Unsigned518 - Episode 223 - Joseph Beaty

[00:00:01] Speaker A: He was born on a Saturday in 73. He loves punk rock music. His motherfucking Envy SC Motherfucker. Cuz. Here he comes, Andy Scrolling wearing his or his hat. [00:00:27] Speaker B: Welcome to unsigned 518. I'm here with Joseph Beatty. How's it going, man? [00:00:32] Speaker C: Good, man. How are you? [00:00:33] Speaker B: I'm fantastic. And you know, and we just met 10 minutes ago or so, but we've been back and forth for the better part of a year, probably even more. And I've listened to your projects. Well, Cave in Bloom is the one that I'm most familiar with. For those that don't know, I'll introduce that. But it's cool to like finally be able to sit down and talk to you. I want to, you know, go back and I guess have you start the conversation with your relationship to music and kind of how it led up to what we have in front of me now, which. And you brought me gifts, which is also just fucking bonus points. But yeah. So how did your, your love of music begin? [00:01:19] Speaker C: Oh, man, it started way young, seven or eight years old. Classic rock, that kind of stuff. Pink Floyd, the Doors. I was the youngest in my house of a big family. Three brothers and a sister. My brothers all listened to mostly classic rock, had vinyl going in the background all the time. And yeah, that's kind of where I first really got into, you know, vinyl and whatnot. And yeah, it evolved from that to metal, you know, Iron Maiden, Slayer, punk rock, you know, loving all that stuff. Way too many names to name, right, in the punk rock scene, but loved like Dead Kennedys and things like that. And then I moved on from that and got into the electronic and sort of gothic music scene in Chicago and punk rock and alternative and stuff, and moved to South Florida and that was in my later teens. And then, yeah, did that for many years, played gigs and moved to New York here and started a family and kind of became a hermit in the Adirondacks. And the last few years, I'm sort of emerging now and playing with Cave and Bloom with Paul Coleman from Architrave and guy named Andy Ferry, which is a fantastic drummer. [00:02:50] Speaker B: And I hear that a lot. And I'm same thing, except for I didn't raise a family, but I did disappear for a while. But a lot of people in the local scene, I hear, have been very strong in music for a time and then it goes away for a while and then they find themselves with a little more time as they get older and go, oh, I can now come back. And I love that. I Mean, you know, I mean, we started a band. I was 40, I was 47 or 48 years old when the band I'm in started. And until then, the previous band of original music, I was like fucking 19. It was like a huge 30 something year gap. [00:03:37] Speaker C: Sure. [00:03:38] Speaker B: And while you were like being a hermit, as you, as you put it, was music always something that you were building and exercising like your, your muscles with? [00:03:51] Speaker C: Yeah, absolutely. I was a studio rat in South Florida and you know, recording studios and stuff. And the same goes in my home studio. I'm constantly recording and you know, I was raising kids, you know. [00:04:03] Speaker B: Right. [00:04:03] Speaker C: Twins, 11 year old twins now. And all I could really do the time I had was, you know, late night, you know, set of headphones, recording, you know, and you know, Ableton or whatever and just making beats or songs and, and releasing music as a solo artist, which we'll talk about too. So. I've been releasing music religiously, you know, probably since 2014 or so until now as a solo artist in various side projects. So. Okay. It's staying active. It's just, I think the live performance part of it is starting to rear its head now. [00:04:43] Speaker B: Okay, yeah. I mean, so it wasn't. You weren't, you weren't not a part of the scene. You were just. [00:04:50] Speaker C: I wasn't in act. I wouldn't say I was a part of a scene. Unless you call my home a scene. [00:04:57] Speaker B: It's a scene, man. [00:04:59] Speaker C: Scene of one. Right. But yeah, I mean I was active for sure. [00:05:03] Speaker B: Okay, cool, cool. So then you moved, you said you moved here like 2011. [00:05:10] Speaker C: Ish, 2012 in there and then had kids in about 2014. And I've just been steadily recording and releasing music. [00:05:20] Speaker B: And then now you're. [00:05:21] Speaker C: Now I'm playing again here and there. I'm not super active in Cave and Bloom, but you know, a couple times a year