Maybe it stemmed from a simple creative slump or possibly a culmination of an overwrought musical education and being raised on records meant for listeners twice his age. Whatever the reason, when Josh Preston laid down his loud electric guitar (along with his rock band mentality) and picked up an acoustic guitar, it all finally clicked into place. It quickly becomes apparent that Josh's singer-songwriter exploration blossomed into songs containing thought provoking lyricism and melodies that rapidly and cunningly bury themselves in the listener's sub-conscience. It took some time however, for these songs to move from the safety of being listened to by friends into an intense and deeply personal live show. The long road to solo performance was preceded by numerous side-man gigs up and down the Eastern seaboard with a final stint in New York City as a guitarist for singer-songwriter Aaron Brotherton (which led to a performance with Aaron at Farm Aid 2003 and a recording session at the now defunct Hit Factory). While in New York, Josh began recording his first solo release Between Memory and Mortality and he finished up this record after a lifestyle altering move to Nashville. Writing, recording and touring are now a significant part of Josh's everyday life. His recent release Exit Sounds, containing "Thousand Years" and "Safety Feels The Exit," is full of image-laden gems that border on slight poetic insanity.

Having been fortunate enough to make his living in nearly every facet of the music business since he was old enough to hold down a job, Josh used his knowledge to found an upstart indie record label called Me and the Machine Records. While Josh now has a launching pad for his forthcoming releases, Me and the Machine also continues to delivers powerful releases from some of the finest and certainly the most honest singer-songwriters on the scene today.