Joe was the man, and will forever be the man.

Hoe, as some of us lovingly called him, had a heart of gold and a unique intellect. Being around him made me feel like the best version of myself. Joe was many things, and while his passion for music drew me in, it was our shared values that made him a central figure in my life.

When he passed I found myself desperately clinging to any Joe audio I could find. Listening to old hangouts and jams made me feel like he was present and we were chilling all over again. It was intimate to relive a jam session. It made me laugh and cry and even regretful to find so many unfinished projects and ideas we just never got around to completing. I say we as if I was part of it but really it was Joe and his inclusionary nature that made those around him feel as if they were part of his gift. We were blessed to experience that energy.

We miss him dearly, but his memory stays alive in our hearts. Fortunately, we have a wealth of media that capture his love for music and creativity. While I could write more about the person, this website is more about his music, which provides a glimpse into who he was.

I’ve gone through old phones, hard drives, zip disks, texts, emails, CDs, and websites, gathering what is now a growing collection of Joe’s audio, video, text, and images. This is my attempt to create a one-stop shop for all things related to Joe’s musical journey.

Currently, the collection features over 200 unique files—and it’s still expanding.

Keep in mind that many of these recordings come with their glaring imperfections— the audio quality raw, the mixes unbalanced and the performances unpolished. We aren’t talking studio level produced recordings (outside of the actual studio recordings – Quarteroy, Redefined/Down that Road, and Rise Above). Often, I’d hit record spontaneously on a mobile phone, capturing a moment in time. It was the role of documentarian as opposed to sound engineer. Other times I used a portable digital 8 track recorder, but the environment and time did not lend itself to quality sound checking. Vocals like the TKE live show are drowned out, or mistakes – as we fuddle through writing melodies featured in the Mountain Jamming sessions – are there. Then there are Jeff House Jams which make me cringe any time I devalue his sound. But that’s real. We were hanging and he was the master of ceremonies. It’s great examples of him leading a jam and pulling the rest of us in. Creating and spreading joy. Sure some singing is out of key but the moments weren’t meant for an audience. There are laughs and great musical moments, especially when Jesse Friedberg and Joe are locked in. It serves as honest glimpses into Joe’s passion and authenticity, and the pure joy of being around his jams, his generous inclusion and ability to bring people together.

If Joe were here, he’d probably flag most of these recordings as well—he held himself to a very high standard. He was disciplined, focused, tactful, and driven. I can hear him telling me to take this stuff down – “Yo Donny, you gotta take that down, man!”. He’d loathe tracks like Silver Sky (rough take) 2012.5.28, because in fairness, those aren’t the vocals he intended, rather a place holder for later multitracking. These recordings weren’t meant to be heard by others; they’re snapshots of moments, not polished performances. Or incomplete sketches never fully developed. I sometimes feel guilty about sharing them, but I know this collection is a true reflection of his raw talent and love for music. His energy is what counts. We can’t allow perfection to be the enemy of the value offered here.

On Self Recordings: 2018–2023 and select tracks from Miscellaneous: 2007–2017, are many iPhone recordings Joe shared of new originals he was working on. It’s remarkable to hear the evolution in his songwriting — the maturity and philosophical depth in his later lyrics, rich with intellectual complexity, stand in sharp contrast to the playful, youthful tone of earlier songs like “Bong Hits,” “Free Some Something,” and “Fatboy.” Tracks such as “Don’t Fail Me Now,” “Demise and the Highs,” “Martyrs for Change,” and “Lost and Found,” among others, reveal just how far his writing had come. And it’s not only lyrical depth, but the music itself often involves intricate finger picking and other more advanced guitar techniques, which can be subtle but effective in a tasteful way. A far cry from the catchy 4 chord funk progressions of his earlier days.

While those later songs never made it to a proper studio, we fortunately captured several raw versions of material nonetheless. Aside from the various recordings I amassed are numerous videos recordings captured by his dear friend, Jon, at Joe’s apartment – which I have entitled “Couch Series”, and made into a Youtube playlist, among other various videos I had.

There are some gaps I plan to fill—like the “Blue Phoenix Band” era from his Albany days, and other projects. I’m constantly tweaking the format and want to add a lyrics page. I also have a hard drive full of ProTools sessions that I’ll be working through, editing, and uploading, so this site will continue to grow.

This is a living tribute, a testament to Joe’s spirit, and a way to keep his music and memory alive.

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