
1) Hi Joey, we appreciate your time. Tell our readers where you got your start in music!
—JS
Music has always been a great source of comfort and inspiration for me. But it wasn’t until I got my first job as a sound tech at a planetarium that I truly started playing seriously. The reason was that a lot of folks that worked at the museum had garage bands and found out I had some very primitive recording gear. People started asking me if I would record them. I said yes and I have made the bulk of my living as a producer and sound engineer ever since. So, I knew sound was something I was going to do, but then one fateful day a local band came in to record all original music and I was amazed. I knew at that point that if they could do it, so could I and I knew I had a story to tell and music was the way I was going to do that. I have been dedicated, or perhaps obsessed, from that moment on and make music every day. Music is basically the only job I have ever had and I am proud of and grateful for that.
2) Tell us about your studio in Macon, GA and who are you currently producing?
—JS
My studio is called Shadow Sound www.shadowsoundstudio.com and it features state of the art digital and analog technology. As it happens I love analog gear and the character it provides, but it is also useful to me as a blind person as the 3rd knob from the left always does the same thing every time. With digital “in the box recording” most controls are on screen, or if they are part of hardware, the control is soft, meaning that it can do a number of different functions depending upon what screen you are on, but if you are blind like myself, that can be a problem if you can’t read the screen:-)
I just finished producing a really great project for a church in LA and I am starting another project for a client who has written a song for Make Music Day which takes place all across the US in June. My studio schedule for the next 2 months will be a bit light as the band will be touring a lot in promotion for our new album “In The Shadow Of The Sun”
3) What would you say your general genre is or would you say it’s a hybrid?
—JS
This has been the bane of my career. I just love music and really hate limiting it or putting it in one genre or another. Of course you have to so you can find your target audience and reach out to those people who are most likely to like your music, but I have done it all from country to jazz. This current album is what we are calling “Progressive Americana”. It is a bit of blues, a bit of country, a bit of pop with some jazz harmonic influences.
4) If you could tour the world with any artist who would it be and why?
—JS
I get asked this question a lot and I have so many artists I admire, but I love Morrissey and would love to do a show together. I also love Foo Fighters and Joe Bonamaasa! It is all about being around people that inspire you and being part of the music you love!
5) Tell us about your speaking engagements and when can we a part of one soon?
—JS
I speak a lot about living a successful life as a brain tumor survivor and what I call the 4 pillars of a life well lived. I also do master classes in music business and music technology and the art of improvisation as well as classes in songwriting and music theory. I Just did one of my inspirational talks in Nashville and I am doing a guest lecture at Berklee on 6-20 about artistry, please visit www.joeystuckey.com for all the dates and details and if you have a group that would like to have me speak, I’ll do everything I can to work that out for you. I love meeting new people and sharing my life and story!
6) Your favorite city to play?
—JS
Oh, I am excited to be where ever I am wanted and I love experiencing new places and people, but NYC is a lot of fun as is London.
7) We hear that you love baseball! Who is your favorite team?
—JS
I do love baseball and if I could see I would possibly have that as a second career. I love a good game and love to see different teams, in fact, seeing a game in every park in North America is a bucket list goal of mine, but as I am a Georgia boy, I have to say the Braves are my team!
8) Please list your IG and FACEBOOK links
—JS
IG @jstuckeymusic
FB www.facebook.com/joeystuckey