Musician Joseph Amputch: Getting Lost and Found in the Music - #02

I chat to local Adelaide musician, Joseph Amputch, about growing up in Fiji and moving to Australia and the steps he took to pursue music full-time.

Joseph is also the man behind my show's theme music - which is a 30 second cover of the Pearl Jam song, Amongst the Waves. In this episode, we debut the song!

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vZzUDsoCj9A

Follow Joseph's music journey and connect with him on Facebook

Listen to Pearl Jam's original song


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[00:00:30] – Why Joseph has been instrumental to the show's music.

[00:01:35] - Hear Joe's cover of Amongst the Waves for the first time

[00:03:22] – How I met Joseph

[00:10:40] – Joseph’s first stage experience in Fiji with his stepfather's band.

[00:21:05] – Frustration around not putting enough practice time into the craft 

[00:23:50] - Pearl Jam 

[00:26:00] - In Fiji, there was less of a motivation to learn how to sing… that changed when he came to Australia.

[00:30:45] – On playing crowd-pleasers 

[00:32:00] – Opportunities to play his originals at music gigs and the mental barriers around that…

[00:36:55] – On teaming up with an art therapist to teach music as a form of therapy too 

[00:44:00] – Joseph’s album choices for his ‘blues bibles’

[00:45:34] – Music, gratitude, and having to turn down gigs…

Transcript

[Genevra]
Hi everyone, thanks for tuning in to the second episode. Today I'm chatting to my friend, local Adelaide musician Joseph Amputch. I've intentionally made my chat with Joseph Amputchutch the first interview because he has been instrumental to the show's music. In the previous episode I mentioned I'm a huge music lover, total rock chick heart and a big Pearl Jam fan. The band gave me permission to cover and record a portion of their song Amongst the Waves and I asked Joseph Amputch to be my person.


He's been amazing throughout this process. I got to be honest, after we were given permission, there were some dramas getting the recording done. I'll go into that story another time. So now I'm going to play it and I hope you like it as much as I do. Thank you again to Pearl Jam. Check out their original on their backspace of album. Here's Joseph Amputch and the new theme song.

[Genevra]
First of all, Joseph, tell us a little about yourself, like who you are and what you do.

[Joseph]
Okay, I'm Joseph. I'm from Fiji originally and I live in Adelaide. I've been here twelve years now and I'm a musician, full time musician. Wasn't always. Back in Fiji. I worked in broadcast and television and then when I came here, kind of fell into audiovisual doing corporate AV and all that and kept doing music on the side and then decided to be a full time musician. March 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Been a full time musician since then anyway.

[Genevra]
And when did you come to Australia?

[Joseph]
2011. Beginning of 2011.

[Genevra]
Okay, so I want to get into the move and how that came about. But before we do, do you want to say how we know each other? How we met?

[Joseph]
Yeah. Well, wasn't it that night you took that photo? I forgot what it was called, Winter Sounds or something. It was a small event with acoustic artists.

[Genevra]
Yeah. We were all sitting on rugs.

[Joseph]
Yeah, it was really cool. And I remember, Oh I forgot his name, the guy who he and his girlfriend organized that event and they asked me to play. And that was I think the first year I was here. Maybe the first year. Yeah. I can't remember when it was.

[Genevra]
Yeah, because that was about 2011 or something.

[Joseph]
Yeah, because I remember I was still new to Adelaide. I Believe and you took that photo.

[Genevra]
Because I was working for a local street and whip it up and they sent me to cover the event. And I think that was the first time I kind of been part of an event of that particular style. Like Pretty Cruzy people chilling on the floor sort of thing.

[Joseph]
Yeah, it was cool.

[Genevra]
I remember and nothing had should be careful how I say this, I loved your voice, but you didn't grab me until you did that cover - the Dr hook song.

[Joseph]
Oh yeah.

[Genevra]
Sharing the night together. I'm like, anyone that can cover this song and make it super cool has won me over. So I still remember that version and how you did it.

[Joseph]
Yeah, I loved that song. I haven't played that song in a while. You've reminded me, I think my next gig will be playing it.

