Michael Joseph
Michael Joseph and his music; is a representation of one of the cultural cross-sections of America. It is a mixed descent ranging from; Native American, the farmers of Kentucky, and the hills of West Virginia. Never consciously decided to bring out these roots in his music; as he has learned, our roots are inevitable. By embracing these roots, you help keep your ancestors alive.
Beginning at age twelve on guitar; Michael’s musical influences began in a typical pre-teen sense with both a Hard Rock and Punk Rock edge; On the contrary, he had also developed an atypical appreciation for Classical, “some” Jazz, traditional Blues, and Country/ Bluegrass.
At the age fifteen, Michael played Bass in a band called Armageddon A.D.; He later journeyed as either guitarist or bassist with various harder edged groups like; Restless Breed, Speed of Fright, Throat, and Soulscrape/ Overjoy. By age twenty-six, he began to lean towards the acoustic side of music; at that time, he had also started to explore both his Blackfoot ancestral roots and traditional Native American music- especially the flute.
While exploring this side of his lineage, a befriended ceremonial leader taught him to drum and sing along side singers from the Rosebud Reservation; consequently, this area of his musical development was practiced in a traditional Lakota way. The experience helped to enable an outpouring of music. An example is the song “Rosebud”, from his current release, it stems from these experiences.
The outpouring of ancestral influences in his music, again, was not entirely limited to his American Indian roots; also contributing, is his exposure to Bluegrass and “Old-time Banjo picking”. As a child he was recounted stories of his grandfather playing banjo-along side accordion, harmonica, and fiddle players. Later, he too found himself playing alongside one of those individuals- as did his grandfather- in those early years. During these sessions in the back of a Native American shop; the song titled, “Ancestor’s Song” had "seemingly" flowed out of him- transcending over a ten year period.
Michael now resources a variety of musical talents; acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, traditional flute and drums, Native American traditional back-drop vocals, and various other musical accompaniments; These talents, along with Michael’s musical influences, supports a strong, unique medley of style; Along with the “vision” of combining both spirituality and growth to his unique playing style.
Michael's music is, therefore, a direct reflection of a culture that bridges much of society and the typical roots of American music; along with the member’s that have brought us today’s influential sound.
In short; as so humbly articulated in a recent interview with Michael Joseph, "If music is truly from the heart, it should have the ability to move you." It is in search to invoke this very cord; that truly inspires the diverse sound and culture implemented in the current release "O-Glepi".