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Joseph A. Peragine: The Schizo Multi-Tasker
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This Ohio-bred madman is a beautiful creature, his words and musical notes two intersecting bolts ...
This Ohio-bred madman is a beautiful creature, his words and musical notes two intersecting bolts of lightning in a cauldron of modern musical piss. An artisan who wields many instruments (guitar, bass, drums, samples, mic, etc.), Joseph A. Peragine plays music with a passion that could only be born of serious pain and many somber days spent sitting deep in somnambulist thought.
The thread that runs through his music is his self-proclaimed personal struggle with paranoid schizophrenia. And as only schizophrenics can, Peragine imbues his music with an ingenius mixture of careful keys and layers of timbre.
Maybe I am reading wrong, but his song titles seem so long that I am not entirely sure which one I am listening to, but such is the case with a techno-crawl. You miss things. That's why the mainstream media relies on you to rely on them for fast newsfeeds along the bottom of a screen that's already throwing ugly distracting images at you.
Peragine is familiar with these ugly, distracting images. He has dealt with them firsthand and writes about them with a dual dose of tenderness and braced awareness. There is a soft, almost cinematic sarcasm to the female intro to that song that seems to have seventeen names, when the girl says, "You know one of us has to die, right?"
It is this world-weariness, and not Peragine's alleged "avant-garde" style, that makes him worth watching if not obsessing over. Perhaps some of the psychosis is crafted, like the press picture of him in the kitchen with his hand over an open flame, but even if it is it's still a much more attractive lie than the ones we are used to...no mankerchiefs or glam-emo pretensions here.
And the acoustics are some of the best and fastest in ages. Check him out
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Poetry Corner- One of the sanest people I know, Joseph A. Peragine lets it all out.
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Darkness and mental illness have always found a warm home in music, poetry and the stage. To say t...
Darkness and mental illness have always found a warm home in music, poetry and the stage. To say that madness breeds brilliance is an understatement when it comes to the work of acclaimed musician and poet Joseph A. Peragine. Peragine is a songwriter, composer, poet and documentary film maker, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Peragine has channeled his illness into two masterpiece cds; The Acoustic Diaries and Self-Medication… Poems of Alienation both, in which he performs like his life depends on it. It’s because his life does depend on it. Based out of Cincinnati, Ohio, Peragine started writing, singing and playing many instruments at the age of 14. Soon, the majority of these compositions would depict his personal struggles with schizophrenia, which started taking up residency in his brain around the age of 15. This was the age he started to have episodes of intense paranoia, while displaying harmful behaviors not excluding an attempted suicide by blindly driving his car over 100 miles per hour in a complete free fall. Quiet disturbing is what makes up the death muse feeding Peragine his inspiration – and not the kind of experiences that most of us went through with the usual teen-age-puberty-growing up-phase.
The Acoustic Diaries is a collection of songs Peragine had written over an 8 year period while learning to cope and deal with schizophrenia. Calling it a, “short acoustic summary of my life,” the 17 tracks showcase songs flavored with sensitivity, some with flamenco overtones and the ever present urgency based around “the end.” Peragine’s singing voice is soft and a bit timid but most of the time, he is being swallowed up by the frantic strumming of his guitar. He paints a picture, one of himself, throwing out a net, hoping to catch something worth holding onto. “Reality is a difficult thing to accept after waking up from the nightmare of schizophrenia,” states Peragine as he opens up this collection of work. Despite that, The Acoustic Diares, is an autobiographical and musical journey, the compositions are easy going allowing the listener to forget what is being undone here. And it reeks of hope. The best kind – the kind that can make critics cry while listening along. Stalk, here you only find Peragine, his voice and acoustic guitar.
The second release, Self-Medication…Poems of Alienation, is the complete opposite in delivery. A spoken-word, “instrumental album,” paints the terrible, lonely, isolation one goes through with mental illness or manic depression. Peragine speaks in tones similar to Henry Rollins and at the speed of a runaway train. He breaks up with his shallow breathing yet doesn’t miss a beat. Every word he speaks hold merit. It’s unfortunate that Peragine had to experience what he has to get there but no one said true and good art was painless. The cd artwork displays a shirtless Peragine, who is cut with six-pack abs and inked up and down his arm. Thing is, he is deliberately burning his fist over an open stove flame. Look into his face and it all seems normal. Pieces on this release do not always explain schizophrenia. Try the song, “Slut Party,” where Peragine expertly sums up the manipulative play women think they perform effortlessly while trying to control their prey. Or “The Shallow Chronicles,” where Peragine carries on a conversation with, “funny female.” By the end of the piece, the strange sensation of, “I know someone like that,” washes over the listener. And it’s downright sad. Because it’s in this composition that we learn that sex and intimacy is only a weapon to some. One that is eventually turned on and used to waste it’s owner.
