Joe is the epitome of the DIY spirit. He's been in bands, but out of necessity, he's currently doing the whole thing himself. He'll get an idea in his head, grab whatever musical instrument is nearby—and for him, that could be anything from guitar, bass, drums, or even a pair of spoons—and turn it into a song. Then he records it all using a plethora of vintage instruments and amps, multitracks it, and voila—another nugget comes alive!
The music he makes is straight up rock. And I know that the “kids” these days (read: people younger than me, and that number seems to be growing by the minute) refer to “rock” as loud, hard, metal-type music. But there was a time when rock, was, well, rock! Think U2, or somebody like that who can fill an arena. That's my definition of rock. And Joe goes for the big sound, and pulls it off nicely. His songs are exciting, and grab you from the get-go.
Joe is well-schooled in the art form. When I asked him about some of his biggest influences, he named lots of the greats—but his #1 (and #2, #3, and #4) choice was the Beatles. Many musicians pick the Fab Four, but Joe has studied them ever since he was a small child. To him, their history is living and breathing all around him in Liverpool. The clubs where they played (and he's played). Their homes, schools, and hangouts. He makes a point of respecting the diversity of their different musical phases. He doesn't really sound that much like them, but he's learned from their work ethic and pushing of boundaries. Other great influences include the Doors and the great acts of Motown.
At this point, he's playing solo acoustic gigs, like he did recently at the IPO (International Pop Overthrow) festival in Liverpool in May. He somehow manages to translate the big sound to acoustic guitar, and makes it work. I haven't yet heard what this sounds like, but it must be good, because he keeps getting gigs booked all over the northern UK.
If Joe Symes doesn't succeed, it won't be for lack of trying. He's constantly working—long nights creating new music, even longer nights networking and promoting said new music, and playing gig after gig after gig. Don't worry—I'm confident he will succeed! We'll get to hear three of his songs this week during our chat, and you'll see what I mean.
www.reverbnation.com/1joesymes
It was my privilege to submit a track to this month's “That Time of the Month”, Pete Renzullo's show where you get to vote on one of five stellar songs, submitted by Recharged Radio presenters. And what a stellar track! Blake Jones and the Trike Shop are a “mad pop” band from Fresno, California. You might think nothing is happening in Fresno. And you'd be wrong. There is a blooming music scene in this arid Central California city that 110 degree summer heat can't keep down. And at the core of it all are the Trike Shop.
The song that we've hand picked for you this month is called Sun Up. It's marvelous jangle-pop, that makes you think of all that is good about spring and summer. Kids and adults out on the streets. Scooters. Bicycles. Ice cream. Fireworks. The sprinklers going. And since this show first airs a few hours after the summer solstice, what a fine way to celebrate! Blake Jones and the guys just came back from a tour of the UK, to share their wonderful music with the folks who know a little something about good pop music. They even played at the aforementioned IPO in Liverpool.
If you like what you hear, please go to the “Vote” link on the right column of the home page of www.rechargedradio.com, and vote for Blake Jones and the Trike Shop's song Sun Up. It's a great song, and deserves your vote!
www.blakejonesmusic.com
If you'd like to make a request, just drop me a line at mike(at)rechargedradio.com. If you'd like to become an honorary California citizen, drop me a line at the same address. And if you'd like to hear all this great music—simply tune in to the California Diner, Tuesday night, 8:00-10:00 p.m. (GMT), 12:00-2:00 p.m. Pacific, only at Recharged Radio—www.rechargedradio.com.
This note also appears in the News section on the home page of RechargedRadio.com.
See you then!
Chef Mike
mike(at)rechargedradio.com
MN2BDNC
Terese Taylor - Hermit
Allan Price - Here I Go Again
Last Breath - The Story Ends
Thinking For Tuesday - Falling
Allen - Hold Me Tight
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop - Sun Up
Kamp David - Red Hotel
Rose Reiter - Wherever
Joe Symes Interview
Joe Symes – One Too Many
Joe Symes – Hopeful Hearts
Joe Symes – Lost Along The Way
The Whiskey Saints - Every Little Thing
Laurie Biagini - My Little SUV
Anton Barbeau - Fuzzchild
Joseph Swidenbank - Empty Handed
Persian Rugs - Always All
Rich McCulley - Far From My Angel
Maxi Dunn/Elizabeth Racz - Why
The Decibels - Raining in My Head
Jerzey Street Band - Pale Blue River
Baby Scream - The Ghost Of Valerie
Fortune Dwellers - Al's Song
Karim Fanous - Thin Bits
Sarah Taylor - Easy To Forget
Sal Valentino - Looking For You
Lindy LaFontaine (with KYRO) - Alizee
Nelson Bragg - Tell Me I'm Wrong
No comments:
Post a Comment