| Joel Cage |
Singer/Songwriters
1996 Boston Music Award Nominee: Best New Contemporary Folk Act
"Sheer energy . . . Joel Cage Roars!" -- Monadnock Magazine, Peterborough Folk Music Society
"Last Hard Road is my personal favorite solo artist recording I have heard . . . I have listened to it a million times and its effect on motivating me as a songwriter again has been unbelievable . . . singularly the most provocative, powerful, accomplished and stunning performance I have heard bar none. [The] songwriting, or singing, or guitar playing alone are killer, but the combination is simply superb." -- Pete Lampron, Jam Music Magazine
Joel Cage began playing guitar at the age of five. Born into a musical family, with two brothers, a sister, father and mother playing instruments ranging from flute to banjo, family "hootenannies" were not an uncommon occurrence. Occasionally, friends and relatives would stop by and partake of the festivities.
Out of these "home jam sessions" was born Joel's first professional musical endeavor: an all-acoustic quintet called "Inside Straight," that mixed the music of Joel's youth (the folk influences of Hank Williams, Johhny Cash, The Kingston Trio , et al., the early rock' n roll of the Beatles, Kinks, Dave Clark Five, etc.., and a studied understanding of the blues) with the pop, rock and folk sounds of the day.
After a year's stint with this outfit, Joel auditioned and was accepted into the national touring/recording band Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, spending three and a half years touring internationally and appearing on three albums, one of which was the highly acclaimed "Reach Up And Touch The Sky," a live album featuring cameo appearances by Max Weinberg and Gary Tallent of The E Street Band. During this time Joel had the opportunity to jam with such luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Junior Wells, Charlie Daniels, Eddie Money, Peter Wolf, and others. (Joel was personally trained for this gig by Miami Steve Van Zandt, legendary rhythm-guitarist for The E Street Band.)
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