Peragine’s biography is now available in video format which can be viewed on his Electronic Press Kit or website. In the video, Joseph states, “This is me. I am turning my life around and in a lot of ways I’m not so different from you.” No longer is he cutting or physically hurting himself. Positively and more importantly, Peragine has found a peaceful and healthy plan for himself. One of these plans is expressing himself through word, song and performance.
For further information, or for review copies of Joseph A. Peragine’s music or writing, please contact Joseph A. Peragine directly at joeperagine@yahoo.com or contact publicist Sylvie M. Harris at Alpha Music Group: 212-330-8219 or email info@alphamusicgroup.com. www.josephaperagine.com .
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Joseph Peragine
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Have you ever been in bed, halfway between awake and asleep, when the most disturbing thought come...
Have you ever been in bed, halfway between awake and asleep, when the most disturbing thought comes sidling into your mind, unbidden? Or it doesn’t even need to be when you’re falling asleep; ever be driving your car and calmly ponder how easy it would be to just hit the gas and veer off a bridge? What’s stopping you? When these sinister thoughts flit through your consciousness it’s as though a grey cerebral curtain fluttered in some morbid mental breeze and for just a nanosecond you’d caught a fleeting glimpse of your nightmares. The curtain is sanity, judgment, control. What hell it would be if there was no curtain and you lived every day in the nightmare. Joseph A. Peragine (pronounced pair-ah-genie) is a walking, talking, singing personification of such an existence. He‘s a Cincinnati based solo artist whose muse is pain, whose motivation is survival and whose lifelines are guitars, drums, samples and spoken word. As of this date he‘s released two records, 2005’s The Acoustic Diaries and a follow-up, Self-Medication…Poems of Alienation. The latter is a downward spiral of despair and rage, punctuated with spoken word, samples, crunching guitar riffs, real and electronic drums. It’s multi-layered, dynamic and compelling, often poetic, and in any other artist’s hands this music would be called theatrical and macabre, except this isn’t a show. It’s clear that Peragine wields his music like a double-edged sword — his work serves as both a representation of, and purging of, the demons he’s been battling since he first exhibited the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. I’d like to hear more from this enthralling individual, and so should you. Hit the website and order a CD.
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Joseph A. Peragine: No Longer Alienated
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Joseph A. Peragine scares the living shit out of me, well, at least at first. Imagine opening up a ...Joseph A. Peragine scares the living shit out of me, well, at least at first. Imagine opening up a press packet to find a spoken word artist - diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, which includes an album cover of himself holding his hand over a gas burner. There are certain things we find hardcore, and then there are certain things that I find absolutely shocking. This isn’t some strange marketing trick, or excellent photoshop work, this is how Joseph A. Peragine wishes for you to understand him. After reading his website, press packet, and biography - we got a clearer and calmer picture of what exactly was going on. It was then that we fell in love with Joe.
Peragine presents his musical genre as "avant-garde," which thrusts his muse into the bittersweet stages of coffeehouse poetry readings, and poetic rants which speak of timeless topics or controversy. While some spoken word artists may choose to disappoint, Peragine sets out to teach the world about what it is to be "him." This supercedes him from the coffeegrinder poets and college level ramblings that may be found in some random watering hole.
I am no stranger to paranoid schizophrenia, and how people behave when they are not medicated or simply have "gone off the deep end." Consider me an expert with two years working as an EMT on an ambulance, and two additional years in a level one trauma center. I have seen it all, including some of the sweetest people claiming that "Oprah Winfrey was a robot created to destroy the world," and other comments. Did you know that most people with paranoid schizophrenia live out their lives as though they were social outcasts? The obvious mental breakdown from rationalism and fantasy does not connect, and therefore people who surround them often put people with this illness in isolation, or consider them "the black sheep." Neighbors complain, society feeds stigma after stigma, and even cops are quick to charge them with intoxication or drug abuse. If this was you, how would you want to be perceived? What kind of responsibility would you take to fit into a world that can be aggravating and overwhelming?
