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MEET PRO-BASEBALL PLAYER TURNED ROCKER, BOSTON'S JOEY WIT

With a story as unique as his sound, Joey Wit’s journey has been one of unrivaled adventure. After a tragic injury derailed his professional baseball career, Joey turned his focus to his greatest passion; music. Drawing on influences from classic rock n’ roll to modern alternative, Wit’s songwriting skills are steeped in story with timeless stops and lyrical journey. For the American singer/songwriter there is no greater thrill than performing his songs to a live audience. Featuring the single “Reconsider,” his debut record Eastern Standard has garnered extensive radio play on the indie rock circuit. Having already achieved a Radio Indie Alliance top 75 single with “Leave It To Me”, Wit’s anticipated sophomore effort Rose Gold will be released in September 2024; including contributions from 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts) as well as Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big). (Photo By Kayla Erny)


Blood Makes Noise: How did this project form and why did you decide to use your name?

Joey Wit: Well, I had moved back to New England from North Carolina shortly after I got out of baseball. During that spell in NC I lived with my cousin, Nate, who is an incredible musician. We had tons of instruments in our house between the two of our collections, truly surrounded by vintage guitars, drum kits, amps and pedals everywhere. It was great, I learned so much from my cousin and our friends there. 

So, I had always had the gear and instrument obsession since I was a kid, but with baseball keeping me so busy early on they seemed more like a collection of artwork rather than the tools they soon became. But that was where I really started to learn the songwriting craft, and this monomaniacal pursuit began. 

Soon I left NC behind and continued on trying to map and put the puzzles I heard in my head together as songs. I never had any interest in performing other people's songs or going the cover route. I think the first time I picked up the instrument the first thing I sought to do was create something of my own. So eventually I had moved back, Nate had soon followed, and I had a few songs written and on a whim booked some studio time at a local spot in Connecticut. 

This is back in about 2017. I recruited cousin Nate, along with two of our friends to jump on bass and lead guitar. We rehearsed the Saturday before and went and hit the studio the very next week. That was the birth of this project. Now the collective of musicians has changed over time, but that weekend in April of ‘17 was it. What a blast we had those three days.

So we had this little demo and a couple months later played our first few shows. I always loved the band concept, and still do, but with the rotating chairs in the live group, and shows fast approaching we needed a name in a hurry. While my legal name is a bit lengthy, since I was a kid, and as a ball player, I was always called “Joey Wit” (ha most folks say it like it’s one word), so it made perfect sense to continue using it as my handle for music. We tried the “& The…” thing for a bit, but it never stuck. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible musicians that join me on stage and in the studio, but with the constantly changing casts plus solo acoustic tours, it worked out to just use my name!

What are your previous musical projects? How’d you first get into music?

Y’know aside from getting a couple buddies over the house back in high school, this has sort of been my only project. I’ve been around music forever, most everyone in my extended family plays an instrument. Growing up, my parents had the greatest record collection ever. They didn’t perform music themselves, but I think that’s really where I fell in love with the art form. Listening to records on their giant, at the time state of the art, Sony sound system. I’d say the first time I felt something deeply different about music was watching the Beatles Anthology films in the early-’90s. I’ll never forget my dad calling me upstairs to watch the promo video for “Revolution”, Lennon’s guitar and Macca’s growl at the intro. I just sat there wide eyed like “yeah, that’s a bit of me, that.”

I think dad and I listened to a different Beatles record in the car before every youth baseball game. From there I just dug deeper and deeper and found more bands I’d fall in love with. Pink Floyd, Yes, ELO. Steely Dan. We’d get lost in those records. Eventually dad brought home a drum kit, which I eventually traded for a guitar. I was so lucky looking back, my baseball coaches were also quite into music, so when we’d be traveling for weekend tournaments after games the guitars would come out, and they were so encouraging to just play and try to hang with them. Getting into high school, I’d go see my cousins and uncles bands play. I was a little tied up with baseball at the time, but I’d pour over guitar magazines and obsess over gear. I think my interests were probably quite different from that of the typical athlete, I’d swerve a lot of parties going to see my uncles blues band with my dad. I really loved those days.