[Genevra]
There was a photo that I took that night, it was like a side profile and you had these beads of sweat and your hair was like doing this soul glow shine thing - coming to America

[Joseph]
When I had hair.

[Genevra]
And then I decided to get the photograph like printed and put it into like a local exhibition for music photographers. And then after the exhibition, I didn't know what to do with that. I actually held onto it for quite a few years. And then I hunted you down, you were playing a gig at a hotel on the southern side of Adelaide.

[Joseph]
Right?

[Genevra]
And I thought, well, I'll go see you play and I'll give you the framed picture. And then I rocked up and I'm like, I don't know if you remember me. You had this really Lovely welcoming, receptive vibe.

[Joseph]
No, it was cool. It was very cool. Not everyday some photographer gives you a print of yourself and it was a really good one. It's on the wall at home.

[Genevra]
So do you look at it and go back, oh back when I had hair?

[Joseph]
Yes, all the time. Thank you for leaving me that reminder. It's a good reminder because I remember that event and then you because you're attached to that thing that's on the wall, the picture. So that always makes me think of that event and you.

[Genevra]
Thank you. Okay, so yes, that was how we met. We had a little chat off camera before and I know a little bit about your story, but you come across to me as someone with an entrepreneurial streak just in the way that your music story has unfolded. So before we get to the Fiji story, can you tell us a bit more about your music journey? Like the different things that you've dabbled with on the scene?

[Joseph]
Yeah, well, you want to go all the way back?

[Genevra] 

I want it all. You told me that you were doing some industry work with the audio visual stuff...?

[Joseph]
Yeah, my musical journey started from a child, my mother, she was a classical piano teacher and dad was a drummer. So kind of grew up with music always around in some form. I didn't really get into like playing and embracing it until like the later years of high school because my friend picked up a guitar and started playing. So we had this kind of competitive thing with us. So I picked up the guitar and started playing. And then my stepfather at the time was a jazz guitarist, so he taught me blues, how to play blues on the guitar.

[Genevra]
That mini competition that you had with your mate did that kind of compel you to get better?

[Joseph]
Yes. And that's how we did it because his uncle, Tony's uncle, was a trained classical guitarist. He went to the Vatican and studied for years. So he was teaching Tony and all his nephews and sons all that style of music. And I was getting taught blues music from my stepfather. So we kind of put that together and we were just playing this interesting mix of styles that we had. And Fiji, of course, there's a lot of gospel, a lot of reggae music that you grow up with as well. So there's a lot of that influence in there, too.

[Genevra]
Which style would be your primary...?

[Joseph]
Yeah, I was blues first. It's my go-to.

[Genevra]
So if we freeze on that scene because that's sort of telling us how you grew up with music around you and then if we fast forward to adolescence or playing your first gig. How did that come about?

[Joseph]
That was funny. Well, first ever gig. I don't know if you want to call it a first gig, but say my first experience on a stage in front of a crowd. I had my back to the crowd the whole time because it was this overwhelming load of emotions that I didn't know how to react to or accept.

[Genevra]
Whose idea was it for you to get on that stage?

[Joseph]
It was my stepdad, it was his band. And I wasn't even plugged into the PA. He just gave me a little speaker so I could hear myself in the back corner of the stage and I was just back to the crowd, just playing, trying to follow the band and [I was] nervous. So it was funny.

[Genevra]
Was that just musician only or you singing?

[Joseph]
No, just musician playing. Yeah, it's like singing still today. I do enjoy singing, but I've never considered myself a singer because I was never the singer in a band or anything. I was always the guitarist and accompanying someone else.

[Genevra]
I remember when you told me that and I really want to press you for more details on that. I just now want to ask you all the questions. I'm aware that we keep kind of going back and forth because there's just so much I want to ask you. I did ask about the entrepreneurial stuff before...

[Joseph]
Yes.

[Genevra]
So if we fast forward from that first gig experience in Fiji and then you're in Australia with the industry work that you were doing, did you do any of that in Fiji? You said you did before - sorry!

