Folk singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is living proof that someone can maintain their country roots while living in a sprawling, big city. Rouse grew up in the quaint state of Nebraska and currently divides his time between Valencia, Spain and Brooklyn, N.Y., but pays homage to his upbringing with his latest album Country Mouse, City House.
That album has spawned a tour that will bring him to Milwaukee on Saturday, where he will be the first headlining act of the the Turner Hall Ballroom, 144 E. Wells St. (across from the Bradley Center).
Rouse said that while living in Spain did not necessarily have an influence on the musicality of his latest record, it did have an influence on the way he recorded it.
"I have more time to work on stuff (in Spain)," he said. "My pace is a little bit slower so it seems like it's not work at all."
Country Mouse, City House, Rouse's seventh full-length album (released July 31), was originally intended to be a double record—one country and one urban. When that plan fell through, he decided to take the album in a different direction. While Rouse says Country Mouse is not all that different from previous albums, there is a palpable sense of maturity to the songs.
"I didn't purposely try to do anything different from the rest of my albums," Rouse said, "but this one is kind of a romantic record. I guess a lot of people would say it's mellow, kind of like lounge pop or folk music."
That romantic aspect shines through in songs like "Sweetie," a playfully endearing ode to a lover. The lounge folk music shines through on the entire record, with its sort of retro 1970s rock feel, which is not surprising given Rouse's influences. He listed Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac and Al Green as favorites. And lest we forget, Rouse is a country mouse after all, and a self-proclaimed old AM country music vibe is evident in his songs as well. But Rouse says his musical tastes are not restricted to the classics.
"I just downloaded the new Radiohead album, the In Rainbows one. It's really good, I like it a lot," Rouse said.
Radiohead's latest album is particularly noteworthy for artists; it is available exclusively online and Rouse predicts this will become commonplace in the music industry in years to come.
"The music industry is in such a transitional period right now," he said. "In the next couple of years music will be completely digital."
In the near future, after a European tour that will allow him to play in his new hometown of Valencia, Rouse plans to take a break for a bit.
"I think I'm actually going to wait a while (to put out another record)," he said. "I've been putting a record out a year for the past 10 years."
A record a year has meant constant work – be it writing lyrics, composing music, recording in the studio, traveling, touring and doing press. But Rouse said it's more than worth it.
"I said when I was 18 I wanted to do this, I wanted to be a working musician," he said. "Sometimes I have to remind myself that I am, whenever I get upset. I make enough money to pay my bills and do pretty much whatever I want to do. It's great."