we play a gig. We're constantly jamming at my house, writing, recording, and hopefully we play some more [00:05:32] Speaker B: and then, you know, we will, you know, maybe. Which one do you want to talk? You want to talk Cave and Bloom first? [00:05:37] Speaker C: Yeah, I think about, yeah, Cave and [00:05:39] Speaker B: Bloom is good because. Yeah, let's talk. Let's talk Cave and Bloom. So I know, I know Paul Architrave and Sync Charmer and him and Jen, like I said, have been. Been in this, you know, in the dazzle den, so to speak, on the show a couple times. I can't remember if it's two or three, but like I figure like now that I'm in my 50s, I don't have to remember a bunch of shit, you know what I mean? Like, I could just say, ah, I can't remember. But, yeah, they've been on the show a couple of times. I love them. Great people. So how did. How did Cave and Bloom kind of come together? [00:06:12] Speaker C: It's pretty cool. Paul and I have a mutual friend in Alicia Van Scoy. She was in a band called Mercy Van for a short time, and I didn't really know Paul at all, but she brought us together to record her record. And so Paul and I, total strangers in a room for the first time in Swordpaw, his studio in Troy. There, whatever, rehearsal space, and we just totally hit it off, you know, very similar school of thought. You know, just great guy and, you know, real methodical about certain things, but kind of loose in other ways and just a great guy. So we hit it off and literally after that session, we started jamming about a week or two after that, so. [00:07:11] Speaker B: And then. What year was this? [00:07:13] Speaker C: This is a couple years ago now, so probably two and a half years ago, I'd say. And we were jamming at my house, just him and. I forgot. A good year before, or maybe a little less, but before Cave and Bloom happened, and then Andy was just a mutual friend of ours. I was a music teacher for a short time in Glens Falls area, and we have a mutual friend and kind of mentioned that I was looking for a drummer, and she's like, I know the guy. And, yeah, finally got together and literally one rehearsal, we were like, yep, that's the drummer. We didn't even have to find another. You know, go through, you know how drummers are, you know, finding drummers. Impossible. [00:07:55] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. Because they're. They're usually in high demand, or at least the good. At least the good ones are. [00:08:01] Speaker C: And maybe a little shifty and. [00:08:04] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that too. [00:08:05] Speaker C: Sorry. [00:08:06] Speaker B: It has been said, you know, and so I can't remember who said it, but it was like some. Some talking head in the media or whatever, some. One of those Instagram reels where the guy said, if, like, the drummer makes the band, he's like. Regardless of what he's like, you can have the greatest guitar player and bass player and singer if you have a shitty drummer, it's true. It's not gonna work. And, like, at the same time, if you have a very basic guitar player and an amazing drummer, it's gonna work. Yeah, you're right. So when you have that combination of everything and find that right drummer to fit your project, that's Gotta be a great feeling because. Yeah, it's, you know, your fucking. Your. Your project hangs in the balance of who you find to drum. [00:08:49] Speaker C: That's totally it. And I think I was pretty spoiled in my band in South Florida years ago, and so I kind of always had this thing in the back of my mind, like I wasn't going to find a drummer like that. [00:09:00] Speaker B: Right, right. [00:09:01] Speaker C: And I totally did. [00:09:02] Speaker B: Yeah. So that'll be it. That's got to be a good feeling. [00:09:05] Speaker C: Great, guys. And shout out to them too, you know? [00:09:07] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And then, you know, you. Once. You had, like, the whole outfit, like, when was the first Cave and Bloom, really? Did you release a single first, like. And again, I'm going with the. I'm old and I can't remember because I think I might have even done a review of one of the singles. [00:09:25] Speaker C: I think you did. I think it was the song Bent, maybe that was, you know, year and a half, two years ago. I'm really kind of blurred with the last few years, but, like, yeah, I [00:09:37] Speaker B: can't even remember what articles I've written, what albums I've reviewed like that on my. It was a show. Like, I've met people