[Joseph]
Well. In Fiji wasn't corporate AV because there's not a big industry like there is here for that type of work inFiji I did broadcast our work for Fiji Television and pretty much covering a wide range of roles because there is no film school or production school as such in Fiji so you get thrown in the job and you learn as you go and you learn off whoever has been there before and that's just the way you work and learn so it was kind of like an apprenticeship in a sense but yeah. And then as you get better you move up and do various roles.

[Genevra]
Did that change the way that you did gigs?

[Joseph]
Well. Yes. At that time well. Yes and no that when you're young and you got a lot of energy you can burn yourself out and still be okay - that's what I was doing pretty much. But on the technical level it was hard to transition from that to corporate AV in the sense that the work is kind of scaled down so I had to relearn concepts. So to speak but the good thing about doing corporate AV here is the scope of work so I was doing everything from a small room. Say a set up like this to a big conference with multiple microphones and cameras and screens to big gala dinners.

[Genevra]
And things like that which were the kind of jobs that you preferred to do?

[Joseph]
Yes. And I enjoyed every minute of it when I was doing it but my heart was always with music I always wanted to be a full time musician but I never could so music always had to be this other thing that I did but then since living in Australia and then getting the amount of music work that I am I thought it was time to take that step and be a full time musician so doing that now and then. That in itself I'm still learning a lot of other aspects of being a full time musician it's not just going to gigs and playing, there's other avenues with through APRA where you give them all your set lists and at the end of the year if you play all your original music you can get.

[Genevra]
Can you tell people about APRA? Like what kind of body they are?

[Joseph]
Exactly, yeah, I might struggle with what the acronym extends to - Australian Performing Rights Association.

[Genevra]
So this is the songwriting?

[Joseph]
Yeah. Well it's broad it's not just songwriting and music that covers media. Any type of media that's original and you can register with them so far that's as far as I've gone with that so that's another avenue for income and they also have a lot of training on industry the way the industry works and how you can position yourself however you want so there are a lot of good resources that they have.

[Genevra]
With some of your gigs you were incorporating a bit of DJing and such yeah.

[Joseph]
Well. Weddings especially are found I've done a few where I'll do the acoustic set usually if it's the ceremony or pre or post ceremony acoustic tunes and then a pre-dinner. A bit more acoustic tunes. And then either a band or a DJ later. But what I've done in a few weddings is I'll have a drummer join me for the dinner part and then we'll change the whole setup to be a DJ. From after dinner onwards, we cover all the entertainment for the whole wedding that way.

[Genevra]
Entrepreneurship looks different for a lot of people, but they're the kinds of things, they're the kinds of details - when I hear that stuff from you, that's where I pick up that vibe of you're willing to stretch yourself and do different things to get that booking or to push yourself on your scene.

[Joseph]
I had to change my sort of way of thinking and I'm still in that process now because when you're working for yourself, you've got so many different hats that you got to put on at different times and it's not easy. I don't get it right a lot.

[Genevra]
Give us an example of the change in thinking that you had to do.

[Joseph]
Well, the main thing I think I'm trying to get a hold on now is how my days are different. When you're working, even shift work as well, you know that these are the hours you're doing at the end of the week, you get home, you forget about it, then you start again the following week. You know, that's your cycle of work. Whereas when you're working for yourself, there is no set period of rest and set period of work. It's always there. You got to always be on top of everything, you got to always be thinking of next year or the next half of the year. Just that way of thinking is what I'm trying to sort of get used to now.

[Genevra]
So when do you rest?

[Joseph]
Well, because I don't have to work Monday to Friday. I've got the days. Apart from because I got family as well, so I've got children to drop and pick up wherever house to clean, and then I got organized dinners because Emma does do the nine to five and sometimes later she's dead on this. So I've kind of taken on a lot of those roles, looking after the house and the family and stuff, as well as trying to stay busy and making sure that there's always work for me, but it works for us because then MSN. She doesn't work Fridays or Mondays, so when I start working on the weekends, she's at home to take over all that stuff. So like family life? It kind of works that way, but yeah, resting - I try to get as much sleep as I can.