Joseph A. Peragine to me is a brave man, and honestly one that I hold in deep admiration for his willingness to speak out about his paranoid schizophrenia, and also to help raise awareness about this mental illness. At 16, Peragine began to experience the effects of his delusions, and while moving through life at warp speed with voices in his head, and fighting with hallucinations, has come to produce a soundtrack of his experiences to let us sit in his mind, and understand that life in "warp speed."
His album "Self Medication: Poems of Alienation," feature tracks like "Voices," where he sets a medical/clinical soundtrack to a hyper speed experience of clashing voices, narrating the symptoms, relationships, and mounting stress. The track places you in his whirlwind experience, which is what I anticipate to be the main objective, which drives you to a level of not only understanding paranoid schizophrenia (from internalizing voices) but also the pressure that it can cause.
"Slut Party," mounts a sexuality to Peragine’s perspective of denial, understanding women, and without a doubt a sexually deviant undertone. It contrives a picture perfect representation of how testosterone would sound if given a voice, and what social captivation we experience when observing objects in the flesh. The track is carnal, magnificent, and undeniably wicked all at the same time.
While Peragine’s tracks are golden in respect to the genre, I personally feel that by reaching into the poetic content and allowing yourself to climb into the soundtrack beneath it will portray not only a dark side of paranoid schizophrenia, but allows you as the listener to become more educated and understanding of people who suffer from such mental illnesses.
I highly recommend experiencing Joe’s work for yourself, and learning more about him. I also want to thank him for educating me, and helping me understand what it is like to experience his world.
We love you Joe.
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SONICBIDS ARTIST REVIEW SERIES- #16 JOSEPH A. PERAGINE
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If you'd like to take a trip to somewhere most of us have never been, then you need to get in line f...If you'd like to take a trip to somewhere most of us have never been, then you need to get in line for a ticket to visit, Joseph A. Peragine. A self-proclaimed Avant-garde Alternative Artist, Peragine delivers his musical pictures with a dedication to his art form that most of us can't even imagine. Cincinnati serves as home base for this unique creator.
The cover for his most recent release, "Self-Medication...Poems of Alienation" (Nov.2006) is a disturbing testament to that commitment. Peragine, in his kitchen, standing shirtless and ripped, one arm out, fist clenched, holding it over the open flame of his stove. This is the musical road trip in a man's mind who has been through the rigors and personal struggles of paranoid schizophrenia. He faces fears most of us don't acknowledge. His first release in 2004, "The Acoustic Diaries" is a biography of that story. Back to the more recent music, or should I say music movies?
Peragine's affinity for somber, dark sounds on "Fighting For Existence" pulls us in like a stranger in a dark alley. The repetitive guitar is haunting and provocative. A female speaks eerily, "Of Course you know one of us has to die...right? I love you...good bye." and that begins "Perspectives of Then and Now Saved...Metamorphosis Engraved/Rewind". Obviously one of the longest song titles in history, but, it has a Pink Floyd feel to the arrangement, music, and sound choices. A reverse pull on his guitar effect, and dates being rambled off faster and faster until finally day one is announced and the song ends. "Nobody Home" is another example of Joseph A. Peragine's ability to provide us with layers of sound, knocking on doors, doorbells ringing unanswered and a droning rhythm guitar throughout provide the backdrop for this mysterious tale. My absolutely favorite composition on his EPK (Electronic Press Kit) is the mellow and addictive "Matter of Opinion". The vocals are delivered softly with a strong heart. This man is invested in his music, his life a song board he shares with us. Still you are around me again...Wait this is not over yet...Why can't things be different for me...It's all a matter of opinion yeah Why is it my decision now When can it all be over Later on where will I be Gone...written by Joseph A. Peragine "Voices" is downright frightening, but, necessary. It's Peragine's tale of admission into a mental institution. His inner self-analysis and ability to communicate it to us effectively is important. He is like a living, breathing experiment we all get to discover.
