and plenty of stomping and clapping to support them, but that was it. They’re one of the best shows we’ve had in Barefoots.”
Soon after that performance, Joseph started soon after to gain traction with their rapidly growing fan base. In 2016, they released their best selling album, I’m Alone, No You’re Not. That album was released by ATO Records, and later that release would lead to almost half a million listeners on Spotify, confirming that they had reached success.
Moore had hoped for a follow up show, but given their recent stardom, she thought it was unlikely that the band would ever return. Despite the stardom, they were sent a request to play again at Barefoots. When Natalie got the notification from their manager, they realized the concert fell on one of their days off; however, Joseph wanted to come back because of some good memories they had while performing at Union. Natalie said that when she had arrived in Jackson, she had just gotten back together with a guy named Chris, who she had been dating on and off for awhile. He had come to drive them to the show and help them get ready for the concert, and when Natalie met the Barefoots staff she introduced him as her boyfriend for the first time. They got married just two months ago. So when asked to return to the Barefoots stage, Joseph wanted to come back.
Since Joseph’s last visit at Union they have performed on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Conan and CBS This Morning. They have also released a music video with Team Coco, released a new album and been named Apple’s “Artist of the Week.” Two nights following the concert at Barefoots, Joseph will be supporting James Bay during two sold out shows at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
“Our shows have an intimacy lost in larger venues, and this becomes particularly special when artists are on the rise, as Joseph is,” Moore said. “The live show is a singular experience shared by artists and audience, and we expect this to be a very memorable experience for everyone who comes.”
Joseph will perform on Thursday at 8 p.m. in Barefoots Joe. You can find their music on Apple Music, Spotify and other social media outlets.