out in public and been like, I can't remember who that is. And then later on been like, oh, yeah, they've been on the podcast, which means they've been in my home. And who are you again? Yeah. And I'm like, yeah, it's not a snooty thing. It's an old age thing. [00:10:01] Speaker C: But no, we did an EP and it was. We recorded ourselves at Swordpaw and then we did a full length about six months ago or so. [00:10:12] Speaker B: Okay. [00:10:12] Speaker C: Which is called Mirrors. And. [00:10:14] Speaker B: And is that. [00:10:15] Speaker C: Yep. Yeah, I brought it to you. [00:10:16] Speaker B: That's what I have here. Sweet. And I love. I love physical media. I was saying. I was saying that I have a. A fairly substantial selection of local vinyls [00:10:30] Speaker C: and like to check it out. [00:10:31] Speaker B: Yeah. Actually, once. Once we wrap up here, I'll. I'll go grab it and I'll show you. It's really cool. But do we want to maybe check out a song from Mirrors? [00:10:41] Speaker C: Yeah, that'd be great. I think the band tends to lean towards a song called Dreams on the Wall. [00:10:49] Speaker B: Okay. [00:10:50] Speaker C: And I think that'd be a good intro to what the band sounds like live, so. [00:10:55] Speaker B: All right, well, let's check out Dreams on the Wall and then we'll be. [00:11:05] Speaker A: Sa. Sa. [00:14:36] Speaker B: All right. That was Dreams on the Wall, Cave and Bloom and, you know, with. With that. Joseph, you're obviously part of a collaborative with Cave and Bloom. It's a. A band, and it's a traditional band, I guess you could say, in terms of musical roles and the collaboration. But you also do solo music. But that is a little different because a lot of the times when you say, oh, you're a solo musician, like you said when we were off air, that you're not someone who's playing an acoustic guitar in a cafe. You're a little different. So I guess explain that. [00:15:15] Speaker C: Yeah, right. Yeah. I think it came out of necessity. Right. I moved to a new area up here. I didn't really want to go to a cafe and play acoustic guitar. That's great that people do that, but I'm not that guy. I'm not really into that. So, you know, I do a lot of synthesis, sound design. You know, born at the studio. I love tinkering with gear and making sounds and things like that. So that's part of the process. And initially, like, all the songs start that way. You know, a droning synth or a guitar part or whatever it is, and then I'm in Ableton or whatever software I'm using, and, you know, I capture the riffs and then I assemble songs in a kind of different sort of way, almost like a dj, electronic music kind of way, and then assemble things, you know, as I see fit. [00:16:11] Speaker B: Right. [00:16:11] Speaker C: And that can be a process and would probably, in a band environment, would probably crumble miserably. Like, people would just be like, whatever, man. You're taking way too long. [00:16:20] Speaker B: Goodbye. But it's more about composition. [00:16:24] Speaker C: Right. [00:16:24] Speaker B: And moving parts around and building something, rather than an instant, hey, here's this thing that I can just pick up a guitar and play. [00:16:33] Speaker C: Exactly. Yeah. [00:16:34] Speaker B: More complicated. [00:16:36] Speaker C: Exactly. I don't do covers. I don't do any of that kind of stuff. It's. It's that vibe. It's a cinematic, you know, visual kind of component. I do a lot of art that goes with the music and stuff, too, and work with other artists, you know, to represent it. So, yeah, it's a process, and it's just more of a labor of love, I think, than the desire to play as a solo artist in a venue or. [00:17:00] Speaker B: And, I mean, there's a. You know, there's a lot of people that think, you know, live performance just isn't part of the. The or, you know, isn't a major component of the thing because it's about composition and about. It's like when. When I first, like, went into the studio, my band, our producer, basically Said, you know, because I was all like. When I make it sound like I'm like, when I was young and, like, full of piss and vinegar, I'm talking, you know, fucking five years ago yesterday. Like, yeah, no, but literally within the last five years, when I recorded my first professional song in a studio, like, I was like, it's important that it sounds. You know, we do it so that we can play it live so that it'll sound exactly live. And. [00:17:41] Speaker C: Right. [00:17:41] Speaker B: I'm like, we're not gonna have a tambourine player