I'm glad this artist has been able to go to the edge, and sometimes over it, if not only for the beautiful irony of his music to share with us, but, more importantly for his ability to survive it and thrive afterwards and share that with us also. Don't be afraid to go where you haven't been and check out the video on his EPK on www.sonicbids.com/JosephAPeragine. It's a great way to get to know this artist personally documentary style. Oh yeah, check him out at http://www.josephaperagine.com too.
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Junior's Cave Online Magazine Exclusive Interview
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There are millions of Americans who have rehabilitating disabilities that cause them to become priso...There are millions of Americans who have rehabilitating disabilities that cause them to become prisoners in their own body, mind, and soul. This next artist continues to struggle with a common mental illness known as paranoid schizophrenia (click word to learn more about it). But unlike some who never fully recovered from paranoid schizophrenia, Joseph A. Peragine is taking his disability and turning into something that is magical, intoxicating, and bewildered.
Through his music, Joseph weaves a tale that illuminates the very essence of what experimental music is all about. Although his words are dark, his music is quite sobering and it takes you own a journey that once you return you will never be the same. One of the best treats about this artist is his voice; a mixture of acoustical and folk blended to a perfect sound.
Junior’s Cave at Music Now proudly presents Joseph A. Peragine:
Isaac-Joseph: It is our pleasure to introduce you to our readers of this Internet Indie Publication. I want to first start off by asking you about your personal struggles with paranoid schizophrenia. At what point did you begin to realize that you were having feelings that you could not describe?
Joseph: Now in my twenties with the self-awareness of my illness, looking back, I would definitely have to say that it dates back to about age 16. That was the age when my paranoia, delusions, and hallucinations really started to come out. Life changing experiences trigger the onset schizophrenia, and age sixteen was a very pivotal year for me.
Isaac-Joseph: Your music is beautiful. When I listen to it, I feel that I am on a journey of awakening. How has your own personal struggles help fueled your passion for music?
Joseph: I’ve always been into music for as long as I can remember. And music seems to be my coping device for all of the challenges and hardships that I face in life. My schizophrenia is a very intense thing, so I channel all of that manic energy into the positive outlet of music. It’s very healing for me.
Isaac-Joseph: For those who are living with a mental disability, what message would you like to send out to them about pursing their dreams?
Joseph: Anything is possible if you want it bad enough. Recovery is definitely possible and just recovery in itself and leading a normal life is a dream accomplished in my eyes. If one with a mental disability can do that, then they can do anything they put their mind to.
Isaac-Joseph: One of your most haunting tracks entitled Voices is amazing. At times during the song, I became frightened, saddened, and even bewildered. What were some of your thoughts running through your head when you produced this track?
Joseph: Pure insanity. I really wanted to capture the types of thoughts that were running through my mind at the time of my hospitalization. This track definitely represents one of the most frightening points of my schizophrenia.
Isaac-Joseph: What has been one of the most rewarding aspects about the music industry that you have experienced that you feel positive about?
Joseph: The ability to reach and inspire others by spreading the message that there is recovery from mental illness. That means the world to me.
Isaac-Joseph: How do you handle negative feedback that you received about your music?
Joseph: I take it as constructive criticism because I always strive to do better. I do realize that as a musician, not everybody is going to like what I’m doing nor will everybody understand it. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. But as long as I stay true to myself that’s all that really matters.
Isaac-Joseph: Name one artist that you feel has had the most influence on you as an experimental solo musician?
Joseph: Henry Rollins hands down.
Isaac-Joseph: Joseph, when you are performing live on stage, describe the emotions that run through your veins?
Joseph: Whenever I perform, I just try to channel everything else around me out and focus on pure intensity. In a way I kind of revisit my schizophrenia and channel that energy into the performance.
Isaac-Joseph: Do you consider yourself a role model to others? If so, what personal message do you have for them?
Joseph: If I could have the ability to be a role model and inspire others my message would be, “If I can pursue my dreams despite my illness, then you can do it too!”
Isaac-Joseph: One of the reasons that I found your music to be something that engages the listeners is how honest you are about who you are. Has this type of honesty about your struggles ever had any negative feedbacks from promoters or any venues? If so, explain how do you overcome this type of ignorance?
Joseph: No I’ve never really had any negative feedbacks so far. When people talk to me and see that I’m a normal person just like them, generally they get very curious about schizophrenia and want to find out more about it.
