Meet Joseph M | Musician, Songwriter, and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joseph M and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joseph, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
For me, launching my own solo musical project was a bit scary. I’ve always played in bands and had the support of my fellow bandmates to bounce ideas off of which helps build confidence and keep you excited.  Going out on your own can definitely cause your self-consciousness to sow some seeds of doubt. Luckily I’ve been able to work with such talented musicians that at the very least I feel like my songs can serve as a conduit for their great ideas and performances.  I’d always had in the back of my mind that I would eventually release some solo music, but touring and recording with other artists caused that idea to take a back seat for a long time.  When the pandemic hit and the music industry came to a grinding halt, I had nothing but time, and started writing and recording demos.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a guitar player first but have spent the last decade producing, writing, touring, and recording with some of my favorite artists.  Getting to this point in my career was anything but easy, I definitely consider myself a bit of a late bloomer.  In my twenties I was grinding away in dive bars, traveling in vans, and sleeping wherever I could find a spot. I was thirty when I did my first bus tour with Midlake and we toured hard all over the UK and Europe including dates in Poland and Istanbul. We even did some dates with Neil Young, The Flaming Lips, and Pearl Jam.  Since then I’ve stayed very busy and had a lot of really cool experiences. In 2016 I started playing guitar with Elle King and played guitar and did some writing for her 2019 release on RCA records called Shake The Spirit.  Following that release we supported Heart on their Love Alive tour for 40 dates which included Joan Jett, Sheryl Crow, and Brandi Carlile. One of the most important things I’ve learned is to just try and always be grateful and treat people with respect and kindness. No matter what level you’re at touring has its challenges and you can get jaded pretty quick if you’re not careful.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well that’s an easy one since so many of my friends have opened rad spots here in Denton. First off I’d take them to West Oak or Golden Boy for a coffee, then we’d hit up Boca 31 for lunch. By far one of the best chefs in town opened this spot a few years back, After lunch we’d have to hit up the happy hour at Paschall bar which is owned by a few of my bandmates from Midlake and then we’d hit up Barley and Board which is co-owned by our singer Eric Pulido, Jason Lee, and a few other Denton folks. After that we’d probably have to close down the bar at Miss Angelines or East Side.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Mckenzie Smith has always been an amazing champion of mine. He’s one of the most talented drummers and producers around and I’m very lucky to be able to work with him on so many projects. Without him I never would have joined Midlake which lead to so many amazing experiences from traveling around the world and sharing music with so many people. He and I opened a studio together in 2012 called Redwood studios and have made a lot of memories and stayed busy ever since.

Website: www.josephmmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josephmwastaken/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/joeymcclellan

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCdPlLK6XbEFAYeH7x-Yrlw

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2H14sKM72juMmACqIyGFpr?si=i22rxt0ZRpW0oy6v9h59kg&dl_branch=1

Image Credits
Daniel Mudliar