Josh Sager

Primary Instruments: Guitars, Vocals

Josh started playing guitar at age 12, after brief stints playing saxophone and drums. He was instantly attracted to the sounds of progressive rock and heavy metal when a friend bought him the Rush album “2112” for his 11th birthday. He was a self-taught player until 1991 when he started taking lessons with guitar legend Scott McGill.

In college Josh studied music composition and education, with classical guitar as his instrument. It is also in college where he met his songwriting partner Mark.

Today, Josh is concentrating on his jazz and composition studies. His goals are to be able to improvise to his own satisfaction in a jazz format, write that one progressive rock masterpiece, and to someday be able to play everything he hears in his head.

DOB: July, 1971

Favorite Guitarists: Scott McGill, Jimmy Bruno, Allan Holdsworth, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Guthrie Govan, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Alan Morse, Joe Pass, Vernon Reid, Ty Tabor, Pat Metheny, Warren Haynes, Duane Allman

Favorite Groups:

  • Rock: Rush, Spock’s Beard, Opeth, King’s X, Transatlantic, The Beatles, Jellyfish, BT, Björk, Living Colour, Periphery, Meshuggah
  • Jazz: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Joey DeFrancesco, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Smith, McGill/Manring/Stevens
  • Classical: Bartók, Schönberg, Beethoven, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Webern

 

Favorite Songwriters: Neal Morse, Paul McCartney, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Kevin Gilbert

Studio: Yoshi Studios

Guitar Gear:

  • Guitars:
    • Sadowsky Semi-Hollow
    • Epiphone Sheraton II
    • (2) Brian Moore i8.13
    • Brian Moore i2
    • Ibanez (7 string)
    • Fender Stratocaster
    • Taylor 310-CE (acoustic)
    • Dean 12-string (acoustic)
    • Ibanez (nylon)
    • Parker Nightfly (fretless)
  • Amps:
    • Carvin Quad-X Preamp
    • Line6 AX2 212
    • Acoustic Image Corus
    • Fender Princeton Chorus
  • Effects:
    • Keeley 4-knob compressor
    • Line6 Filter
    • Boss Super Shifter
    • eBow (is it an effect?)
  • Guitar Synth:
    • Roland GI-20
    • Roland XV-5050
    • Access Virus B

 

Other Projects: The Strawman Syndicate, The Josh Sager Quintet, Amsterdam, Swallow, Snowcrash

Favorite Movies: Seven Samurai, Ocean’s Eleven, Dave, Band of Brothers

Favorite TV Shows: NCIS, House, The West Wing, Law and Order, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, La Femme Nikita, Stargate SG-1

Favorite Books: The Charm School – Nelson DeMille; Values for a New Millennium – Dr. Robert L. Humphrey; All of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child; The Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling

Favorite Food: Steak, baked potato, grilled shrimp, and a ton of A-1 sauce! Any of the Thai food my wife cooks.

Favorite Beverages:

  • Beer: Smithwicks, Hoegaarden, Harp, Yuengling, Guinness
  • Non-Beer: Sake, Jacquin’s Apricot Brandy
  • Non-Alcohol: Peach Diet Snapple, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke

 

Other Interests: Martial Arts, Thai language, Golf, Mountain Biking

Most likely to be heard saying: “We sell that.”

Guilty Pleasures: Large Japanese martial arts book collection

Addictions: Spending money on music crap I don’t really need.

Unusual Fact: I’m blind in one eye. (It enhances my sex appeal.)