Isaac-Joseph: This is what we call our Shout Out time: Give props to those that have been a positive influence in your life:
Joseph: Definitely my family. Don’t think that I would have made it this far without them. They have been very supportive every step of the way.
Isaac-Joseph: Shameless plugs: (any future releases, tour dates, photo shoots, or anything else that you would like to divulge to our readers?)
Joseph: If you get a minute, to find out more about me and my music, and schizophrenia, please visit www.josephAperagine.com. Thank you! Have a great day!
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Self-Medication...Poems of Alienation (By Joseph A. Peragine)
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A wise man once told me, ‘Perception is always more important than reality.’ Unfortunately, for thos...A wise man once told me, ‘Perception is always more important than reality.’ Unfortunately, for those afflicted with paranoid schizophrenia, perception becomes reality. If you’ve seen the flick, “A Beautiful Mind,” you know what I mean. Experimental recording artist Joseph A. Peragine, who suffers from the malady, explores the altered states and amazing grace produced by this dark disease on his autobiographical sophomore release, Self-Medication…Poems of Alienation.
Self-Medication is not for the faint of heart, nor for the easily offended. The language is frequently harsh, and the themes elucidated upon even harsher. An often jarring juxtaposition of ambient sounds, peaceful musical interludes, manic poetic ramblings, and jumbled conversations that you suspect might be between Peragine and the voices in his head, or in the mirror, this is not a CD that you are likely to pop into the player at a dance party. “Lady Vulture,” “Suicide Countdown,” and “Alienorganization (Journey Into A Straitjacket)” are not exactly the kind of songs that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling. As a poet, Peragine favors Edgar Allen Poe more than Robert Frost, hence his work is more fit for stormy, brooding nights, than gentle, starlit evenings.
However, while this collection of spoken word songs may be difficult to listen to, it is strangely compelling, intriguing, and ultimately important. The ‘self-medication’ alluded to on Peragine’s CD frequently refers to self-destruction, self-mutilation, and self-gratification. Yet, I suspect the very act of committing these dark and brooding thoughts into an electronic format is just as much an act of self-medication. Those who have wrestled with the devil in the dark and emerged victorious will be able to relate. Those who have only known the light will likely find this project jarring and disturbing.
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FEATURED ARTIST - Joseph A. Peragine
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Joseph A. Peragine creates music that plays like a movie. His latest album, Self-Medication...Poems ...Joseph A. Peragine creates music that plays like a movie. His latest album, Self-Medication...Poems of Alienation, features genius songwriting infusing elements of spoken word, sound design, vocals and instrumentation. Each piece is brilliantly arranged and takes the listener on a emotional, visual and audible journey through his daily life with Schizophrenia.
His story is one that should be shared with everyone, especially those who do not understand Schizophrenia. Peragine is using his illness to his advantage by creating truly inspirational music that should be experienced, and can be enjoyed by all. Please check out his website where you can listen to his music and educate yourself on Schizophrenia.
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Joseph A. Peragine
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Joseph A. Peragine, a solo artist from Cincinnati, gives listeners an intensely personal view into h...Joseph A. Peragine, a solo artist from Cincinnati, gives listeners an intensely personal view into his psyche, highlighting his struggle with paranoid schizophrenia. His pieces often open with a single theme, which he slowly repeats and develops, luring his audience into a world of desolation and sometimes utter hopelessness.
Mixing in sounds of unanswered telephones and door knocks alongside spliced and fluttering conversation, Peragine’s music creates a highly individualized-life that seems to take place all within the mind.
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Synthesis Band You’ve Never Heard Of Band Of The Day:
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This is why you never let someone battling with paranoid schizophrenia host their own cooking show. ...This is why you never let someone battling with paranoid schizophrenia host their own cooking show. Cincinnati OH one-man-band Joseph A. Peragine takes some burly photos; these images might at first come as stark contrast to the songs on “Self Medication…Poems of Alienation” that feature his soft vocal delivery and acoustic guitars. Then you run into spoken-word tracks that are spat with manic delivery and adderall-urgency. It’s like Filter showing up at a slam-poetry festival with an ovation guitar and a suitcase full of inner demons. His music is certainly not for everyone, but if it’s raining outside and your mood is a bit on the misanthropic side, at least you’re not feeling as confused and frustrated as our Band You’ve Never Heard Of Band of the Day, Joseph A. Peragine. Check out his space here.
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