Press Pack
Biography
Joey Vee was born in Connecticut and grew up on the shores of Emerald Isle, North Carolina. He took advantage of the laid-back lifestyle on the ocean, and was an avid surfer, skateboarder, and fisherman. The first instrument he picked up as a teenager was a spur-of-the-moment purchase of a used banjo a prelude to his country influences and the banjo hangs on his wall to this day.
His first exposure to the guitar was through his stepfather. Their first song together was Proud Mary. The guitar lessons were so successful that Joey traded his surfboard for an electric guitar. Joey was writing poetry and short stories throughout this time but no songs yet.
Upon returning to Connecticut, Joey honed his skills by covering songs by Elvis, The Doors, and The Beatles. His distinctive, resonant voice was a big hit at karaoke bars, which built his confidence to branch out into songwriting and solo performances. The next steps in his music career were upgrading his gear to much beloved Gibson acoustic and Fender electric guitars, attending songwriting workshops to learn structure, and showcasing his new songs to the music community at open mics. He was asked to run his own open mic, and expanded his cover repertoire to include songs by Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darrin, Slit Whitman, Nirvana, Van Morrison, and more.
Jamie Ratzken, an accomplished saxophone player, discovered Joey Vee at one of these open mic and The Midnight Blues band was formed. Jamies influences include Lester Young, John Coltraine, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, and the DelVikings. The bands bassist, Rob Lasalle, has a long music history, including sitting in once with The Grateful Dead in California. The bands drummer, Joe Welsh, has played in several bands in Germany and Vietnam while he was an army sergeant. Special guest lead guitarist John Chapman is an expert at many styles, including folk, jazz, and reggae.
The band gets the crowd dancing at live shows with their signature rockabilly original songs. The bands repertoire now consists of almost 200 original songs written by Joey Vee. The Midnight Blues began playing at bars and now focuses mainly on festivals.
Joey Vee lives in western Connecticut with his wife and is expecting his first child on November 8, 2009.
Instrumentation
Joey Vee (singer/songwriter, harmonica, acoustic guitar)
John Chapman (special guest lead guitar)
Rob Lasalle (bass guitar)
Jamie Ratzkin (saxaphone)
Joe Welsh (drums)
PRESS RELEASES
The Georgetown Saloon says:
We love your tunes Mr. Vee! Come back anytime you always sound great.
Cousin Larry’s declares:
Joey Vee is a local legend bound to be a star.
Hat City Entertainment writes:
Ear licking great music. Joey Vee’s music is a blend of rockabilly and fun,fun,fun!
The Monkey Bar:
One of the most innovative musicians to come along. He’s making his mark on Danbury by making both young and old dance,dance,dance. Rock on Mr. Vee
The City Ale House:
A down to earth musician without the ego. Ms. B loves you Joey Vee
The Molton Java:
mesmerizing,captivating and a true show man
Georgetown Day Festival
High energy, you brought me back to the 50’s and I thank you for that. You’re playing next Summer. Adam (Georgetown Day Festival Committee) 6/8/08
The New Fairfield Carnival:
Fantasic original music , you guys rocked and I love your cd. Marc (festival organizer) 7/16/08
YOU CAN’T LOSE WITH THE MIDNIGHT BLUES
