Joey Vela
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Joey Vela

Band Jazz Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

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Discography

My music is available for streaming and download at http://www.soundclick.com/joeyvela

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

The story begins in the mid-80's with a weird but talented kid with perfect pitch splitting time as a guitarist/vocalist with 2 bands at Willowridge High School in Missouri City, TX, the hard rock-inspired Infinity, which featured guitarist Gary Rogerson and drummer extraordinare John Chupin (Moses Guest), and the R&B-inspired 7th Wave, which featured the amazing talents of bassist Mike Meade (Slop Jar Junior). A diverse group of influences were gathered along the way, everyone from Rush to Prince. Well, better make that 3 bands because it's also worth mentioning that during his time at WHS, the kid was a gifted classically-trained percussionist, one of the best in the state of Texas in 1986.

The story then shifts to the late-80's, where the kid is now sitting in with a couple of cover bands around town. If he never played another bar of "Taking Care of Business" or "Shooting Star", it would be too soon. With a creative drive bordering on insatiable, the kid sought out his first "all-originals" band, the neo-psychedelic group Warm Electrics in 1989, featuring former Hates member Lawrence Kenray, former Lips & the Trips bassist Steve "The Pope", and drummer Jay Isham. It was during this time that the kid would learn the art of songwriting. As a guitarist, he learned the invaluable principle of texture and tone over technique. The kid has now become a man. Garnering little more than a cult following, this band of crazies decided that a name change might do the trick, and in the summer of 1989 they offically became Think Tank. Shortly thereafter, they split up. Now the story takes us to the spring of 1990, and Joey's former bandmate Jay Isham has officially 86'ed his Simmons electronic drum kit from the Think Tank days in favor of a Pearl acoustic drum kit. Enter the kid's childhood friend, bassist Gary Rogerson, and Daisy Chains are officially born. The sound is markedly heavier than Think Tank, but the atmospheric sonic textures are still at the forefront. Despite predating grunge by over a year, Daisy Chains' following remained rather small although dedicated. A year later, they were no more.

Disillusioned by the Houston music scene, Joey eventually retreated back to classical music and performed with the Houston Civic Symphony as a timpanist/percussionist from 1994 - 1998. However, the creative fire to produce original works could not be extinguished. In 1999, with the help of his longtime friend and former bandmate Gary Rogerson, Joey recorded an early demo version of "Open Door", and the rest as they say is history. Since then, Joey has been hard at work getting his songs recorded, but most importantly, getting his songs heard. His music has a sound that is a culmination of all of his years of his musical experiences and influences, feeling equally at home with rock and jam bands as with soul and acid jazz groups. The visceral and cerebral appeal are on equal footing. The rhythms, the textures, and the lyrics all tell sonic tales of the view of the world through the eyes of a one weird but talented kid who has grown into one weird but talented man .