WELCOME TO JOEMCA'S WORLD

Can Joemca’s music be described as "Electro-Rock"?

"Hmm... maybe something like Electronic-Alternative Rock. I don't really know. I have trouble describing it myself. I'd rather let listeners define it. So far, my music has been evolving rapidly because I keep learning new things so I imagine that the album may even take on a slightly different personality."

What’s important for you about the band and the music?

"The most important thing for me is communicating. If the music isn’t communicating, then I or we are doing something wrong. I think it’s also important to try to do something that might help music evolve forward without ignoring roots. I believe that to be part of my duty as a musician and writer. There’s still so much to learn about music, and many other places to take it. Music should be a celebration, an expression of something internal that can't be expressed in any other way, something to learn from, and something that moves people."

You recently replaced your laptop beats for a real drummer. Why?

"I wanted a different experience than the one I was getting performing to the laptop beats. I've always loved the drums, and watching someone play like Jimmy Chamberlin, or Questlove is really magical. I wanted that to be part of the live aspect. Of course it's very different sonically, and there's a different feel to it so it's a whole new challenge to work with. I need and love challenges like that. It's the only way to grow. Besides, I love working with people and nothing excites me more than trying to get someone to do something he/she hasn't experienced before."

How do you start working on new material?

"Sometimes I'll just sit down in front of a blank canvas and experiment with a beat, or a melody or a tempo and see where it takes me. Sometimes I have a very clear notion of what I want to express so the trick is finding the right arrangement/instrumentation/lyrics etc. Sometimes it starts with a word, or phrase, and the natural rhythm of it leads to the music. And sometimes I write from the guitar, or piano. I have endless hours of tape where I hit record and improvise. I'll sing the first words and melody that come to mind and wing the chords with my guitar or piano. I would do this for say 20 mins straight at a time and I'll sometimes stumble upon a good idea or two that will turn into songs.

"Really, I don't always feel I'm in control of the process. It's as if the ideas were clouds and a nice big one sometimes accidentally lands on my head. And then I take it from there."

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