[Genevra]
So during the days that you're not thinking about music stuff or you pretty much always thinking about it?

[Joseph]
Thinking there's music happening all the time.

[Genevra]
Yeah. So it would be safe to say that for most of your life you've always been around music related opportunities. Which of those have been the most challenging for you? In terms of growing your skills or trying new things.

[Joseph]
Yeah, honestly, it's now.  music because I've got to spread myself over the craft of playing music because to get better and to keep getting better, you got to put practice time in practice and practice to be better. So one thing that I'm finding frustrating is that I'm not putting enough practice time into actually playing the craft of playing guitar and music because I have to spread myself with all these other aspects of life. So at the moment, that's what I'm that's my current point where I want to be a better guitarist, but I'm not giving it enough price.

[Genevra]
You're pretty fucking good already, though, I have to say.

[Joseph]
Thank you. Thank you. I'll take that. But you always want to when you get to a point and you're playing the same thing. Same thing. And it can get frustrating because it's like a two way relationship with the music and playing and the skills and all that. The whole package is like, the more I give to it in terms of time and practice to be better, the more it gives back to me where I can hear the music and feel the music. Because I'm going to new places all the time.

[Genevra]
I hear you. Because as a writer, there's a definite parallel there.

[Joseph]
Yeah.

[Genevra]
It's really important for writers to read. If we don't read, then we don't stretch ourselves with the craft. And if we don't write, then we're just not giving ourselves the opportunity to get better anyway. So it's just with any craft, isn't it? We got to put in the time.

[Joseph]
That's it. It is frustrating, but at the same time, I still enjoy what I do. What I'm doing is it still fills my soul with good energy. But the frustrating bit is like, yeah, it's the same wall. I'm just hitting it's a nice wall. I like the wall. It's the same wall. I just want a new wall, you know?

[Genevra]
I like that analogy. You had a part to play in the theme music for the show.

[Joseph]
Oh, that was so much fun. Yes.

[Genevra]
What was that experience like?

[Joseph]
It was so much fun and like Pearl Jam. You're a mega Pearl Jam fan. I've come to know that.

[Genevra]
You know, there's different levels of mega.

[Joseph]
Is there?

[Genevra]
I'm probably at the lower mega level.

[Joseph]
Okay, but you're still in the mega realm. I never really listen to a lot of Pearl Jam or any of that music from the 90s in that style

[Genevra]

We need to stop this interview right now.

[Joseph]
But I do now, and I love them now because you're one of the people that's kind of - not - shoved it in my face, but put it there. And over the years, people have kind of just check it out, just check it out. And now I think when you doing this, the intro music for your podcast. I've been going deeper and deeper into Pearl Jam and all the other songs. What's that one like? And then I like that one.

[Genevra]
I love hearing you say that.

[Joseph]
You kind of helped open my or introduce me to the world of gems. Thank you. But going back to making the song, it took me a while to sit in the space of that song amongst the waves, because the first artist and this is just brutal honesty, the first time I heard it, it didn't catch me at all. Like, there was no part of it that I thought jumped out at me, but I had to sit in it for a while. And when I got into the song, I really enjoyed it and I really liked listening to it. Now it's on the playlist and then just getting it onto guitar, it was interesting. Like, the different variations we went through and what we ended up with.

[Genevra]
The bottom line is I'm fucking happy with how it turned out.

[Joseph]
Well, that's good.

[Genevra]
You said before that you never really saw yourself as a singer...?

[Joseph]
Yeah, the first band that I was in was myself and Tony. My friend Tony, who we were always competing and just playing music together, and we used to just play parties. And then we met Talae. She was a beautiful singer and the dean we actually went to primary school with. So the four of us just put a band together. Just two guitars and two guitars.

[Genevra]
This was all in Fiji?

[Joseph]
Yeah. So from that point onwards, there was always a singer and I was just a guitarist because the band grew and then we moved to another residence here, another home. We did that for a few years and then we stopped and then life took over. I did a lot of solo stuff, but more just guitar. Didn't really sing a lot. It was really till I came here, the only way I could get work was if I sang and played.

