Hello Joey! Great to have you here today!!
Thanks for having me!
Do you need to be in a certain mood to write?
When I first started, I captured inspiration whenever it came to me. I can’t tell you how many times I would wake up at 3 in the morning to go to the bathroom only to grab my guitar and some kind of recorder and stay up all night writing LOL. As I have gotten older and have gained more experience writing, I don’t have to do that anymore. I have things that occur to me throughout the day that I think, hmmm, that would be a great song. I remember it in the background of my mind and when the idea has percolated enough, I just know it is time to write it down or record it and I grab the guitar and away we go.
So that is my long-winded way of saying that I don’t have to be in the mood to write. I think if you limit yourself to “Being in the mood” you won’t be able to work efficiently. If music is your job, you can’t allow whimsy to control you. You have to be able to do your job even when you aren’t feeling it.
How do you know when a song is finished?
Well the perfectionist in me says that it is never finished LOL, but I think you know when you have done your very best that you can do at the time. To be sure, in 10 years’ time, you’ll look back and say to yourself, “Wow I should have done this or that”, but you’ll know when you have gotten things about right and it does the job of communicating the message. After all, musicians or artists of any stripe at their cores are communicators!
What is the most meaningful song/album you have ever written?
Oh, that’s a hard one. At different times, different things resonate with me. Sometimes, it is the song I have just finished writing, or perhaps it will be a song of mine I haven’t thought about in a while and I’ll listen to it with new ears and think, yeah, I got that one right… For example, a friend of mine, Cortney Adkisson, that is finishing her Master’s degree at SCAD in film, just used one of my older songs for a music video project for class. The song is called “Bad Dreams” and is a diary of sorts I wrote after a break up with my girlfriend at the time. The song is on my Ironies, Pane and the Light That Guides record, a record released in 1999, but still has a lot of heart and power even now. I hadn’t thought about that song for a while, but even though it is an older song of mine, it resonated with my friend and her classmates, and the video she produced is really cool.
Do you get attached to some songs more than others?
For sure, I’ll have a song that I think really is profound lyrically or technically really on the money and be so excited about it. Only to find that it isn’t the one that my fans like the best. While another song of mine that I like but isn’t my favorite is the most popular. It is really interesting seeing what songs become fan favorites and which ones are my favorites. But I am glad for the song(s) to take on a life of their own and become their own microcosms of art that mean something to other people, sometimes in ways I never imagined!
But, for me, one of the songs I really care about and take great joy in performing is “Truth Is A Misty Mountain” off my “In The Shadow Of The Sun” record. I am also really enjoying performing my current single “You Know My Name” as it is a great vehicle for me to use my voice to communicate! Plus I get to hit a few high notes and show off a bit LOL.
What is a musical piece of work that has made a profound impact on you?
Oh, so many! However, I love almost everything by the Beatles and Abbey Road is a really important record for me. I also became a real musician as I was listening and learning every note on the Miles Davis record Kind Of Blue.
Throw in albums by The Judy Bats, Live, Van Halen, Crowded House, The Smiths, Led Zeppelin, and Kajagoogoo and you’ll start to understand my love of music and my eclecticism!
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I love Brussel Sprouts! Yeah, I know, nobody does, but I really do LOL!
Please tell our readers how to keep in touch with you and your latest music releases!!
Below you’ll find a lot of links. I am all over social media, on terrestrial radio, and doing interviews like this one, but the very best way to be part of the Stuckeyverse is to sign up for my email newsletter!
Website www.joeystuckey.com
Studio www.shadowsoundstudio.com
YouTube www.youtube.com/user/SenateRecords
Twitter twitter.com/Jstuckeymusic
IG www.instagram.com/jstuckeymusic/
FB www.facebook.com/JoeyStuckeyMusic/
Newsletter eepurl.com/dg6LqT
Bandsintown www.bandsintown.com/joey-stuckey
Spotify for JS3 open.spotify.com/artist/4H5sd7R9Or0DSHbiWobGll?si=xWNjaR5jTlSywK1bCOpywA
iTunes for JS3 Sun Sessions music.apple.com/us/album/in-the-shadow-of-the-sun/1450976425
Merch www.joeystuckey.com/music
Fan Zone www.joeystuckey.com/music/in-the-shadow-of-the-sun-fan-zone
Thank you for your time!
For Press Inquiries: bsquaredmgmt@gmail.com
End of Interview