or someone doing hand claps and oohs and ahs, so, like, let's not do that in the song. And my producer was like, no, we're. We're doing that shit, like, because this is a composition, you know, he's like, [00:17:54] Speaker C: it's one way to look at it. [00:17:55] Speaker B: You. You build this song, and this is your composition. And then he said, it's like a. A movie, a play. You know, the movie. You take several takes and you make sure everything is totally right. You piece things together until it's perfect. And the play, you get fucking one shot. You're like, here it is. You know, so he's like, you know, you're not gonna. You go to. You watch a movie, and you watch a play, and they're different. So he's basically like, shut the fuck up. We're adding backup singers in your song. [00:18:27] Speaker C: That's cool. [00:18:28] Speaker B: Yeah. And I was like, you know, and he was absolutely 100% right. And then I realized, because as I listened to more music, I'm like, everything is a composition. Everything that sounds like it's a live song isn't. Sure, like, you fix the blemishes, and you take your time and you toil over everything. And to me, that's a fucking artistry on its own. [00:18:52] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:18:53] Speaker B: To be able to see those details that you don't get with an acoustic guitar, you know, like, there's. [00:19:00] Speaker C: Yeah. And to that point, like, I like the difference between these two projects, which I have a lot of projects, but these two in particular. It's an interesting sort of contrast, right? Like Cave and Bloom. Like, we jam in the room. We're guys in the room. We're facing each other. Now, that doesn't really work. Try this, you know, where. You know, when I'm doing that on my own, I have to sort of, like, throw those sort of ideas at the wall and kind of be my own judge, right? And. And that can be a challenge. But, yeah, it's. It is a very different thing. But even still, with Cave and Bloom, at the end result, when we're recording, it's a different vibe and then we go live and it's raw. [00:19:44] Speaker B: Right. [00:19:44] Speaker C: And I love that. I love that energy and how that, you know, portrays to an audience and then listening on a, you know, set of headphones or whatever, it's just such a different experience and, you know, both great and the reason why I love it, you know, so much. [00:20:03] Speaker B: And one of the, like. One of the things I like about live music is because it takes away the constraints a little bit. Like, I'm free, you know, like when in my band, like, I'm free to play different. [00:20:17] Speaker C: Absolutely. [00:20:18] Speaker B: Like, as long as it fits within the song and it's not going to throw anybody else off. But, like, you know, I'll throw a different line in or. Or mostly I say goofy in the lyrics to try to get my band members, like, you know, I'll change the lyrics to say, you know, inappropriate, and nobody in the audience catches it. But, like. But it's fun, you know, it's fun to be, like, right. To be. Not. I don't want to use the word rigid because rigid almost sounds like a pejorative. Like it's a bad thing, but, like, you know, it loosens the rules up a little bit. But at the same time, I love the idea of taking days and weeks. [00:20:58] Speaker C: Sure. [00:20:58] Speaker B: To put together one song, you know? [00:21:01] Speaker C: Yeah, man. [00:21:02] Speaker B: They're different and they're both awesome. [00:21:03] Speaker C: Yeah. Great mediums, for sure. Yeah. [00:21:05] Speaker B: And it's cool that you have both going on, you know? [00:21:07] Speaker C: Yeah, it's. It's really cool. And I hope to play more with Cave and Bloom in the future. And also another project I can talk about whenever you want me to talk about it. [00:21:21] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. You mean, like, come back and do another one or do it now? [00:21:25] Speaker C: No, I mean, we can talk about it now. If you cool with that. [00:21:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm definitely cool with that. [00:21:29] Speaker C: Yeah. Right on. Yeah. I'm actually building an electronic project, so it's still going to be just me, but sort of, you know, taking the. Taking the lid off of that and bringing it live. Live electronic focus. Not dissimilar to Architrave, but stylistically it's different than Architrave, but the way they present their show and they do live manipulation of electronic music and stuff, that's something I really want