[Genevra]
I wanted to ask you, did you do it because you thought that you would get more work? But I was waiting for the right opportunity to ask you. And I just want to add that, should we tell people, that you're not getting that emotional and you've got hay fever today?

[Joseph]
Yes, please. Although I do get emotional sometimes. Now is not the time.

[Genevra]
You were saying that in Fiji there was always a singer around, but then when you came to Australia...

[Joseph]
When I came here, in order to get work and gigs, I had to sing and play. I just started the apartment I was living in then I just kind of set up a camera, recording myself, singing a few songs, just little clips, put it together. And then I just went around to clubs and bars, giving them DVDs and stuff and going on Facebook and messaging venues through their Facebook messenger. So that's how I started getting gigs.

[Genevra]
But prior to that, you're saying that no one gave you any encouragement to sing. Like, no one put that idea into your head and said you should sing?

[Joseph]
No, it was purely to get work and make some money.

[Genevra]
That's so bizarre.

[Joseph]
Yeah. And now I love it. I enjoy singing so much now.

[Genevra]
I just want to clarify. It's bizarre because you have a beautiful voice, and it's just like with the way you sing now, how much of it has been training and how much is it just like a natural thing?

[Joseph]
I don't know. I guess at this point, I've sung enough gigs for that to be kind of training. I don't know. But, yeah, it's changed. I started singing. I just sang because I sang. There was no thought, there was no planning. There was no training or anything. It was just to sing the song. You know, the song, sing it. So did it. But now, all these years of singing, I'm starting to notice certain parts about my body, what happens to my body when I sing with the lungs and where to get air from and how to squeeze or compress your wind so that you can hold a note longer or you can hit that high note. So things like that. I'm starting to sort of see... How do you explain when you know something? But once you've read an official thing about it, it kind of confirms it.

[Genevra]
That's called intuition, my friend.

[Joseph]
Well, yeah.

[Genevra]
Hey, I wanted to ask you, when you choose your songs, how much of it is it to suit your voice and how much of it is I know people love this song, so I'm going to learn it.

[Joseph]
Yeah. Which well, I'd say 20% of what I do is for other people, and 80% of songs I do because I like them, but they are the crowd pleasers that you have to do that keeps you working. But take a gig, 80% of the gig will be all the songs that I actually like, and then 20% of the gig will be... - I don't know - it just works out. That songs that I like. But I don't do the songs exactly like they are. I change every song I do to suit how I feel about the song.

[Genevra]
To me, that's a test of an awesome musician. I mean, that's what I was saying before about your cover of Sharing the Night together, because there was no way in a previous life that I would have voluntarily played that song because it was just cheese. But you took all the cheese out of it and made it really cool. So how important is it you to have the opportunity at gigs to play originals versus covers?

[Joseph]
The opportunity is there - every gig is an opportunity for me to play.

[Genevra]
Do you do it?

[Joseph]
No, because that's another flaw of mine or a challenge is being okay with my original music to share it with.

[Genevra]
Everybody, I'm putting my hand up for your audience, the test audience.

[Joseph]
Okay, cool.

[Genevra]
But what does that mean, being okay with that? Are you concerned that you're going to lose your audience or you think that your stuff isn't good enough?

Being judged.

[Genevra]

For?

[Joseph]
It's hard to explain. It's like a song. My original songs, they're not really a representation of me. They're just a story that I'm telling, kind of thing. But sometimes I feel like if I put it up there, people are going to think that's a representation.

[Genevra]
I'm telling you now that it makes sense, and it's going to happen anyway. It depends on how explicit you get with your lyrics, I suppose. Like, how specific that people are going to be like, okay, this dude just totally lived this.

[Joseph]
No, and that makes sense. But the challenge is getting over that and accepting, I guess, and just doing it anyway.

[Genevra]
That is the show right there. Accepting it and doing it anyway.

