Quick Links: An interview with Joe (stream) (download) by our own Brian Sanderson (thanks Brian!) - Brian also adds that he'd like to apologize for the audio quality of this interview - it's not as good as it could be.

Joe's entire discography on shuffle here at RFP and Joe's website

Meet Joe Hall.

With his witty and evocative songwriting, Joe Hall has been creating original, interesting and/or amusing music based out of Peterborough for nigh on thirty years.

Joe's unique, complex sense of melody and musical structure flows through the filter of his own special brand of weird. The music that oozes out the other side is diverse, emotionally direct and often hilarious.

Joe's warped sense of humour appears over and over in the clever lyrics of tracks like "Vampire Beavers", "Flip City", "Nos Hablos Telephonos", "Middle-aged guys with guitars", "Punk Lunch", "My Imagination And Me", "Pirate's Delight" and "Baby Take Me Shopping".

Joe's not without his serious side either. He can crank out a straight-up ballad that would rip the guts out of even the most disaffected iPod-toting music snob. These tracks are so powerful partly because they cut through the bullshit sentimentality so common to the slow song and stick a dirty digit into the open wounds of lost love, missed opportunity, and that nagging feeling of futility we all get sometimes. The slower end of Joe's body of work is also often full of wide-eyed wonder at the nature (and absurdity) of the world we all shamble through.

His wacky stage antics and clever, complex musicality have brought inevitable comparisons - usually to Frank Zappa crossed with Tom Waits. What an ugly baby that would be! Comparisons don't begin to explain Joe Hall's music - he is an extremely entertaining musical personality in every sense of the word. His music has to be experienced up close and personal to be fully appreciated - ideally live. You haven't lived until you've seen Joe crank out a live version of "I'm dreaming of a white-trash X-mas". We've set up a station containing Joe's whole discography on shuffle (including a bunch of unreleased material!) - hear for yourself.

The result is often quiet, understated and delicate - but it packs an emotional wallop that would bring a rhino to a dead stop. Many of Joe's songs are effectively self-contained comedy routines so when he says something serious, you listen.

"What you said,
 Went to my head.
 Will it be true?
 When the bottle is through?
 Will it be real?

 It's crazy,
 this thing is crazy,
 I cannot tame it.
 I can't explain it,
 it's the way you make me feel..

 Maybe I'm a fool to believe it's not so
 but if it's just the whiskey talking, don't let me know."

Whiskey Talking

Joe is also the current curator of writer Malcom Lowry's ukulele - the story on Joe's Website says:

"It was only after the wires had been collected and the mics put away that Harvey leaned over and presented Hall with Malcolm Lowry's ukulele. The instrument has hung on a wall of Burt's home for many years. "This belongs in the hands of a musician," he told Hall. "Take it. Enjoy it and pass it on to another worthy musician before you move on," he said."

You can read the whole story (and lots of other info about Joe and his discography, history and other interesting tidbits) at his website:

http://www.joehall.org

While you're here, check out our previous feature artists:

Patrick Walsh

Brian Sanderson

Jill Staveley