St. Louis

Joe began his education of music and drums at the early age of seven years old. Aside from the many years of hard work studying and practicing, he attributes much of his success and mastery of drumming to how fortunate he was to have had the parental support to begin a life of music, as a drummer, at such an early age.
Growing up in the 1980’s, Joe became a fan of all types of Rock music, from the Classic Rock of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith to the Heavy Metal of Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden. Be that as it may, his early studies of drums focused heavily on the various types Jazz music. Joe states, “I remember when first learning to play jazz I was bored learning swing beats and shuffles. I wanted to rock out like my heavy metal idols of the time, Vinny Appice and Nicko McBrain. Now, looking back after all these years, I am grateful for my teachers insisting on studying jazz so much. What I learned from jazz can be applied to any and all styles of music and it is what has made me such a versatile drummer. I see many great rock drummers that are good at what they do but that is all they do. They aren’t proficient at swing beats and shuffles, playing Blues, Jazz, or especially the more technical styles of Latin and Fusion, so it limits what they can be involved in. I love being able to mix it up and that is what developed my style of drumming… which is exactly that… an influence of all styles.”
With over twelve years of private lessons, accompanied by schooled instruction, Joe’s music education has been graced by having studied under some drum greats like Bill Tims, Jim Noga, Frank Hooper, Ed Soph and the late Fred Bocchino. Through this time Joe was privileged enough to have had the opportunity of competing in many Jazz competitions in various parts of the United States and Canada. “Judges were tough at times and very critical”, Joe says, “but it’s what made me bring out my “A” game every time I got behind a drum kit.”
As years passed, Joe’s interests grew widespread into Blues, R&B, Soul, Motown, Southern Rock and of course good ole’ Rock music. His first true band, Split Image, formed during the early 1990’s was a Hard Rock style band with a Blues influence. This bands live shows were hard hitting, loud and fast, and enabled Joe to master his double bass skills along with fast syncopated fills and off tempo beats. His bands of more recent years include Shotgun Boogie and Tinted Blue who both followed a Blues, Rock and R&B style. Joe’s live performances through these years sincerely represent his true style today. Joe is a powerhouse on drums and plays hard, but he can also demonstrate incredible dynamics when necessary. This strength is accompanied by a seasoned and well trained ear as well as an outstanding ability of precise time-keeping. These characteristics are what truly identify and accurately define a talented drummer.
To see Joe play live is to see and hear a drummer of immense diversity, versatility, skill, experience and showmanship. To work with him in the studio is to work with a drummer who knows his way around a drum kit, percussion and music in multitudes of styles and genres. If you have an opportunity to work with Joe on the road or in the studio you will not be disappointed with the person or the performance.
For bands, musicians, recording studios and management looking for information about working with Joe for touring or for studio and session work please send an email to mgmt@joecolla.com.