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Jody Joseph harbors an instinct bred from the historical significance of her own backyard, and has the passion and intensity to back it up. From the very first day on the planet, she was granted a musical heritage (one of her famous relatives was opera singer Mario Lanza, another one a cousin named Jon Bon Jovi), and during her early years she began forming a style drawn from various eras of rock, pop and soul.

Inspired by the reflections of her life, Joseph says, "I have always believed that music is a universal language that has the ability to comfort and heal through some pretty dark moments in our lives.”

John Cavanaugh Photo


The 2000 release of her debut CD marked the moment in time when Joseph began to realize her most fervent dreams into reality. “I always knew that I wanted to be a writer of my own songs, and knew that in some respects I would fight for their existences as if they were my own children. Because, in a very real way, that’s what songs are for me. They’re part of me.

Her album, “The Only Way Out is Through” features standout session players under the advice and guidance of Scott Welch (Alanis Morrisette), who saw the talent and took on the managerial role to help Joseph develop her craft. All of the songs were either co-written or fully written by Joseph, and produced by Dan Grigsby.

Joseph and her band, formerly known as, "The Average Joes", have had the opportunity to play with some impressive national act openers and showcase shows in New York City and Atlantic City during the past 6 years. Her band’s schedule is extensive, including community concerts, fundraisers and private events.

John Cavanaugh Photo


Joseph and the band were nominated for the 2004, 2005 & 2006 Asbury Music Awards for both “Best Female Vocalist”, and the band itself for “Best Rock Band”. Among other accolades is as a runner-up in the 2004 Stone Pony House Band Search, a yearly event put on by the House that Bruce Built.

Joseph’s generosity goes beyond just teaching by constantly encouraging her talented students to share the stage with her and the band. Her brainchild is a yearly concert to raise awareness of and funds for Teen Suicide Prevention. The LIVE-Rock For Life Concert, held yearly at the Stone Pony, have included rock memorabilia auctions and ad journals, which raised thousands. The concept of the LIVE concert was born out of the tragic suicide of one of her young teen students in 2003. LIVE stands for the logo LIVE-INSPIRE-VIBE-ENERGY. Joseph and the Average Joes also volunteered their time for Sid Bernstein’s Kamala Benefit at the Stone Pony to raise money for a school in Thailand destroyed by the 2005 Tsunami, The Long Branch Schools’ Wave Of Hope Concert for the Biloxi MS school district that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, the yearly Light of Day concerts, three of the American Cancer Society’s Rock for Life concerts, The December 2007 Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation benefit at the Stone Pony, and the list goes on and on. In July 2006, the band headlined at KABOOM! The Red Bank Fireworks on the Navesink. On May 25, 2008, Jody Joseph and The Average Joes were featured on 105.7 The Hawk Radio in a live performance at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park. In December 2008, the band held a benefit for Wag On Inn Animal Rescue" at The Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, during their annual Christmas Concert with Jody vocal students.

John Cavanaugh Photo

On Saturday afternoons, Joseph can usually be found assisting at a musical service, ‘Connections’, at the Tinton Falls Lutheran Church. She encourages her students to participate in the service by playing or singing. Her students have taken over the service many times and have performed their own originals, written during Writer’s Workshop sessions in Joseph’s studio.

Joseph had the pleasure of performing her fabulous renditions of Janis Joplin songs with Janis’ original band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, on their Northeast tour, in May 2006.

Joseph and the band just released their third CD, “Live at the Stone Pony”, and she is very excited about the twists and turns that this road has taken. Her songs are bluesy ballads, cranked-up, soulful rockers, and spiritual songs with an attitude, with devilishly clever lyrics and wide-open heart and soul. Joseph’s other CDs are a closed session acoustic recording of spiritual songs and a bootleg live CD from her 2002 show at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.

By day, she likes to hang out at home in Monmouth County, New Jersey, close to her daughter, husband, dog and cat. By night, she writes under the candle’s glow like a vampire lost in the magic. Passionately. Read more about Jody in the book Beyond The Palace (Antic Hay, 2003), a revealing look at the history of the Asbury Park music scene, written by Gary Wien.

These photos were taken on May 30 2009 by Caroline Fritz. Thanks Caro!!