Joshua S. Porter, better known by his stage name Josh Dies (born June 12, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and novelist. Porter is widely known as the vocalist and songwriter for the band Showbread.

Music career

In 1997, Joshua Porter joined his brother Patrick as part of the band Showbread, which became a full-time international touring act in 2002. In 2004, following several independent albums, Showbread released '' No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical'' through Tooth & Nail Records. The band released several more albums and went through several lineup changes; Porter has been the lead singer and songwriter through every incarnation. Showbread released one final album, ''Showbread is Showdead'', before disbanding in 2016. Porter and other members of the band went on to form the worship group Church of Agony and the synth-punk trio The Bell Jar. Porter has also released two albums as industrial electronic act DIES, ''Aesthetics of Violence'' and ''Scalene''.

Writing

Porter released his first novel, ''The Spinal Cord Perception'', in December 2006. Porter no longer promotes the novel as he is no longer satisfied with it. Other works by Porter include the novels ''Nevada'', its sequel ''An Edict of Worms'', and ''Cannibals'', Showbread biography ''The Joke That We Play on The World'', children's book ''The Insect'', and comic series ''The Black Meat''. Porter's most recent novel is ''Punk Rock vs. the Lizard People''.

Other work

Porter has designed artwork for Sylvia Massy Shivy's Psycho Empire T-shirt line. He is one of the hosts of film podcast ''You Hate Movies'' and a founding member of Van City Church in Washington.

Personal life

Joshua Porter married Abigail Martinez on November 11, 2007. His three favorite bands are Nine Inch Nails,

The Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (k ...

, and

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

, and his screaming style is influenced by

Dennis Lyxzén Sven Olov Dennis Lyxzén (born June 19, 1972) is a Swedish singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist for influential Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, as well as the bands INVSN and Fake Names. He is also a former member of bands ...

's trademark scream. Porter's novels feature a dark, postmodern style similar to Chuck Palahniuk,

Bret Easton Ellis Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...

, and many other

Generation X Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s a ...

novelists. ''Nevada'' in particular is influenced by Palahniuk's epistolary novel ''Rant''. Porter has stated that he is an " anti-patriotic, pacifistic, anarchist type Christian." According to Porter, "As a Christian, I believe that for all Christians, violent self-defense is contrary to Jesus’ teachings, even within the confines of government," and " e New Testament is very clear in forbidding violence, retaliation and revenge. Porter is an admirer of theologian Greg Boyd, and identifies with the teachings of

open theism Open theism, also known as openness theology and free will theism, is a theological movement that has developed within Christianity as a rejection of the synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology. Open theism arises out of the freewi ...

Controversy

Porter has been involved with several controversies having to do with his work, namely with some Christian groups who feel that some of the subject matter of his writing is contrary to Porter's personal stance of faith as a devout Christian. Some of his lyrics are tinged with dark, violent, and obscure subject matter. Porter has been open in sharing his ideas about accusations brought against him and his work, and has posted several articles dealing with these topics on Showbread's website.

Discography

With Showbread

* ''The Dissonance of Discontent'' (1998) * ''Goodbye Is Forever'' (1999) * ''Human Beings Are Too Shallow to Fall in Love'' (2000) * ''Goodnight Sweetheart, The Stitches Are Coming Apart'' (2001) * ''Life, Kisses, and Other Wasted Efforts'' (2003, Steel Roots Records) * '' No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical'' (2004, Tooth & Nail/

Solid State Records Solid State Records is a Christian metalcore record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, ...

) * '' Age of Reptiles'' (2006,

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Undero ...

) * ''

Anorexia Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

and Nervosa'' (2008,

) * '' The Fear of God'' (2009) * '' Who Can Know It?'' (2010) * ''

Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

'' (2012) * '' Showbread Is Showdead'' (2016)

As DIES

* DIES – ''Aesthetics of Violence'' (2007) * DIES – ''

Talons A claw is a curved, pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most amniotes (mammals, reptiles, birds). Some invertebrates such as beetles and spiders have somewhat similar fine, hooked structures at the end of the leg or tarsus ...

'' (2009) * DIES – ''Scalene'' (2011)

Other projects

* Knife to Meet You – ''Three Track Demo Tape'' (2009) * Church Of Agony - "O Come, All Ye Faithful" P(2016) * Church of Agony – ''Protest! Worship! Lament!'' (2017) * Church of Agony - "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" ingle(2017) * The Bell Jar – ''I Infest, Therefore I Am'' (2018) * Annihilationism - "White Lies, Black Death" ingle(2020)

Bibliography

*'' The Spinal Cord Perception'' (2006) *''The Insect'' (2009) *''The Black Meat'' (2010) *''Remission'' (2010) *''Nevada'' (2010) *''The Joke That We Play on the World'' (2011) *''An Edict Of Worms'' (2011) *''Cannibals, Book One: Iambic Pentameter and the Teaching of Twelve'' (2013) *''Punk Rock vs. the Lizard People'' (2019)

References

External links

Official SiteJoshua S. Porter Myspace pageShowbread official sitePurevolume pageShowbread Myspace pageDIES Myspace page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dies Josh 1983 births Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century Methodists American male novelists American Methodists American performers of Christian music American punk rock musicians American rock singers American rock songwriters American male singer-songwriters Christians from Georgia (U.S. state) Hardcore punk musicians Musicians from Savannah, Georgia Novelists from Georgia (U.S. state) Performers of Christian rock music Postmodern writers Writers from Savannah, Georgia Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)