[Joseph]
Yeah. I've learned to do that with a lot of other aspects in life except for my original music. And yeah, I can't tell you why, because I don't know, it's just there. It feels like a physical barrier.

[Genevra]
This is interesting. We just next levelled this interview. I'm hoping that when we catch up next, you can tell me that you've chipped away at that... 

[Joseph]
I think I have kind of like I've gotten onto APRA. I've registered the songs there, and I've got just recordings of myself just playing...

[Genevra]
How important is that? What would happen if you played an original and it wasn't registered?

[Joseph]
Nothing. What registering does is it's. First of all. Ownership that proves your ownership of that work. And also revenue. Because every time you play your original song at a gig and you put it on your set list that you register with APRA. At the end of the year. They add up how many times you played it. And you get royalties for your own music. And once it's registered as well. If your music gets used anywhere else, it gets tracked because every time you register, it gets a specific number. I forgot what it is, but it's a long number. So every time it gets played anywhere, digitally, online, it gets recorded, and then somebody has to pay for it somehow.

[Genevra]
Just want to take a moment to talk about how much I love coffee. If you listened to the trailer, then my coffee fixation was pretty obvious. I'm pumped to have Sicilia Coffee sponsoring the show. I'm always happily caffeinated, thanks to these guys. I personally love and drink their organic forte blend. They also have organic decaf as well. If you need to ease up on your caffeine intake, their coffee is freshly and locally roasted here in Adelaide, South Australia, and you can check out their range by going to Siciliacoffee.com.au Use coupon or discount code loud10 at checkout to enjoy 10% of your first order.

[Genevra]
So going back to the entrepreneurial thing, you do a bit of coaching on the side, don't you?

[Joseph]
Yes.

[Genevra]
Do you want to tell us about that?

[Joseph]
Yeah, well, I've always wanted to teach, and every time I thought about it, I'm not a schooled musician. I didn't learn music in school, so I don't know how to read music. So keep thinking then, what can I teach? Over the years, I found a lot of people just there's a lot of people who want to learn music either casually or as therapy. You know, it was a few years ago, I knew Kira from years ago. Like, we were musicians, we'd always pass at gigs. And then she was doing this KM creation, she called it, it was arts therapy. And she needed someone to fill in for the night appointments, which was like, what was it, five to nine or something like that.

[Genevra]
She was doing art therapy?

[Joseph]
She was doing art therapy. So she was doing everything from music to craft work to drawing and everything like that through NDIS and all that. She was doing that. So I started teaching. So I kind of went as a mentor, music mentor. And I started getting a lot of students, so a wide range of ages and backgrounds, and they all wanted different things from it. And I'm really, really enjoying it right now whenever I can. So at the moment it's on hold because I got to allocate some time to the youngest child who's having some things with school in there. But as soon as I can, I'm going to jump straight back into it because I enjoy teaching, and it's not technical teaching the way I teach. It's more applied kind of music. So you come in and say, okay, is there a song that you want to learn to play or sing? And then we'll work towards that. And then while learning that song, then I'll show them the techniques and other ways to bring the music up.

[Genevra]
I was really impressed when you told me about the music therapy, because creativity and helping others with it, what not to love about that?

[Joseph]
I can see that it makes a huge difference in people's lives. Just music. Whether you're listening to music or you're learning to make music, and just the process of making music, it can make a big difference, positive difference.

[Genevra]
Give me one little detail, just from one mini experience in the art therapy, music therapy scene, where you can see that you've really either touched that person or you've helped them in some way. Like, what does that look like?

[Joseph]
There's a few - I might pick Katerina. She was beautiful, beautiful person. And she had this really nice speaking voice. And she, always wanted to sing. Yeah, like similar sort of Timber to her voice. And. She loved to sing. And when she started I think we can't remember what song she wanted, but she likes all the 70s rock stuff. So we did some songs by Free or something. But what I'm getting at is when she first started, she had a lot of problems with her throat. She had an operation or something and she found it hard to throw her voice to sing loud. So she sings really low like this, and she's very shy about it. So we worked on breathing and singing song lines over and over to get her breathing going and her vocal codes happening. And now she's playing gigs. Now she's doing around just some small community staff. But she's enjoyed she messages me all the time. When are you going to teach again? So, yeah, she went from that and she also had an operation on her vocal cords. But she's healed now and just enjoying it and playing.

