Josh Ansley
Encyclopedia
Joshua David Ansley was the bass
player for the band HURT
and the ska
bands Catch 22
and Streetlight Manifesto
. Raised in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
, United States
, Ansley was a Ford model and an actor as a child/pre-teen. He then was in Social Butterfly, an alternative band which also featured future HURT guitarist and bandmate Paul Spatola. He then joined the pop-punk band The Youth Ahead before graduating high school and eventually joined the influential ska-punk group Catch 22
. Josh went to Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
to study acting and also attended the London Academy of Theatre at The Globe. While in London he wrote a play in Iambic Pentameter
called Cirque de Lumiere which he later produced back at home. He took off a year of school to tour with the band Catch 22. He played a fretless bass when he started but later for Streetlight Manifesto he played a five-string bass. Ansley left Catch 22 a few months after the original release of Keasbey Nights
in order to finish his degree. After graduating with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Theatre he rejoined with Tomas Kalnoky
to form Streetlight Manifesto
. He played with them for a while and recorded bass on the album Everything Goes Numb
, released on Victory Records
and the RISC Group, before later leaving to move to Los Angeles; he was then replaced by Chris Paszik.
He then became the bass player for the band HURT
on Capitol Records, which toured with Alice In Chains
, Staind
, Three Days Grace
, Breaking Benjamin
, Seether
and others. He played on HURT's major label debut Volume I which came out March 21, 2006, and Volume II which was released on September 25, 2007. On April 3, 2008, he announced via HURT's forums and their Myspace page that he would be leaving the band to pursue different avenues. He now lives in Los Angeles
pursuing acting, music, screen-writing, and directing. Joshua is now playing bass for his own band, SLUGGO, with Michael Blotzer on drums and Joe Bresnick on guitar.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player for the band HURT
Hurt (band)
Hurt is a rock band formed in 2000 in Virginia, now located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Currently in partnership with their manager's independent record label, Amusement, the band has put out three major label albums. The group consists of lead singer J...
and the ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
bands Catch 22
Catch 22 (band)
Catch 22 is an American ska punk band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey.The band was formed by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky and drummer Chris Greer who recruited trumpeter Kevin Gunther, who was working in a local record store...
and Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto is an American punk band with many influences from different genres including ska, from New Brunswick, New Jersey fronted by Tomas Kalnoky....
. Raised in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township, New Jersey
Old Bridge Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township had a total population of 60,456...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Ansley was a Ford model and an actor as a child/pre-teen. He then was in Social Butterfly, an alternative band which also featured future HURT guitarist and bandmate Paul Spatola. He then joined the pop-punk band The Youth Ahead before graduating high school and eventually joined the influential ska-punk group Catch 22
Catch 22 (band)
Catch 22 is an American ska punk band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey.The band was formed by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tomas Kalnoky and drummer Chris Greer who recruited trumpeter Kevin Gunther, who was working in a local record store...
. Josh went to Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
to study acting and also attended the London Academy of Theatre at The Globe. While in London he wrote a play in Iambic Pentameter
Iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter is a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse and verse drama. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in that line. That rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables; these small groups of syllables are called "feet"...
called Cirque de Lumiere which he later produced back at home. He took off a year of school to tour with the band Catch 22. He played a fretless bass when he started but later for Streetlight Manifesto he played a five-string bass. Ansley left Catch 22 a few months after the original release of Keasbey Nights
Keasbey Nights
Keasbey Nights is the debut album by the East Brunswick, New Jersey ska punk band Catch 22, released on March 24, 1998 by Victory Records. It is the only album by the band's original lineup, as singer/songwriter/guitarist Tomas Kalnoky, bassist Josh Ansley, and horn player James Egan all left the...
in order to finish his degree. After graduating with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Theatre he rejoined with Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky
Tomas Kalnoky is a Czech-born American musician. He is the lead singer/guitarist and songwriter of the bands Streetlight Manifesto and Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, and goes by the pseudonym Toh Kay as a solo performer...
to form Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto
Streetlight Manifesto is an American punk band with many influences from different genres including ska, from New Brunswick, New Jersey fronted by Tomas Kalnoky....
. He played with them for a while and recorded bass on the album Everything Goes Numb
Everything Goes Numb
Everything Goes Numb is the debut album by American ska punk band Streetlight Manifesto.-Track listing:All songs written by Tomas Kalnoky-Personnel:*Josh Ansley - Bass Guitar*Jim Conti - Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone...
, released on Victory Records
Victory Records
Victory Records is a Chicago-based record label founded by Tony Brummel. It is a privately held corporation. It also operates a music publishing company called "Another Victory, Inc." and is the distributor of several smaller independent record labels....
and the RISC Group, before later leaving to move to Los Angeles; he was then replaced by Chris Paszik.
He then became the bass player for the band HURT
Hurt (band)
Hurt is a rock band formed in 2000 in Virginia, now located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Currently in partnership with their manager's independent record label, Amusement, the band has put out three major label albums. The group consists of lead singer J...
on Capitol Records, which toured with Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
, Staind
Staind
Staind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...
, Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992, originally under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in late 1997, the band regrouped in the same year under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer...
, Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin
Breaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
, Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
and others. He played on HURT's major label debut Volume I which came out March 21, 2006, and Volume II which was released on September 25, 2007. On April 3, 2008, he announced via HURT's forums and their Myspace page that he would be leaving the band to pursue different avenues. He now lives in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
pursuing acting, music, screen-writing, and directing. Joshua is now playing bass for his own band, SLUGGO, with Michael Blotzer on drums and Joe Bresnick on guitar.