Musical Chairs: Josiah Samuel

BY GEORGIA MCDONALD

This week, I sat down with another local favourite, Josiah Samuel, to chat about his journey to the Whitsundays, his place in Airlie Beach’s music scene and what keeps him picking up the guitar after all these years.

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When Josiah first decided to move to Australia, the Whitsundays wasn’t on the itinerary. After building a life in Nelson, New Zealand where he worked as a teacher and played music on the side, a friend convinced Josiah to move to Melbourne and give the Australian music scene a go.  

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He booked his flight, arrived in Melbourne and lasted four days.

With a friend already living in the Whitsundays, Josiah decided to leave the city and head north where things were more his pace, arriving in 2016.

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His first job was washing dishes at the ‘Down Under Bar’, now known as Boaty’s and Nomads. It wasn’t long until people caught on that he was a musician. Then came a course-altering offer from the venue’s General Manager.

One gig soon turned into five years of Sundays at the old Shed Bar, where Josiah became a familiar face. Now, he’s a regular fixture in venues across Airlie Beach.

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Josiah’s relationship with music started long before he arrived in the Whitsundays. Josiah first picked up a guitar at six, getting his own at 14, and says most of what he knows came from being around others rather than formal lessons. Growing up in New Zealand, he spent time with Māori and Islander friends, including a group at school who would gather in the music room, grab guitars and jam together. For Josiah, music was something learned through community - by listening, watching and joining in.

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That instinctive approach has stayed with him. Ideas often pop into his head and he'll grab a guitar and record them before they disappear. In fact, he keeps a guitar in every room of his house for these moments of inspiration.

His early sets were heavily influenced by reggae and Islander music, but as he picked up more gigs, he realised he needed to broaden his style to keep gigs coming in. His connection to Māori and Islander music, however, has remained, leading to some memorable moments.

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One came recently while performing at the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane. After Josiah finished his set with “E Papa”, an Islander song he'd been playing for years, a man approached him and asked where he was from.

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The man then revealed he was a member of Herbs, and the writer of the song Josiah had just performed.

Josiah was star-struck.

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It’s a far cry from his early days performing in the Whitsundays, when Josiah would wear black sunglasses on stage because he found looking out at the crowd intimidating.

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That same sense of community now extends beyond Josiah’s own performances. As one of the founders of Whitsunday Entertainment, he helps connect local musicians, DJs and entertainers with weddings, events and corporate functions - creating the kind of opportunities that helped shape his own journey.

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For Josiah, tmusic has ultimately taught him the importance of authenticity.

“If you play music in a way that you really feel, other people can really feel it too.”

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Where to catch Josiah:

Every Tuesday at Paradiso, 6:15pm – 9pm

Every Wednesday at Boaty’s, 5pm – 8pm

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Song Recommendation For This Week:

Love Me - Fia

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