The Joy Evelation launch their debut album at the Fly By Night this Saturday, May 24, with help from The Badpiper, Beltane Fire, The Guitar Pit and Michael Triscari (part proceeds to the Cancer Council/Singing For Cancer). BOB GORDON checks in with vocalist, Mia Joy.
Three years in, and two EP releases later, this is your debut album release. What did you want to showcase about the band on a full-length LP?
I wanted to record and produce a really good rock album that could sit in my own and others’ collections along side the likes of Led Zeppelin and Guns N’ Roses etc, and hold its own.
It is a longer listening experience and story, where we decided the beginning, the end the order and tied the whole thing together with some sonic ideas. It is the album that I wanted to produce for fans to have and hold in their hands and is a great representation of what we do.
I saw you support ZZ Top in 2011, that must have been one of the band’s first shows. Did playing that show motivate the band and its focus?
We played as a blues band for a year before becoming The Joy Evelation. After recording some of my originals, we were heading more in a rock direction. Yes, the ZZ Top support motivated us and validated that we were on the right path with the feedback we got from our live performance, songs and as a band. The sound quality and whole experience we received from that show definitely created a drive and focus that may not have happened otherwise.
Describe your last US tour – what was experienced and what you achieved?
We got booked and played at some of LA’s most iconic venues and toured up the West Coast as far as San Francisco. Highlights were supporting The Untouchables at The Whisky A Go Go, playing a show at The Viper Room and The Good Hurt Club. We made some great contacts had some excellent business meetings, and appeared on a TV show for Time Warner.
What lessons from that tour will you apply on your next US visit?
Preparation, prepare meticulously from home. Having good legal advice and help from promoters and people you trust. Have a high quality product and promotional package that you know is bulletproof. Have a plan so you don’t waste time. Network with other bands.
What are your hopes for the album and the rest of 2014?
I would like one of the songs to be picked up and taken on as a single here, in Europe and in the States. We head back to the US in October for a tour with this album. We’ll work on a video clip for a single and head back in to the studio to record new material for album number two.
