Joemca Interview     By Katherine Steinberg Singer/songwriter Joemca mixes eclectic beats with soulful musings. Here he talks to Twixt about what it means to be a rock musician today. Listen to some tracks and get the latest news on his soon to be released album here: www.joemcamusic.com photo by Pulin Modi How old are you? Where are you from and where do you live now? 25yrs old, from LA, reside in Brooklyn, NY Where do you weigh in on the East Coast vs. West Coast battle? I have no ties to either. Both sides have their beauties and their uglies, but my stuff is out here in the east. How did Joemca and Poets come to be? Necessity. I had been doing the solo thing for a while and decided that it wasn't enough because I wrote music that was meant to be bigger than just me. It was the right time after I had found my manager, and when stuff started happening I realized I needed more sound and more noise. I wanted a string section and bass and I knew some people. It was really simple—I gave some musicians a copy of my recordings, wrote down the music, rehearsed for about 2 hours, then played a show. There wasn't much of a rehearsal process at all. There was no drummer then so I made beats on my laptop. It worked out fine for a while because the shows needed to be done, and I didn't have to borrow too much time from whoever agreed to play w/ me. I then borrowed two singers from an opera that I wrote music for, did more shows and eventually got bored playing to laptop beats so we went hunting for a drummer. This is how we are now. Some string players rotate in now and then because it's hard to pin people down with nothing much to offer. But we have a core group and I'm happy with it. Who are your musical influences? That's a tough question because the goal is to grow as far away from my influences as possible and mutate into my own animal. I learned how to write by imitating, but the real stuff happens when you grow out of that. I kind of listen to everything, but I change every few months. I think Sam Cooke is the greatest, but I also love Bob Dylan. Even though it's quite common, Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" is my favorite record. Heifetz is my favorite violinist. Brahms is my favorite composer, though musically, I feel closer to Mozart. And, as someone else once put it, Bach is the bible. But let's not forget RZA and the Wu-Tang clan and all them great jazz cats that brought us to where we are. Everything I come across, good or bad, influences my music--even that horrible deafening squeal on the 6 train. Everything is musical one way or another and it's all there to be turned into song. Is it an intentional aesthetic to be surrounded by the ladies on stage (excepting the drummer)? Nah, it wasn't choice. These were the people I happened to find along the way and kept wanting to play with. I did have female voices in mind though. We found our drummer on Craig's list of all places. He could've been a she, or an it. Hell I'd even play w/ a talented monkey if it was possible. I like being w/ talent. It's inspiring. Have you found the music business to be as unforgiving as it is often cited as? Yes. It was expected, but disappointing is a better word to describe it. I'm gonna play the game because I have bills, but I've got some of my own rules up my sleeves that I won't change. I just tried to purchase tickets with ticketmaster and they practically charged me just to register. Will you ever succumb to their evil ways? Everyone's after a buck these days. So am I actually, but only because I need to eat now and then. I'm not quite sure if I have a choice about this matter yet, so I don't know if I'll succumb. If I ever have the power to change stuff I'm sure we could find another method. Do you have a day job? If yes, please describe: No time for day job. My days are quite filled up. My music needs constant attention—it's needier than a child. That's my priority, but I do a bunch of sound and design-type work; mostly in the experimental theater realm and in puppet theater and some other audio projects. I'm always juggling. That's where the art really is, juggling between completely different projects. Do you feel pressure to get a 9 to 5 or desk job? Pressure or not, my schedule just won't allow it. I've tried before. It nearly killed me because I'd only get 2 hours of sleep. photo by E. Ribosome Is there any part of being a musician that you associate with being anti-establishment? No. music has its own establishment and it's just as horrible as any if you need it to feed you. There are infinite ways to be a musician, but music is a trade. It is meant to be heard and I want mine to reach as far as possible. I want to deal with whomever and whatever can make that possible, because I don't have the resources to do it on my own yet. I have next to no control except when I'm writing. Everything seems to be part of some wheel. There's dirty politics everywhere. Of course, this really only describes the business aspect. I don't have dreams about the ecstasy of music anymore. That stops when you have to pay rent. As I said, music is another trade just like a shoemaker, or a carpenter. No one is putting a gun to my head to live this way, but I happen to be a bit fatalistic and I believe in my work. Do you think that indie rock is getting a boost from all the "scenesterism" associated with it right now? The scenesterism thing is strange to me because I have never fit into a scene before. I don't really know how to because I seem to tread in all kinds of things that don't mix with each other. There's a network there for you if you are accepted, but I think it's limiting. And anyway, I don't think it applies to me. Not even quite sure what indie rock is to be honest ñ is it a description of music? Or of what label the music's on? I'm not quite sure, but I'll say yes for now and add that no matter what everything changes. Any advice for aspiring musicians? I wouldn't recommend this road to anyone, but for those who are insistent I suggest that you practice your scales. Read read read everything, watch watch watch (and I don't mean TV), and write down everything. I think that's the recipe for good music. And if you don't have talent, don't force it! But then again, who the hell am I to be saying anything?