Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Kincheloe.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
One of the biggest risks I ever took was walking away from a successful career as a full-time touring musician to start over as an artist from scratch. Right out of high school, I began playing professionally as a hired gun, and over the next decade I built a career that took me all over the world. By most standards, especially in Nashville, it was the kind of success many musicians spend their entire lives chasing.
But over time, I realized that even though I was checking off all the goals my 15-year-old self had dreamed about, I felt creatively unfulfilled. I started experiencing a real void in my life because I wasn’t creating anything that felt personal to me.
After ten years of touring and having steady work, I made the decision to leave that world behind and pursue my own artistic vision under the name Glasslands. It was a huge leap because I had never really written songs before, and I had never considered myself a singer. I was stepping into completely uncharted territory.
In 2016, I independently wrote, recorded, and released my debut album, Pariah. That decision changed the trajectory of my life. The last decade has come with incredible highs and difficult lows, but it’s also been the most rewarding and honest chapter of my career. Now, as I approach the ten-year anniversary of taking that risk, I can confidently say I’m happier, more fulfilled, and more creatively inspired than ever.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but in a lot of ways, that’s been one of the greatest advantages in my journey. I’ve had a tendency to learn things the hard way, but those experiences taught me incredibly valuable lessons that ultimately benefited both my career and my growth as a person.
What felt like setbacks or roadblocks at the time eventually became defining moments that pushed me toward becoming a healthier, wiser, and more grounded version of myself, not just as an artist, but as a human being. I’ve dealt with disappointments, record deals, bad business choices, and trusting the wrong people, and while those situations felt devastating in the moment, I can now see they gave me a crash course in the music industry that some artists spend their entire careers trying to learn.
I’ve learned how to recognize the “too good to be true” situations, the empty promises, and the importance of protecting yourself and your work. One of the things I’m most grateful for now is that I’ve built a fully independent career where I have ownership and creative freedom over what I do.
If there’s one lesson I’d pass on to any artist, it’s this: protect your art. Hire a great attorney, and have a contract for everything.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Glasslands is my personal artistic project and the space where I’ve been able to fully explore who I am creatively. At its core, it’s an alternative rock project rooted in emotional honesty, cinematic storytelling, and creating music that connects with people on a deeper level. It’s the place where I’ve been able to process a lot of the things I struggled to say out loud like feelings of anxiety, burnout, depression, isolation, and the pressure of constantly trying to keep yourself together while internally falling apart. The music became an outlet before I even fully understood what I was trying to express through it.
A huge part of the project is creating a world people can disappear into for a few minutes and hopefully feel understood in. Whether that’s through the lyrics, visuals, or production, everything is connected to that same emotional core. I think that honesty is what people connect with most. I’ve had so many conversations with listeners over the years who said the music helped them through dark periods in their lives, and that means more to me than any milestone or accomplishment ever could.
What I’m most proud of is the fact that everything I’ve built has come from taking risks on myself and staying true to my creative instincts, even when it would’ve been easier to follow a safer or more traditional path. I started Glasslands having never really written songs or considered myself a vocalist, and now, ten years later, it’s grown into something that has connected with listeners all over the world. That journey means a lot to me because it represents growth, resilience, and belief in yourself even when the outcome is uncertain.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I think one thing that would surprise a lot of people is that when I started Glasslands, I genuinely didn’t know if I could sing or write songs. I had no confidence as a vocalist, no experience as a songwriter, and no idea if people would connect with what I had to say. The first album was really me figuring all of that out in real time. A lot of what people hear now came from years of trial and error, self-doubt, and learning through experience.
I think that’s why the project means so much to me. Glasslands wasn’t built from certainty, it was built from taking a chance on myself creatively before I had any proof I could actually do it. Looking back now, I’m grateful I didn’t let that fear stop me because it ultimately led me to the most fulfilling chapter of my life and career.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1uaz4cRw5clcnWJIswU6Jy
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasslandsband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GLASSLANDSofficial/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/glasslands
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@glasslands