to do and have wanted to do for a really long time. So I have a new project that I'll be launching in the next six months to a year. [00:22:07] Speaker B: Cool. [00:22:08] Speaker C: We'll be playing live and releasing music electronically. [00:22:11] Speaker B: And is that going to be like, under your own name or is it [00:22:14] Speaker C: a. I have a name right now, the name. I'm. I'm calling it Severling. And it's sort of the idea that, that you need to sort of separate yourself from the things that don't serve you, that don't. That aren't helping you move forward, that kind of thing. And so, you know, that can be a kind of chaotic or dark kind of thing to talk about that in different contexts. And I thought it really lent itself to a darker electronic sound. So I want to visit that and see how it goes. [00:22:50] Speaker B: You know, excited to check that out. But you also brought along a full length vinyl, which, which I had you sign. Thank you for that. That's. I will listen to it today while I'm putzing around the house like that. Like I said, I. Most of my vinyl is, you know, people gifting it to me, which is fantastic. And so my way of paying it back is that I make sure that I give each one the proper listening. [00:23:16] Speaker C: Well, thank you. [00:23:17] Speaker B: I will. I will never be like, oh, thanks for the vinyl then. I'm not just, just not going to listen. I'm like, thanks for the vinyl. I will listen to it. [00:23:23] Speaker C: I'd love to know what you think. It's the record before my current solo record. It's called Our Hunger Never Sleeps. [00:23:30] Speaker B: Cool. And are we going to hear something off that now or a different album? [00:23:34] Speaker C: I have a song in mind from the new record. The song's called Lore. [00:23:41] Speaker B: Okay. [00:23:41] Speaker C: And the new records called Condition. [00:23:44] Speaker B: And Lore is actually because I was just messing around with Metroland Radio, which is officially launching on May 18th. It's up now, like you can listen to it, but I have so much tweaking to do with it, but Lore is, is in the, in the mix. [00:23:59] Speaker C: Oh, great. Fantastic. [00:24:01] Speaker B: It has. Has gotten some spins and it. And it'll get better like so. May 18th is the May 18th. Yeah, 518 day. [00:24:09] Speaker C: Love it. [00:24:10] Speaker B: It's the official, official launch of the station. But yeah, so let's, let's check out Laura. Is there anything you want to say about the tune before we play it? [00:24:18] Speaker C: Yeah, man. Shout out to my drummer guy, Joey Butera, I've been making music with for years and years. He played drums on the tune. It's one of the most brutal, like, raw songs on the record. And yeah, ref speaks for his love. Check it out. All right, cool. [00:24:36] Speaker B: Let's check out Lore and we'll be right back to wrap it up. [00:24:52] Speaker A: We open w We close them up we scratch until we find the. We see the weary frame Our father serves. Our. Asleep forever. Play a ch Just one more time A zero. [00:27:04] Speaker B: All right, that was Joseph Beatty with Lore and Joseph, I want to thank you so much for taking time out of your day and coming up and doing this with me. It was a really cool conversation. And before we go, I want to give you the chance to say your gratitude. So microphone is all yours. [00:27:20] Speaker C: Thanks again for having me, man. I appreciate it. Very thankful. Yeah. Thanks to my wife always supporting me in the music. My kids, Lincoln and Luna, my bandmates in Cave and Bloom, Paul and Andy, all the friends that helped me make these records. Joseph, Butera, Crystal, Casey, Marina from Norway. She's awesome. She did all the art for these two solo records, by the way, and she's in a fantastic band from Norway called Glass Manitoba. Really unique stuff. So check them out. Yeah. Thanks everyone for listening and look forward to playing live, hopefully in one way or another. [00:28:09] Speaker B: All right, well, he is Joseph Beatty. I'm Andy scullin. This is unsigned 518. I'll see you on the road. Unsigned 518 is produced and hosted by me, Andy Scullin. New episodes are available every week wherever you stream. If you'd like to help support the show, please like and subscribe wherever you are listening. Or you could buy me a [email protected] unsigned 518 if you would like to advertise on the show, send me an [email protected] and to be a guest on the show, reach out to me through Instagram. Signed 518 take care of one another and I'll see you next week.