Joey Stuckey Interview

Hailing from Macon, GA, award winning blind guitarist and singer, Joey Stuckey’s soulful voice and catchy riffs will leave you wanting more.

Thanks for joining us today, Joey! Tell us about the influences inspiring your current sound, and how it has evolved over time?

Thanks for having me.

When I first started writing and playing my own music, my primary influences were the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Stones, The Who, what you would expect from a 17 year old kid:-) However, I also was inspired by the music of my home town of Macon GA residence to such stars as Otis Redding, Little Richard, Wet Willie, The Allman Brothers and more. Around this same time I got heavily in to Alternative music like R.E.M., also from GA and other bands like the Cult, The Cure, The Smiths, Nirvana…

Then as I got older, say in my early twenties, I realy became a devotee of Jazz—Miles, Coltrane, Rollins… So I have continually evolved and grown and I am still doing so.

I like nothing better than to discover a band or artist and become their new super fan:-)

So, my sound has always had a progressive side to it and musically has a fairly complex musical structure, little things that you might not notice but to other musicians makes the music fun to play. In recent years, starting around 2016, I have started playing music with a more Roots and Blues vibe while maintaining the progressive influences. So the current sound is a genre that we made up called “Progressive Americana” and fans and radio alike are diggin’ it.

How would you describe your live show?

Well, it is about 30%comedy and stories and 70% music. Much of the music is fast-paced and really energetic, but we have some nice slower tunes and thoughtful moments. I basically live my life on stage and just share wherever I am at that moment with the audience.

Please tell us about your new, yet to be released music.

I do have several projects in various stages of completion. I am not sure what will come next as I have so many cool projects with so many special guests, it is hard to know what will fall in to place and be the next release, but I’ll know when the time is right. While on tour recently, I wrote a few new songs about some of the good and bad experiences I had on the road. For one thing, I played a storied venue in LA called the Mint. I was so excited because Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder both played there, along with other legends like Gwen Stephani. So I wrote a song about that experience “Mint for You”. I also started writing some songs about the hard time I have had on tour this year at the airports.

It is hard to believe, but when my wife and I were coming out of LAX, a lady, quite on purpose, ran into our luggage cart and knocked it over. I am blind and was just so confused as suddenly everything was falling down around m—the cart, my luggage falling everywhere. My wife was panicked and trying to grab me, I had to take a step back because the cart was falling on me, but I didn’t know that I had stepped in to the street. It was an awful moment. But, a young African American couple ran to our aide and didn’t leave us until we had gotten to our rental car.

So, like I say, lots of music in the future. However, that being said, I do know that I will be releasing a Christmas EP this year. I have 3 songs completed and will record 2 more songs for sure, possibly a few more depending upon time. The album is tentatively called “Christmas With Blink”. This is because my logo/avatar is a stick figure with sunglasses, a cane and a huge guitar and we named him Blink.

Where do you seek inspiration when creating songs?

I love life and this amazing world in which we live so I find inspiration all around. In places I go, people I meet, and in problems mankind needs to face and overcome. I am curious about almost everything so again, just waking up in the morning, I might be inspired by something on the news, or maybe by the sound of a bird greeting the day with its chirping. For me inspiration is never far away.

What have been some of your most memorable moments thus far in your career?

Oh I have had many wonderful opportunities, but off the top of my head, one thing I am very much looking forward to is being recorded on a wax cylinder at the AES audio educators conferences I am attending in CT on August 16 and 17. This is technology from the 1890’s and I am so honored to be the person that gets recorded! I have also enjoyed performing at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame with Trisha Yearwood and the B52’s and meeting, studying with and working with Alan Parsons!

I am also very honored to have been named the official music ambassador for my home town of Macon, GA, and to have received the key to the city of Green Cove Springs, FL, where I was born and lived until I was about 7 years old. 

Please let us know about the upcoming release dates and your next show date/ location.

Well, the Christmas release will happen for radio in October and the CD will be available for sale around November first.

I am excited to be performing in NYC again on 10/16 at Caffeine Underground and 10/19 at Dinosaur BBQ, these will be solo guitar/vocal shows. I’ll have the band back out at Smiley’s Acoustic Cafe in Greenville, South Carolina on 11/2. Please do drop by www.joeystuckey.com and check out our concert calendar and sign up for our news letter in the fan zone.

www.joeystuckey.com

IG @jstuckeymusic

Twitter @jstuckeymusic

FB www.facebook.com/joeystuckey

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4H5sd7R9Or0DSHbiWobGll?si=WabMM_74TD6in_nKndav-Q

End of Interview