LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: Joe P in New England (12.04 – 12.05.24)
Editor’s note: Last week, New Jersey native Joe P made it up to New England for three shows across three states, playing in Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts respectively. We were able to catch up with the tour for two shows. Below read through a live review of the Portland, ME show and check out photos from the Boston, MA show.
“I swear, one day, I’ll write a song the whole world thinks is good,” and that he did with a viral song that launched his solo career back in 2021. But Joe P proved he was much more than a one trick pony and a man behind a phone screen at Portland House of Music and Events on Wednesday night.
Steadily touring off the release of Garden State Vampire in August, New England was treated to two back-to-back stops, Portland followed by Boston, on the mini northeast outing. A clip of a rolling train and city hustle and bustle played on the speakers before the band blasted Joe in with a sudden crash and a flash to kick off album opener “Everybody’s Different.” The surging bassline of Tony Yebra and swaying melody hooked everyone instantly with the nostalgic, alternative sound that is easy to find a welcome place in. Galloping on into “Leaves,” Santo Rizzolo’s fast-paced drum sticks clicked along encouraging handclaps and head bobs. Muddy guitar tones and handbells pleasantly clashed piquing the ears and providing multi-layers of sound.
Fading back just a step, Joe started “Fighting in the Car” simply, solo with a twanging guitar riff and hollow vocals mimicking 90s grunge favorites that leave you longing and dreamy. The band raised the levels with boxy drums and a counter riff swirling underneath, provided by the band’s newest member, guitarist James. As typical of Portland’s geographical location in relation to tour stops, he greeted the crowd by announcing it was their, “First time ever playing Portland,” and joked that he had to, “Taste test the donuts from Holy Donut, and had four of them, so if I fall down and die, that’s why.”
The deliciously bubblegum pop “Violet,” about a friend he wanted to cheer up who was going through a tough time, followed, with maracas keeping the groove steady and the band washed in an appropriate purple light. “Shadow In The Sun” proceeded, dipping in and out and featuring an element of each of the members at just the right time. Angular guitars, bells, and unison handclaps made the song quirky and fun, while the smooth falsetto drove it home.
Another solo start, the haunting and pretty “Birthday Baby (The Girl with No Smile)” brought on “oohs” from the crowd, as they silently sang along in the glory. Continuing to build up, it told a sentimental story of family relationships before gently ending the way it began. Sticking to the softer side, the lullaby like “Wonder Bread” brought tinkling keys and crescendos that sold the poetic nature. The band highlighted their strengths of stopping on a dime and changing tempos as they bounced through the bridge. Lingering in the sweetness, a bright and swirling prelude eased on “She’s So Good,” a star-crossed and happy love song that kept glimmering through an easy to sing along with chorus. Fading out at the end, the band left the stage, leaving Joe alone.
“This is the part where they go drink tequila, but I’ll stay,” he said, before telling a story about calling his mom the day before, and how their relationship is one where they don’t talk for a couple months, so when he calls her it’s a three hour long call where he fills her in on everything.
She told him that she listened to the album and liked what he did with the flower theme, which he didn’t even notice he did, and no one else mentioned it until she did. “I have “Violet,” “Lily,” “Garden State,” none of the label reps even said anything,” he joked. “Thanks, mom.”
With that anecdote, only the aforementioned “Lily” could come next. With Joe solo on acoustic, he crooned out the sweet and empowering ode to his sister-in-law. Hitting the middle verse, he improvised, “Usually there’s a whistle solo here, but I’m not gonna do that, no fucking way,” before successfully whistling in tune for half a verse. “It seemed like a good idea when I was writing this alone in my basement,” he quipped at the end before bringing the band back on.
A dreamy melody and cooing vibrato characterized “Color TV,” the first nod to his former band Deal Casino. Completely flipping a switch and cranking the dial up, “She Got Me” was a two-minute super charged banger that pulled no stops. The perfect segue into the second Deal Casino song of the night, “French Blonde” followed, with pitch-bending jankiness and desperate, hypnotic vocals. Plucking and surging, they grew more and more convoluted in a semi-jam before Joe took his guitar off and started kicking the strings, making them ring out to a dead stop before fully raging to the end.
“I always think about the people who found my music on TikTok, all acoustic guitar. And then I play that song…” he laughed, and someone called out, “We love it!” Carrying on the edgier side, the toy keys and distorted guitars set the mood for “guilt. hole,” a true gritty alt. rock anthem. The discotheque “Don’t Wanna Love U” picked things up again and got the dancefloor grooving with soaring vocals and a poppy hook. “Nothing At All” continued that with a prominently heavy bassline and a tender head voice. “Usually I don’t like songs like after a week, but I like this one,” he said about the album closer. “All Day I Dream About” carried on the blissful daydream of young love, with Tony providing rhythmic breaths and Joe’s guitar strumming like a true garage rock band.
“Well, it’s Wednesday, you have to go home, I have to go.. Not home,” Joe said, licking his freshly bleeding finger as the band walked off to the wing. “This is the last song, because I’d have to walk all the way up there, and that’s embarrassing, and there are no more songs.” Starting with a very drawn out “New York” style version of “You Are My Sunshine,” he slowly built up the beginning chords of the much loved and awaited, “Off My Mind.” The crowd instantly sang along, as he faltered and forgot some of the lyrics to be picked back up by the fans. The band came rushing in for the second verse and drew out the bridge before leaving the crowd to sing the final chorus. With an explosive ending, Joe threw off his guitar and left it ringing in a feedback loop, true to his word that there was no encore.
A tight hour and 25-minute set, Joe P translated his viral videos and behind the scenes looks at music production to the stage, playing for the fans directly and personally. Blending together different sounds and inspirations, with real life stories, the basement band is one to look out for in the alt landscape.
Photos – Joe P in Boston, MA on December 5th: (images by John Hutchings)