How has your career in pro baseball helped shape you as a musician?

I’ve been on the road, or catching flights, traveling the country since I was about 11 years old. That willingness to “go” has absolutely prepared me for the life I’m living now, traveling around the world playing my songs, making fast friends in new cities. It’s not for everyone, but I couldn’t imagine living life any other way, I’m seasonal and I’m pretty good at it (the suitcase lifestyle). 

True touring is hard work, so much goes into it that isn’t spoken about or broadcasted on the socials. I’ve got an incredible tour manager who takes great care of me and the band on the road, it takes a team. I think my history as a professional athlete and the preparation that went into that carries over into the music world. Being properly prepared to execute on stage or in the studio, having a plan, but also being agile enough to make adjustments on the fly. The discipline and focus to achieve certain goals also goes back to my playing days. I’m incredibly fortunate to have had two rather unique careers being both a professional athlete and now a professional musician. I certainly have a lot of stories and memories!

What was the first concert that you ever went to?

Oh goodness, I’m sure my parents took me and my sister somewhere for our first show. John Denver seems to come to mind haha! But the first show I went to on my own was Funeral For A Friend at Toad’s Place in New Haven. I must’ve been about 15 or 16 and it was outrageous. They’re a post hardcore band from Wales and Toad’s was electric that night. The first local original show was my cousin Nate’s band at the old Madison Arts Barn in Connecticut, and truthfully I hold that night so close to my heart. For a few indie kids from central Connecticut those boys, in my eyes, were absolute rock stars. I spent a lot of my high school days watching them play and record, learning something new every time we’d hang. I can honestly say those guys inspired me just as much as any massive national act. 

What’s your songwriting process like?

So I write everything on my old Gibson J-45 for the most part, but I don’t really subscribe to a particular formula or approach, so things never get stale. I’ve never understood “writing sessions” or any of that. I think I’ve sort of trained myself to always be writing, even when I think I’m not, I’ll be storing lines and ideas away throughout the day in conversations or just hearing or thinking of something clever as I go. It’s quite hard to shut off once you’ve learned to look in the corners most folks might just continue walking past. 

Obviously, there is a time when I sit with the guitar and put the puzzles together with chords and melodies, and I think most songwriters will agree, the best stuff seems to come the easiest, maybe not always but it seems to trend that way. Like the universe decided to use you as a vessel to bring a certain song into the world. There's often a sense of gratitude when that happens. It’s a beautiful feeling. Now there are other tunes that I’ll spend ages finding the right chord or lyric for, I think it’s important to be patient with those. You never want to force a cliche or easy rhyme, that never goes well. Sometimes the good ones need to marinate a bit too. As a songwriter, I feel it’s our responsibility to put into words the feelings and emotions a listener is trying to express so it’s important to get it right not to just get it done.

What other artists or songs inspire your music? 



I tend to lean more across the Atlantic influence wise. The Beatles, John Lennon specifically, live in a different artistic world than everyone else, in my opinion. They’re the absolute top!
 

But I love Radiohead, ELO, Pink Floyd, Oasis, Doves. A lot of British rock music that mixes in that progressive and alternative flair. I think that totally shines through on my new album Rose Gold while also bringing some of my American influences into the fold. I’ve seen Wilco live more times than I can count, they’re a massively important band to me. Steely Dan is also up there as well. Jeff Buckley, Ryan Adams (& The Cardinals), and Butch Walker have also really impacted me and my musical approach. 

What’s the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?

I love performing live, it’s a chance for us to be in the same room as the listeners and see the reactions in the passing moment with the musical changes. It’s a beautiful thing. Some of the best moments of my life have been either on the stage or in the crowd at shows.

My live show is quite adaptable as I perform a ton of both solo acoustic and full band shows, sometimes with rotating players. I think that keeps the music fresh. I believe the live experience should vary from the record a bit, not to the point of being unrecognizable, but there should be a real raw energy to the live show; a measure of improvisation in the solo sections. Different gear choices also make the live shows somewhat more interesting, maybe kicking on a new pedal or adding in some synth/keys. Contrastingly, sometimes stripping a song down, and performing a subdued version sans “bells and whistles” is what the show, venue, and/or crowd calls for. I mentioned Wilco as an influence earlier, they’ve mastered performance agility over their 30 year career. I really love being able to do that, sometimes even on the fly! Things tend to settle into a groove while we are on tours and each night is pretty consistent, but the rehearsals leading up to it we sort of find out “pocket” and explore ideas that can evolve the music without it losing the soul of the record.