[Genevra]
Thanks for sharing that.

[Joseph]
No, it's wonderful. That's what I mean by, you know, it's giving back to you. When you see things like that and you feel good about what you've done. You've made a difference in someone else's life and a positive difference, too.

[Genevra]
Yeah. I'm actually really enjoying talking to you and I'm actually coming up with more questions and going beyond my default list here.

[Joseph]
I'm enjoying this. It's just like chatting with a friend and chilling.

[Genevra]
When you said before about the client with a nice speaking voice and I'm like, have you listened to yourself lately?

[Joseph]
I applied for a radio job. I didn't get it. This is years back in Fiji. But yeah, I wasn't good enough for radio. But then I got on TV, so I was working in television. I was predominantly editor camera production. But then there were three local TV shows that they needed someone to host. So I hosted two of them and the third one was a comedy Skit show and one person couldn't make one of the shoots that they were doing. So they asked me to fill in. And then after that episode, I became a regular on the show because they wanted me there all the time.

[Genevra]
Oh, my God.

[Joseph]
People thought that was funny.

[Genevra]
You are full of surprises. And also the people that turn you down for the radio gig. Do I have to send them a copy of this broadcast?

[Joseph]
Yeah, please.

[Genevra]
So you said blues was a big influence. Which artists were big influences on? You?

[Joseph]
Buddy Guy was one of the first albums I listened to. I got given to listen to. So my stepfather gave me a cassette tape for the album it Feels Like Rain, my Buddy Guy. So that was my first introduction to blues. Well, not really. I knew of blues, but that was kind of the first time I was given material to study and imitate and mimic. And I did that and that and eric Captain's album from the Cradle. Those two albums, they're like my blues bibles.

[Genevra]
I've not heard either of them, so now I'm going to have to yeah.

[Joseph]
Good albums if you like blues, because it's really heavy blues. Buddy Guy one is interesting because it's kind of a mix of heavy blues and a bit of soft sort of country blues, if you'd call it that. Good music.

[Genevra]
So I just want to backtrack because you've told us quite a bit about all the different things you've done musically, like the wedding staff and the freaking comedy sketches. What the hell? What does an Ideal Day look like for you? What do you want to be doing musically?

[Joseph]
Oh, man, I just want to play. I just want to play and sing every day. If I can do that, I'll be happy.

[Genevra]
And what, like, are we talking the hotels or outdoor events?

[Joseph]
It's hard for me to because every time I play, I approach it the same way, whether it's a big stage--

[Speaker B]
I love that you said that.

[Joseph]
Because I don't know, it's that relationship I have with my music. The music that I play is we're in this together and we just get lost in it together as we go.

[Genevra]
When I heard you say that, to me, that sounds like you have, like, a deep sense of gratitude for what you do and having the opportunity to play.

[Joseph]
Yes.

[Genevra]
That's awesome.

[Joseph]
When I first came here, I was like, I'll take all the gigs. Where's the gig? I'll take it all. Now I'm having to say no to gigs because I don't have time because I'm already booked somewhere else and I'm eternally grateful to be in this position. I get to play music and pay my bills and look after my family.

[Genevra]
I think that's just a beautiful note to end on. And I just really want to thank you for chatting to me today about your experiences.

[Joseph]
It's been my absolute pleasure chatting with you today. Thank you for having me.

[Genevra]
You're welcome. All the best.

[Joseph]
And you too. 

[Genevra]
Hey, thanks for giving your time to listen today. If the show helped or entertained you in any way, leaving a review or sharing it with a friend would mean a lot to me. To stay in the loop. For future podcast content, you can follow me on Instagram at Better Loud than Too Late. I also have a newsletter where I share ways on how I've introduced more playfulness into my life. You can subscribe at iamgenevra.com/pressplay