Hello There,
My new album, "Music From Potter's Field" is now available in any number of ways. There's a paypal icon here.....
at which you'll be asked to part with ten of your English pounds and I will despatch forthwith. Alternatively, there is an icon below.....
......to take you over to CDBaby where it is now available for the princely sum of $15. Or if you're playing catch-up, and want a copy of my last album "Me & Billy The Kid"....
..... it's only $7.50. Bargain! You won't get a better deal than that!
I've now also got a Facebook site if you want to pop over there and be my friend. This will gain you little else other than some pointless idle banter, but maybe you're into that kinda thing. I've also got a "Musician" page over there, and if you want to click on that and be my "fan" that would be lovely. You'll get updates on gigs/albums and the like, and I'd be mighty glad to see you.
A brief rundown on the story so far. I played my first gig in 1987. Spent the next three years busking; hitching around the place and sleeping on floors; writing songs and learning to play. It was the closest thing a smalltown boy could get to hopping trains like the old Bluesmen and, being a head-in-the-clouds dreamer, hooked on the myths of rock'n'roll, I loved it. My fingers and thumb eventually got me halfway round Europe singing songs by The Pogues, The Men They Couldn't Hang, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Christy Moore, Steve Earle and, of course, Bob Dylan. In 1991 I settled in Hull and formed a band called Lithium Joe. I spent the next ten years jumping up and down banging out pop-punk to the four corners of the UK using my own label, Resolve Records, to release a bunch of 7" singles and a coupla cd albums. We toured incessantly, released 52 songs, caught no breaks whatsoever and eventually just wore ourselves out. When the band split in 2001 I was gutted, but I just wasn't ready to quit. I just stripped it all back down and started again. I holed up in my shed with a 4-track recorder and a single Shure mic. The first Joe Solo album "An Exile In Suburbia" was released in 2004, and my aim is to release one a year til I drop down dead. I have no money, never have had, so I can't afford studios or even decent equipment, but in Lithium Joe we always sought to do the best we could with whatever tools were at our disposal, and I still stand by that. If you love music enough, you find a way. Thanks for tuning in. Stick around, I'll be here for a good while yet.
Here's a Top Ten of all time..completely definitive...until tomorrow.
1. London Calling- The Clash
2. Grievous Angel- Gram Parsons
3. Bringing It All Back Home- Bob Dylan
4. Time (The Revelator)- Gillian Welch
5. Cassadaga - Bright Eyes
6. The Heart Of Saturday Night- Tom Waits
7. If I Should Fall From Grace With God - The Pogues
8. Old No. 1 - Guy Clark
9. Blue - Joni Mitchell
10. El Corazon - Steve Earle
....oh and everything Townes Van Zandt ever touched. The man was an unrivalled genius. Plus about a thousand other records that resonate loud and long....just like great music should.
AND GO OUT AND BUY "CITY OF REFUGE" BY RACHEL HARRINGTON. A TRULY STUNNING ALBUM AND MY FAVOURITE OF 2008 BY A COUNTRY MILE. HER MYSPACE IS ON MY TOP FAVES OVER THERE......
And I've got to say that I've been really inspired by some of the truly brilliant performances I've witnessed this year by people I've had the great pleasure of playing with. Stand up Edwina Hayes, GT Turbo, Mark Wynn, Holly Taymar, David Ward Maclean. I've been bowled over by the lot of you in recent months and you have my love and respect.
Sounds Like
Everything I've ever soaked up and twisted round and spat back out again in my own inimitible style. I once overheard someone saying they didn't like my music as "you can't do your ironing to it". Thank Christ for that! I'd have been worried if you could. I hate background music. Either it demands your full attention or it isn't worth playing. Most modern music revels in it's own mediocrity. I'd rather you thought mine was crap and bin it than iron to it! Whatever is the world coming to? Currently writing songs for a new Joe Solo album tentatively titled "Forwards Is Just Backwards In Reverse"and due in 2010. Even I don't know what this is going to sound like. This is why it is so much fun!! SEEEEEEEEYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Hello and welcome to my little corner of myspace. If all is going according to plan there should be some tunes streaming through. Enjoy. Please take these songs and pass them on. Don't believe the industry: file sharing is spreading music, not killing it.