What has it been like working with an indie record label as opposed to working on your own?

The team at H1 Massive has been completely amazing. I’m so fortunate to be working with such great people. I’ve never really had a plan for releasing music on past efforts. It was always sort of just making a post on the socials with a date of release and letting it fly. I’d hope some friends and family would listen and then I’d be wondering why the stream counts were nowhere near where I’d want them to be. Those days are thankfully over, but I can honestly say this collection of songs is probably more deserving of a proper release than some of the back catalog. John Eye and Gene Dante at H1 Massive have been a Godsend. Instead of just aimlessly putting material out we’ve developed a strategy for success. That’s completely apparent in the reach we’ve had with the single releases leading up to the album launch. It’s been really nice to have their support and belief throughout the whole release process. I’ve learned a valuable lesson in patience working with them, and I am well excited about the future projects we have in the works to partner on!

What has your touring experience been so far, and what were the best and worst shows or experiences?

So far I’ve been lucky enough to play some amazing shows on both sides of the Atlantic. I’ve been able to tour the United Kingdom several times, as well as performing up and down the East Coast of the USA. Strangely, I’ve never fallen into a local scene. My vision even early on was to get out on the road and not get comfortable at home. To take the music to different places. I think that comes from my past life in baseball! 

Y’know, the word “tour” or “touring” does seem to get thrown around a lot these days; but actually being on the road sharing a common space with your band, tour manager, or the other artists on the run in a bus/van/RV for 14-plus straight days, not sleeping in the same city never mind the same bed, different call and push times each day, constantly checking in with the folks at home, plus trying to maintain a reasonable diet and keep yourself in shape for the shows, and about a million other variables… it’s hard damn work! But I absolutely love it, and am so fortunate I get to do this and live this lifestyle, though it’s certainly not for the faint of heart. 

There’s a huge sacrifice and risk involved with being out there putting your art on the line. When I started touring overseas, I did it completely independently, booked everything, rented a vehicle, found places to stay and just went for it! That’s snowballed relatively quickly the last couple years into being able to bring my full band over, graduating each year to a bigger vehicle, and not having to drive myself and the gang around anymore either! I can’t really say I’ve ever had a worst experience because I’ve learned so much each time I’ve been out on the road, and it’s been more and more fun each time. The best experience on the road has to be this last UK/Ireland tour supporting Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake/Trans-Siberian Orchestra/Cher) and Brandon Gibbs (Poison/Devil City Angels). I learned so much from those two fellas, I walked away with two big brothers. I was treated like absolute gold by those guys. I was out with them solo acoustic so I was truly on my own, riding on their bus, and had never spent any time with them at all prior to night one in Scotland, but by night two down in England we were all having a blast, so many laughs!

What’s up next for Joey Wit to close the year and into 2025?

So I’ll be back over across the Atlantic for a UK/Ireland/Iceland run of shows around the record release in September! This will be with my full band and I couldn't be more excited about it. We’re hitting some incredible music cities up and down the UK and Ireland, and it’ll be my first time performing in Iceland! We’ve also added some in-store appearances at the HMV shops across the UK/Ireland where I’ll be performing acoustic sets and have physical copies of Rose Gold available to purchase! 

Upon return to the states I’ll be down south with Hoekstra/Gibbs for a Florida show, and we’re working on a short Northeast run to cap off the months following the record release. I also host my annual Toys for Tots Rock n Roll show in December in my home state of Connecticut which has grown exponentially every year! We’ve got some fun stuff in the works for 2025, including some more travel to new cities and continuing to support the record. I’ve got a ton of new material written, as I tend to stockpile songs, so I’m hoping to get back into the studio and start sussing out the follow up to Rose Gold soon!
 

 
 


 

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