Daily Discovery: Joseph Robert Krauss, “Two Closed Eyes”

Song: “Two Closed Eyes”

Videos by American Songwriter

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Current Location: Oceanside, CA

Ambitions: To connect through image and song. 

Turn-offs: Microwaves and big egos. 

Dream Gig: I’d love to play a show with Elvis Costello. He’s one of those people that I thought I liked because my dad liked, but as I got older I realized I had my own personal love for. I’d also love to open for Phoebe from “Friends” sometime and the Central Perk Café. 

Favorite Lyric:  Man this is hard, I have so many favorite lyrics. Carl Anderson is sitting next to me right now and he’s one of my favorite songwriters/surfers. My favorite lyric of his is from his new song “Ten Different Reasons.” The verse that says: “This time I’m gonna do it my own way and learn to love the person that I am today.” Simple lyrics are the best ones for me, the ones that make you go, “Damn I’ve felt that before.” 

Song I Wish I Wrote: For the love: “Landslide” by Stevie Nicks.  For the money: “Shape Of You” by Ed Sheeran 

5 People I’d Most Like To Have Dinner With: Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Bob Dylan, Raymond Carver and Zack Smith from Smooth Hound Smith. 

My Favorite Concert Experience: I was probably 11 or 12 and my sister took me to some show that this guy she was dating was playing. I guess she told him that I liked to play drums, and they invited me on stage to play drums with them and I’ll never forget that memory. Thanks sis. 

I Wrote This Song Because: I felt like my day-to-day routine was slowly crushing my soul—at the time I was planning on moving from Pennsylvania and this was just how I felt about it all. I had written the verses first but then just started humming this thing in the shower that later became the chorus.