If you are looking for status quo or business-as-usual when it comes to your music – you know, women being called derogatory names through incomprehensible lyrics over thumping electronically manufactured beats, and the like – then you are looking in the wrong place. If, however, you are seeking genuine, authentic music that tickles the senses and touches the soul, then Joe Leavy is your guy.
A Guy Named Joe Leavy is the forthcoming CD project by singer/songwriter/producer Joe Leavy. A storyteller and lyricist with honey-smooth vocals, Joe is a self-proclaimed romantic with a high regard for love and a huge passion for music. Fortunately for the listener, he is combining the two.
Internationally influenced in his music, for more than 10 years, Joe worked overseas playing R&B, pop and jazz nightly in popular clubs and hot spots throughout Japan, in bands backing other artists. His time there was both financially and musically productive. Family led him to return the United States, taking his gifts to the Las Vegas market, where he once again, kept busy in the local music scene. Over time, the grind burned him out, and he moved to California, set his music aside and opened a construction company, creating a lifestyle more conducive to focusing on his wife and children.
As any true musician in love with his craft, he couldn’t completely put music aside. “ I have a studio in my home that I built myself. I would still go in there and tinker around as a means of expression” That ‘tinkering’ lead to the creation of a song in early 2012 called “It’s About Time”, dedicated to his wife, the tracks for I Heart You and the others that will be included on this project. “In my previous work, I never had the opportunity to perform my own creations. With the music industry being as it is today, with independent music being so prevalent, I can create music that appeals to me and others like me in my age group”.
“Love is where we live. It’s where we are as human beings. I believe we all want to share our lives with another person. I am a brother, son, father, husband, friend’. I believe that my music should express who I am in a way that is uplifting and redeeming. So much of music today is misogynistic. We have given women the idea that they need to show us everything – loins, legs, behinds and cleavage out everywhere. Nothing is left to the imagination. I don’t need to make it rain. I don’t need a woman to ‘drop it like it’s hot’. I am about real love and longevity in relationships, and the good and bad that comes with it. I am over 30, I have made my mistakes, and learned from and fixed them where possible. I have been happily married to my wife for 18 years. Mature love, enduring love and the wisdom gained in the process. That is what I express in my music”.
When asked about his musical influences he references greats such as Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett. “These guys are true professionals in regard to musicianship. Their interpretations, phrasing and delivery of songs is what made them popular” He sites other legendary ‘classic’, artists as major influences: Sam Cooke, Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn and Donny Hathaway. “They sang music that is timeless that we still listen to today”. “And when it comes to songwriting, one can’t forget Stevie (Wonder) and Marvin Gaye. They wrote music that people can connect with. I try to do the same with my music”.
“At the end of the day I am just a guy named Joe Leavy who believes in love. I am a simple man – I love God, my wife, my family, my friends, and music. I feel blessed that God has given me the gifts and opportunity to be able to express this in my musical offerings, and I hope to create music that resonates in the hearts and minds of people decades from now. Classics that people will never grow tired of!!