“I am writing songs now purely because I want to. … because I enjoy it and because I want to express some things.” – @joeybsmusic

October 29 2pm et :
Episode #270 : A.V.A Live Radio Behind The Music with Jacqueline Jax
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/avaliveradio/2015/10/29/episode-270-ava-live-radio-behind-the-music-with-jacqueline-jax

GETTING TO KNOW JOEY BOARDWINE
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio

I think what you’re going to hear from my music is authenticity…
You’ll hear real stories and experiences from life that I’ve tried to capture in a way that is real and not with a a hyper focus on turning it into something that can be commercialized. Will people like it? I don’t know. That’s kind of not really why I wrote it. I wrote it because I wanted to. I do hope people enjoy it and it is something that brings them either pleasure or makes them reflect. But it’s OK if they don’t. I’m not trying to write the perfect song that will appeal to the most people and be played on the radio right now. If those things happen, that’s wonderful, but that’s not the thought that goes into it when sitting down writing.

Musically, I think it will be classified as country, at least that’s what I’m told when I ask people about it. And that’s fine. There have been some incredible songwriters in country music and a lot of great songs that come from the heart. I think a lot of writers like Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. Also Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan and folks like Don Henley and Glenn Frey. I also have a lot of rock in my background, so I think you’ll hear that genre coming out sometimes as well.

Overall, I hope this album is strong enough, authentic enough and good enough to make someone stop – mentally that is – and really listed to it closely. … that it’s good enough to make them feel something – good enough to make them reflect on their own life and the lives of those they love.

I think the music business is wonderful…
I know there are criticisms, but certainly it is that way in very business.

What pros and cons…
The pro is being able to earn a living doing something that brings yourself and many others great enjoyment and fun. Maybe a con might be the huge number of talented artists and performers out there who will never be known to anyone because they do not have the right connections. There are some amazing performers out there just as good as some folks that are superstars.

Hurdles and pitfalls…
I am really just getting started. We will see. But I think part of the key is to stay excited and stay humble. It’s a fun thing that I am doing and I plan to keep it fun. I don’t take myself too seriously. That doesn’t mean I don’t think I can be a household name in music. Don’t get me wrong, I am very confident, but I also know that there are a lot of great performers out there. And there are a lot of household names that aren’t as magically gifted as people think.

Social media…
Probably the best part about it is how incredible it is at in keeping you in touch with friends and connections from the past that would otherwise be very difficult to maintain.

Finding / Making the time to consistently update social media with things that are worth posting and co-ordinating them between different forms of SM.

Singles vs an album…
Talk about the differences in your marketing strategy to support your preference. It seems like as an independent artist, you are almost better off releasing one song at a time to keep people engaged with you and give them something to look forward to. With what I am doing, I am ready to lay down about 10 of my best songs that I’ve been playing around the southeastern US over the last year or so.

Music Trends…
I’m not sure. I don’t really pay any attention to what’s current and trendy. Some people don’t even know if they like something until it becomes popular. That’s when they know they like it too. That’s when it gives them a sense of belonging and coolness.

Others don’t know when they don’t like something until it becomes popular, that’s when they know they don’t like it. They only like things that they perceive are not well known or liked by the majority. This gives them a different sense of belonging and coolness.

I like what I like. There are certainly many others who feel like I do. But also many people gauge themselves based off of trends. They either adopt or purposely try to repel them.

I come from a musical family…
Growing up there was always music being played in the house by my mother. She was into a lot of Motown, 50’s, early rock n’ roll, some country and some 70’s-90’s rock n’ roll. I have two brothers that are both musicians. One (Ricky) is 11 years older, and he was really the one who started learning to play an instrument, learning to sing and trying to take his music into a musical career. I was lucky because he was not a typical big brother. He shared everything he had – including all of his instruments. And that’s how I began learning how to play the piano and guitar. He had bought used instruments with hard-earned money from tough jobs and then he gave me my first lessons for free. Ricky was in a number of bands and several were pretty successful as high-paying cover acts. Eventually the band broke up, but all 5 members – are making their living in the music industry today. So there were a lot of talented players in the group. The guitar player was Tom Bukovac for example, who went on to great success in Nashville as a session musician. He’s probably played on many, if not all, major country stars’ albums. I think he was Music Row Session Guitarist of the year award-winner each year from 2005-2009. My brother Ricky went on to become a highly sought after DJ for clubs and private events. A lot of people say they are a DJ, but he’s at another level and he’s actually done very, very well professionally in it. I also have another brother, just a year and a half older, who is a terrific public school English teacher and a musician and actually, a helluva a songwriting teacher at the school (they offer it as a class). And he’s becoming a very good producer in his own little niche.

By 3rd grade I was playing in the local talent show at school and trying to write music. By 8th grade, we had a band and played the high school dances.

Done With You…
I was never a big writer of music, for whatever reason. I always loved to play live and to perform, but sitting down and writing music was just something that I never seemed to make time to do. Looking back, I think maybe I didn’t have too much to say yet.. I hadn’t been through much – hadn’t really experienced that much of life. You know when we are in our teens and twenties – at the time we think we’re experiencing more than anyone else in the world – but as I’ve gone further in life, I have learned and experienced more than I expected I guess. And I finally have some things I want to try to say through my music. It’s not forced. Whereas when I was younger, songwriting felt forced. This feels very natural and I have some things I want to express now for real.

