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Joey began, as many young musicians do, as a rock guitarist, learning all
the tunes of the day. Eventually tiring of the same old same old, Joey began
listening to jazz and fusion, acquiring a technical prowess on his
instrument for which most guitarists only long. When introduced to Zappa in
the mid-'90s, Joey was initially ambivalent, but, as with most Zappa
hardcores, his interest grew into an obsession. Joey now takes great
pleasure in pulling off the marimba lines for tunes like "Inca Roads" or the
stunt-guitar lines of "Moggio" and "The Black Page #2."
John's musical interests are far reaching. His earliest influences include the Jackson 5, Buddy Rich's Big Band, Sly Stone, the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. Surviving successive obsessions with Kiss and Van Halen, he moved onto college, where he discovered speed metal and punk -- and Frank Zappa. That was 1988 -- the year of the "Best Band You Never Heard." It was indeed the best band that John never had the opportunity to see. He went on to build a collection of concert tapes, videos and memorabilia that rivals those of the looniest Elvis-o-philes. He's had the good fortune to perform with Ike Willis and Napoleon Murphy Brock in the Tampa-based Zappa tribute band Bogus Pomp. He also writes and performs original music in his band Dovetonsil, a Zappa-influenced rock ensemble.
After coming to terms with the fact that his parents were not going to ever
buy him a drum set, James took up the bass at age fifteen. Influenced early on by
bands like Rush, Yes, and ELP, he eventually turned to Jazz hoping to fill
that empty void that young musicians develop when they realize too late that they should
not plop down $1,300 on what they think is the instrument of their
dreams, only to find out that their idol, who has more money than god, no longer endorses
Steinberger, and years later, he is still stuck with a bass that makes him look
ridiculous because it is about THREE SIZES TO SMALL!!! Whew..sorry about that. James eventually started
listening to big bass people like Jaco Pastorius, Jeff Berlin, and Stanley Clark. He spent years
playing in garage bands in South Florida and one year playing clubs on eastern Long Island. In 1990 he put down
his instrument and returned to college. In December of '98 he was relocated by his company to
Jacksonville. While waiting on line to purchase a CD (no doubt it was Rush), he came across an ad
in the back of a local magazine. After answering the ad, he picked up his instrument and vowed never to
put it down again. Unless of course he is not practicing with the band or learning new tunes at home.
