Welcome Joey and thanks for agreeing to do an interview
Joey: It’s not a problem, I’m happy to be here.

Well your 28 and your still unsigned, why has it taken so long for you to be signed?
Joey: I dunno, I guess it’s because I’ve not really fully committed to any one profession. I left Berklee (Music College) at the age of 20 and I sort of had to earn a living before I could afford to concentrate on my dreams. But also the fact that I was unsuccessful as a screenwriter probably had an effect. Once I left Berklee I decided to do a normal job, so I became an assistant English teacher and then after about 2 years of being an assistant I was promoted to a fulltime teacher, so that took me away from music for a little while, I did perform at clubs on a weekend when I could but I had to earn enough money for me to concentrate fully on either music or screenwriting.

So why did you choose Music as a career over a career in film?
Joey: Well I’ve not chosen a career in music yet, if I can get a record deal then I’ll have a career in music. But even if I’m signed to a record label I’ll still want to work on a whole selection of different things. I’d call myself an all round writer rather than just a singer-songwriter. I started out writing songs when I was about 13-14 but then I started to write in different ways for example I started writing up scripts and even started writing on a novel, but it’s a tough industry which is why I’ve tried a lot of different kind of writing.

Any other talents?
Joey: I paint a lot in my spare time, but that’s not the kind of career I’d want, I’m probably going to stay away from that particular field. But like I say I’ve decided to take a year away from teaching to see if I can finally realise my dream of becoming a professional writer/singer. If in a years time I’m not signed then I’ll go back to teaching, I really love it so it’s not a major sacrifice but music is my main love.

How would you describe your teaching style?
Joey: I would say I’m more of a friendly teacher, I taught English with high school students and I’ve also taught music classes with 10-12 year olds. I had a girlfriend who was a kindergarten teacher, she taught art and I’d go there whenever I had time off and I just loved every minute of it. It’s fantastic working with 5-8 year olds because they no know evil in the world, everything’s great for them, they don’t have any worries.

How close would you say you are to a record deal?
Joey: I really don’t know, I’ve put my name out there and I’ve got in touch with a couple of record labels so hopefully something will happen soon. My friends have helped me get my name out there.

How is the writing process for you?
Joey: I can’t just get a pad of paper and just start writing. Usually it will be a major decision or something, like a break up or loneliness or something like that. I write when I’m inspired, if someone gave me a deadline and said I want 6 songs in two weeks, I probably wouldn’t be able to do that because I can’t just sit down and write because I have to.

How would you describe your music?
Joey: I don’t like to put a label on it, it’s basically me playing acoustic guitar and singing that’s all you need to know about it really. I wouldn’t call it pop I wouldn’t call it rock and I wouldn’t call it anything in particular, I would say its kind of traditional. The kind of songs you could hear when your sitting by a campfire with friends, it‘s very intimate.

Well we hope you get a record deal soon