Earth Day Record Release Extravaganza (I still can't believe it)
I know it’s been over a week now, but that was ONE HELL of a record release party! I knew it would fly by the minute that divine feather came drifting onto my shoulder one summer afternoon as I starred blankly into the sky thinking about my old band splitting up. I knew it from the moment that my girlfriend Jordan asked me with a smile, “when are you going to release some of your own music you’ve been making? People are going to love it and it’s just going to feel so chill.” I especially knew it from the moment I gave a final listen to the mastered recording of “Sand To Snow,” a track I began half my lifetime ago as an awkward teenager and finished finally a few months ago. I knew it was time to do something bigger than I ever had, so I took that leap of faith and prayed that my feathers would catch an earnest wind.
The night was a complete success and while I wish I had the chance to hang out more with every single person, I’m just so thankful for the opportunity to bring us all together under one common piece of ground where our roots intertwined for an evening of celebration. I couldn’t help but notice multiple times throughout the my band’s performance how RIGHT it all felt. I was completely present and yet completely lost in the liquid tranquility of flow state. I remember feeling this massive smile split my face as I was singing the lyric “down low where the bass hit - underground party sending cracks through the pavement” from my song “Where She At.” At first I remember being a little hesitant to book an Earth Day themed release show at an underground venue, but it was in this moment that it made complete sense for us to get even closer to the heartbeat of our mother, like a fertile womb for connection and creativity.
I’ve got to say it was one of the first times I’ve heard large groups of the audience singing my lyrics since my last band and that is a feeling that can’t be quantified. Sometimes a lyric and its melody will take hours, days, months to create - then sometimes they happen in just a couple seconds. Either way, they hold a tremendous amount of emotional and spiritual weight for their creator and that weight was suddenly exasperated into thin air and I was floating in outer space with everyone. The band was absolutely rock solid and put so much power into these songs I wrote by myself with an acoustic guitar in a bedroom. Featuring Nick sterling on guitar, Jeremy Reynoso on drums and Marcus Weeden on bass, I had myself the perfect group of guys to feel confident expressing my entire heart and soul with.
All of the bands - Scattered Melodies, Rachael Plays Guitar and Proper Pet - did an amazing job of sharing their talents and good vibrations with the room and I have so much appreciation for all their hard work and support in making this such a memorable night. I also have to include a huge thanks to the Hyatt Regency Resort at Gainey Ranch for supplying a couple pairs of day passes + daybeds for winners of the ticket raffle as well as Keep Nature Wild for the cross promotion with our event and their hike/litter cleanup at South Mountain on the morning of the show. Huge thank you to Think Pro Graphics, Hamster Labs and Alchemy Merch for making all the merchandise we had so well put together and representative of my brand.
I’ll leave you with a final THANK YOU for rocking hard with me - your support here means more than you know just to have these musings from the universe carry onwards over and over again. Through the tireless months of planning, overnight sessions in the studio, moments of sheer self-loathing and insecurity and all the other obstacles that stood in my way saying “it would be so easy to just quit right now,” WE DID IT. Never give up on something you know is right and I will be here continuing to support you in my pursuits to do the same. Please listen to the record often (below), share with your loved ones and I’ll see you real soon for more. It’s good to be HOME.
Love,
Joey
