There’s something about California, and more specifically Los Angeles, that gives artists a voice. As a Denver resident, Josh Dillard can feel the city’s distant yet residual allure, but not for the same Hollywood-inspired reasons that tug most musicians in. Instead, Dillard draws his attention to a small and quaint art hub of Los Angeles, known as Ventura County’s city of Ojai. His highlights of the city take the listeners on a drive away from the beaten path, as Dillard underlines Ojai’s value as an escapists oasis. According to Dillard, “Old Ojai” is a place where sites can be set high, but where adrenaline needs to be left at the door of Los Angeles’ bustling outskirts.

Aside from the location, Josh Dillard seems to gather inspiration from a a smorgasbord of places and feelings. Dillard’s cozy guitar and drawn out vocals for example, give “Old Ojai” the sedating charm of a snowy Christmas carol. At the same time, the slide guitar in conjunction with the repetitive “ooh ahh” of the backup singers brings listeners to a slow hip shake as if they were being entertained on the beaches of Hawaii. Either way, “Old Ojai” can be summed up as a nice fireside tune – one that listeners could hear Dillard humming by the crackling logs of a local Rocky Mountain ski lodge.