My new album "Music From Potter's Field- The First World War Songs Of Joe Solo" was released in February. The title kinda speaks for itself I guess. I've poured my heart and soul into it, and I'm tremendously proud of the outcome. I hope you'll take the time to listen to a few of the tunes on offer here. The full album is available to stream (plus the odd free download) at my ezfolk site (the link is on my blog), or you can buy it at cdbaby via the icon over on the left hand side there. Below are a couple of YouTube promos put together by the wonderful Mr Tim Roux. The first featuring the album opener "November The 12th", the second it's closer "Peace". Many of the slides are French archive photographs which have been converted to colour. They are stunning; and a reality check for those of us who are used to seeing the war in sepia. Please take a look.
I write all the time so you'll never be far away from a new Joe Solo song, but blink and you miss them so keep in touch.
I've got big plans for 2009 and some really interesting stuff in the pipeline, so please drop by again sometime soon.
My last album "Me & Billy The Kid" is available at all the i-this and u-that web-type places, or alternatively you could always just tap me on the shoulder at a gig and ask. If truth be known I kinda prefer it that way. All the best, Joe xxx.
Hi Joe, Was good to meet you on Sunday at The County. Your set was great and I'm really enjoying the CD. I'll be putting on some gigs later in the year it would be great if you fancied coming back this way. I'll give you a shout when I get them sorted. All the best Rob
Completely understand re chatting mate just wanted you to know you were worth the looooong journey to see. You were excellent as always. Looking forward to Staithes cos get to hear and chat and play with chilled out(OK Drunk)people who not on the edge like at a gig.
Joe sorry for the time lapse, just a line to say really enjoyed your impressive and energetic set you played at The Springboard Festival, was hypnotised from begining to end. Also really enjoyed paddling through your site. Without doubt you are a legend in your own right and if ever you want to prove a point Id be more than happy to come and do my ironing as a back drop whilst you do your set, im only two clicks of a mouse away.
So Joe Solo is determined is he? AND well he should be with all that talent! Great songs Joe, so why wait until Sept to share them with the members of Brid folk club? There's a singers night this Tuesday and as it will be my first visit in yonks it would be nice to see you there. Shirley xx
It was a crackin night wasnt it, so glad i had the night off! ho hum, back to reality next week, my punters have missed me. hope to see you again joe, Holls x x x
A brief rundown on the story so far. I played my first gig in 1987. Spent the next three years busking; hitching around the place and sleeping on floors; writing songs and learning to play. It was the closest thing a smalltown boy could get to hopping trains like the old Bluesmen and, being a head-in-the-clouds dreamer, hooked on the myths of rock'n'roll, I loved it. My fingers and thumb eventually got me halfway round Europe singing songs by The Pogues, The Men They Couldn't Hang, Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, The Clash, Stiff Little Fingers, Christy Moore, Steve Earle and, of course, Bob Dylan. In 1991 I settled in Hull and formed a band called Lithium Joe. I spent the next ten years jumping up and down banging out pop-punk to the four corners of the UK using my own label, Resolve Records, to release a bunch of 7" singles and a coupla cd albums. We toured incessantly, released 52 songs, caught no breaks whatsoever and eventually just wore ourselves out. When the band split in 2001 I was gutted, but I just wasn't ready to quit. I just stripped it all back down and started again. I holed up in my shed with a 4-track recorder and a single Shure mic. The first Joe Solo album "An Exile In Suburbia" was released in 2004, and my aim is to release one a year til I drop down dead. I have no money, never have had, so I can't afford studios or even decent equipment, but in Lithium Joe we always sought to do the best we could with whatever tools were at our disposal, and I still stand by that. If you love music enough, you find a way. Thanks for tuning in. Stick around, I'll be here for a good while yet.
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