Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Kelly
Hi Joe, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My mom signed me up for guitar lessons when I was 10. I made an offhand comment weeks earlier, saying it would be cool to learn. I wasn’t serious about it. It was more of an interesting possibility, one of those, “Wouldn’t it be cool…” type of thoughts. I took piano lessons in second grade, but soccer was just too important for an 8 year old to skip out on, so I quit lessons a few months in.
I studied classical guitar for a few years. As much as I was obsessed with fingerstyle guitarists and instrumental music, I was jealous of everybody else who played guitar. They sang, played with picks, and could solo. I could sing, but not while playing, and I had no idea what power chords were.
Jack Johnson’s music had become an easy pastime for me, listening-wise and practicing-wise. He had simple but thoughtful melodies and lyrics, and it was easy to get sucked into learning a lot of his stuff. I never brought it up to my guitar instructor at the time, but I guess you could say Jack Johnson became a second, unintentional teacher.
A girl I had my first huge crush on in 8th grade was going to dance for the middle school talent show, on one condition: I couldn’t just play my classical piece I had practiced for months, but I had to play something where I’d sing. Mortified, I agreed. I decided to play a cover of a cover: Jason Mraz’s version of “Rocket Man”. 500 or so people made it loud and apparent they enjoyed it. Friends and classmates got so excited that over a dozen of them tackled me when I was at my locker.
A few months later, I booked my first paid gig.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t believe there’s such a thing as a smooth road for anyone, and it would be nice to say I’m the exception. Rather than list off the hurdles I’ve had over a decade of doing this, maybe I can share with you one I’m trying to leap over right now:
I’m not entirely sure why I’m doing this.
I’ve let many distractions cloud my connection with writing and performing, and that cloud’s becoming denser by the day. I haven’t been doing shows much. My writing periods come and go. I get increasingly tired after work and haven’t gone out recently to see friends and acquaintances perform.
Being inactive can be good. Sometimes the low periods overstay their welcome.
The one thing I have to remember is that when I’m deep into the process of it all – writing, performing, rehearsing, recording, connecting with friends and strangers, seeing others perform, booking shows, telling the world online a dumb joke or promoting music and shows without a care, and everything else included in the ever expanding package of making music – I lose myself to the world and it’s wild stories it has to tell.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a Minnesota based singer/songwriter and performer. I’m just another one of those millions of dudes that sings and plays the guitar. I perform a mix of pop, rock, and folk, and perform either acoustic or with a loop station. Friends have told me my sound is like Jason Mraz on a sedative, or a more edgy Ed Sheeran.
Currently recording my debut album that we’ve been working on for over 2 years, and hope to have it out… before I kick the bucket.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The Covid-19 Crisis hammered into me the idea of letting go of things that aren’t in my control.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://joekellymusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joekellymn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeKellyMN
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@joekellymn
- Other: https://www.submithub.com/link/joekellymn