I’m not writing songs now to try to come up with songs. It’s not a means to an end. I am writing songs now purely because I want to. … because I enjoy it and because I want to express some things.

Done With You is a song about relationships. You can hear how it applies to individual relationships, but also listen to the way it applies to an individual and his/her experiences with groups of people.

Life is a beautiful gift from the good Lord, but that gift can be spoiled when we begin to live in a way that we are so worried about what someone else thinks of our choices, behaviors and thoughts. Or a group of people and what they think. You know many people are awfully quick to tell you what you should be doing, thinking and feeling – and yet, the reality is, life is very short, and a gift, and it is something you do the most important aspects of alone. That sounds harsh, but it’s true. You are born alone, by yourself. And you die alone, by yourself, in your own grave. It’s just so tough to face, but the reality is when you die, folks will come to your funeral, stay for 30 minutes, then go home and watch football. By the next morning, I’m not sure you’ll even be something they’ll think of. You might be forgotten by bed time the same night. And yet these same people and what we are afraid they might think, or say or do – in relation to us…. That they might judge, disappoint approve or deny us….. we let them rob the joy from life because we worry about them. And it’s sort of crazy when you think about it. After all, they don’t have to live inside your head and thoughts, they do have to feel your feelings and they certainly won’t take your place in your grave.

And this song is about that dynamic. It’s also can be interpreted very much as an individual relationship song of inner struggles- and the same lessons apply. Take a look at how many people become so incredibly despondent because of the disapproval or poor treatment they receive in just one relationship from just one person. The way they view the world …. they let one person rob them of their joy in life. But they don’t have to….. they can be “Done With Them” – and choose to live life on their own terms.

I recorded it with my brother, so it was a cool time to hang out and do something together that we really love. You know as kids, we always thought we’d have so much time to hang out doing things for fun, but time really slips away and we live 600 miles apart now, so this type of thing is more rare than we’d thought it would be growing up. And we were very close growing up.

 

I am a North Carolina boy…
and live just south of Raleigh, NC. I don’t get to go out much and see live music because most weekends I am playing myself somewhere in the Carolina’s. Right now I am playing a lot of private events and special events throughout the region. I find playing solo to be fun for a lot of reasons. The flexibility is also awesome, because I can do a show almost anywhere and have total creative flexibility to change the set list or anything else I need to or want to.

Outside of playing and singing, I really enjoy physical, combative-type workouts. Right now I am learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. I like the combination of artistic technique, physicality and self-defense. I was a State Champion wrestler in high school and a team captain and mvp for a D1 wrestling team in college. I coached for many years. So I’ve always loved to be combative, although I am actually very laid back and certainly never pick a fight with anyone. People sometimes ask me how can I be “into” two totally different things— something so artistic and gentle like singing and songwriting… and then “fighting” type sports like BJJ and Wrestling. All I can say is “how can you not be”? It’s just the way I’ve always been. And actually, they are both art forms. One is physical and one is audible. But both are spiritual in my view. And a great music performer, which I hope to be, is actually very physical as well

 

I am most afraid of…
heights. I deal with them, because I don’t want to be soft. But I really don’t like them. I also hate snakes. Not afraid per se, but I just really wouldn’t be unhappy if they all became extinct.

My personal definition of success is..
Living a life that matters and a life where I loved others it important to me. I want it to matter that I was alive. If you make a major, positive impact on the lives of others, it mattered that you were alive.

My success story…
doing so well academically in bachelor and master degrees (Academic All-American in undergrad and 4.0 in Graduate program) after really struggling in high school academically …. and being the first generation to go to college in the family. I achieved it by applying the same discipline, passionate work ethic and drive that I had learned from chasing Championships in wrestling / fighting ( I won 2 State Championships). I just applied it to things like Organic Chemistry instead. I didn’t believe I was smart enough in early high school to do it. In college, I decided that it didn’t matter if I was. If it took a smart person 1 hour to learn, I would put in 2, 3, 4 or however many hours I needed to in order to learn the same info. I stopped making excuses and just got the job done.

My over all goal for my life & career is…
Pretty deep question. I could have answered this more quickly a few years ago. I think I am in a phase where I am looking at this exact question very closely again, and trying to answer it for myself. Some of my answer has a lot to do with the song “Done With You”. I know it involves living a life of great love towards others of all kinds, while also being able to come to the end of it, to approach the grave, with a full understanding that you’re going in alone, and being able to give an account for the gift of life I was given that I can be proud of.

3 Ways that I challenge myself and how each one moves me forward towards my goal…
1) I often jump outside of my comfort zone
2) I am not afraid to try something new and attack it with passion
3) I remind myself mentally that many great musicians and performers are just regular players who have a lot of audacity.

Bio:
Joey is a singer, songwriter and energetic performer with national TV experience (CBS Early Show) who can play six different instruments. Joey plays a modern style of Country and Americana-type music incorporating elements of country, southern rock, roots-rock, folk and blues. As part of the band Know Peace, he played at large regional venues, recorded two original CD releases and received regional radio play. “Done With You” is a thought provoking song about group and individual relationships, expectations and inner struggles. It is often interpreted differently depending on the listener’s perspective.

Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/joeyb2
Twitter: @joeybsmusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joey-B-842277592489445/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU_S4ohvnXLtO6BsQgP1khw