2018-2023 Joe Originals

Each of these pages have their varying value and offerings. The Early Years page is impressive: a high school kid, ambitiously producing three professional recordings of original catchy material. The Early Live Recordings have their moments (see Remedy) and are fun but often sound like a high school band finding its footing, with teenage guitarists out of position, admirably filling in on drums and bass just to make gigs happen.

Jeff’s House Jams lean playful and sometimes go off the rails, but the interplay between Jesse and Joe gives them replay value and demonstrate the natural environment of a hang-out jam led by Joe. The Miscellaneous page has its gems—especially Joe’s originals—mixed with plenty of rough, unfinished work. And the Videos page is priceless, capturing Joe solo, naturally, and without pretense in a different format.

While some pages serve as personal nostalgia, this page was the original impetus for a website. Compiling the songs that never received proper studio production was the motivation. They deserved preservation and to be heard. The Miscellaneous page has its share as well and together with this page, accounts for a majority of such a hypothetical track-listing for an album that never materialized. These tracks reveal his mature songwriting: raw yet refined, stripped of excess. He could’ve made a stellar third album from this material. His intricate guitar work and thought-provoking, deep lyrics demonstrate the wisdom Joe had gained through his life experiences. He saw things so clearly and often had a smile like he knew something you didn’t. I continue to listen to these songs in hopes to find out what that was.

Don’t Fail Me Now | 12.10.2018