Bob Dylan, The Ramones, Johnny Cash, and countless others have written whole chapters of music history. Acoustic punk performer Joie Blaney is writing the next chapter in the clubs, streets, and Cafés all over the world.
Joie Blaney is a sight for sore eyes and ears with his acoustic guitar played louder and faster than most punk bands. He commands the stage with true to life rapid-fire lyrics and catchy hooks that leads a listener down a musical path of life's innermost secrets. A scarred soul searching for the higher good in all things. Call it a misplaced childhood or misspent youth. This is Antifolk. This is Acoustic punk. This is Joie Blaney "It's like trying to understand the cruel and insane beauty of life and everything that goes with it" Joie adds. The songs of Joie Blaney explore that very same idea.
In an era of the too cool, too dumb and the all too predictable band, Joie Blaney is a solo performer that stands out from the rest. He is a poet with an acoustic guitar and an arm full of songs about rise, fall, and redemption. "I got tired of playing other peoples songs. I've done that for years. It's time for something new and different. I want to be seen more as voice in a void of endless bands." explains Joie. One listening to his songs or attending one of his performances, you can see why. He pays tribute for his one-man band of attitude, honesty and vulnerability to a former girlfriend who "believed in me when I didn't believe in myself," as he tells it. He also counts legendary songwriters Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, and Tom Waits, cool punk bands like the Stooges, the Replacements, Social Distortion and Antifolk alumni as major influences. They are clearly heard in his songs as well as in the live shows.
With all of the critical acclaim (The New York Times,The Grammy's,The New Yorker, Time Out New York/London, Dazed and Confused, New York Magazine, and others) dumped on Joie Blaney, it's no wonder that the loyal and easily converted masses keep coming back for more. His songs have been featured in independent movies and on MTV. All of his records have been sold all over the world and has made his brand of acoustic punk some what of a household name without the help of any mainstream radio or label. His first solo tour of the U.K was a complete success as well as a six week thirteen country European tour opening up for Rough Trade recording artists the Moldy Peaches. His song Another Journey was featured on the Rough Trade/Sanctuary Antifolk compilation. Joie/DBG has worked in the past with the production team of Paul Kostabi (Dee Dee Ramone, Youth Gone Mad) and Jason Carmer (Third Eye Blind, The Donnas) bringing some of his songs together in band form. Joie says "I love working with producers and recording with a band. It is quite an experience taking solo acoustic songs and adding more instruments to them. It brings out other elements emotionally and sonically. To me a good song will always be a good song, No matter what you do to it."
Joie Blaney's newest record entitled Broken Melody is 12 songs of lyrically driven hard acoustic punk, blended with the attitude and emotional impact of living life where love have come and gone from his life and live on in memory and song. He doesn't miss a beat and manages to make sense of every great cliché that rock and roll and the urban myth have to offer. This album speaks in volumes and no doubt have universal appeal. "Punks, Poets and even folkies understand what I do. They may not like it, but at least they try understand it." laughs Joie.
Like him, love him, or even loathe him, he may not be
for everyone. His music is for the people who want to experience the darker sides of
life and change the world. And in true misfit spirit, live to tell about it.
