Quick Q and A with Joe Iadanza
 by Kathy S-B  ·  14 May 2010

When I first met Joe he was wearing a black hat. I got used to seeing him at folk conferences and shows with that same black hat. Then I ran into him at Falcon Ridge and he didn’t have the black hat on. Oh, don’t get me wrong. He had a hat on . . . it just wasn’t black and I almost didn’t recognize him. But I digress. . . . Joe is more than just a man with a hat. He’s a talented songwriter with a unique vocal style and presentation. Yes, the Bruce Springsteen comparison is apparent. Like Bruce, he’s a master of the same kind of story-song.

Learn more about about Joe on his website. Here’s a video of Joe singing the title tune of his debut CD, “Traveling Salesman.”

Your bio states that you didn’t become serious about songwriting and performing until after the birth of your daughter. What do you think triggered this decision?

My daughter wasn’t the absolute reason that I started to write. But, it was the cherry-on-the-cake. I was a sideman/guitarist in my teens and twenties. After many years of playing in fun, yet unsuccessful, hard rock bands, I walked away from music, got married and “grew up,” so to speak. Music was the only thing I ever really wanted to do since I was a kid. But, I couldn’t see how being a musician fit alongside “family” and “income.”

I stopped making music when I was twenty-five and didn’t pick up the guitar again until after my daughter was born. That was almost eight years of not making music. Why did I start again? Tension was building inside of me. Deep down I still desperately wanted to make music. I was just quashing the desire. When my daughter was born I saw a beautiful little girl with a world of possibilities ahead of her. But, when I looked in the mirror I saw a father that had given up on all of his dreams. The stress of that realization was almost too much to bear. Something had to change.

I started to hear music again. Eventually I felt confident enough to write them down and deliver them. The songs weren’t pretty at first, but I’ve been writing ever since.

How would you compare your two CDs—“Traveling Salesman” and “All in Good Time?”

They couldn’t be more different. “Traveling Salesman” is about stepping out into to the world and saying, “Here I am! Look at me!” It’s starry eyed and excited. It’s got drums, and lots of tracks, and a lot of twists and turns. “All in Good Time” is the voice of the traveling salesman after he’s knocked on quite a few doors, and now he’s realized that it’s not all that easy out there. It’s still hopeful, but it’s also very quiet and deliberate and moody.

I had no expectations when I produced “Traveling Salesman.” It was made from pure excitement. The whole process was very collaborative between me and my band mates. The result was unique and quirky and hard to pigeonhole.

With “All in Good Time,” I wanted to expand on of the full-band sound of “Traveling Salesman.” Evan Brubaker (Jenee Halstead / Edie Carey) liked what I was writing and agreed to produce. He was very patient with me and my ideas about how the record should sound.

Fortunately for the record, things didn’t go as I planned. After three days of recording, we realized that my full-band “vision” was getting in the way of where the record really wanted to go. Evan encouraged me to give up control. Ultimately, we scrapped the sessions and sent the band home. Then we concentrated on a different group of songs and I recorded them solo and very quietly. Violins, bass, piano and accordion were added later. No drums. I’m grateful to Evan, because I don’t think we would have crafted something as special and undisguised had we done it my way.

Tell us a little about your own songwriting process. How do you approach the task of writing a song?

I don’t write constantly. But, I do write often and enjoy it very much. I sit and listen. Sometimes I can see the song out there, just begging to be pulled in. It’s like fishing! I sit with my hands on the guitar, and a pad on the table. Maybe I get a nibble – a musical idea. Then comes a distant melody, and maybe a structure and some faint words. I keep listening like that; reeling it in until the song is finished. My life experiences and my daydreams color the songs a lot. But, I try to stay out of the song’s way so it can be what it wants to be.

You’ve been favorably compared to Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, and Cat Stevens — three important voices in the music scene. If you had to choose one representative song from each of these artists that particularly resonates with you, what would they be?

I love Bruce Springsteen. Honestly, it’s become an obsession over the last two years and has totally changed the way I think about writing and delivering music. If I had to pick one song . . . I’d go with “Thunder Road.” But, I could easily pick ten songs. Springsteen bridges the worlds of gods and men with his music. I get chills just thinking about what he’s accomplished as a writer and performer. It’s incredible.

I like Cat Stevens — I get that comparison a lot — and I’m very grateful for it. I’d say the same for Leonard Cohen. These are legends of music and I respect them immensely; though I don’t listen to them with the ferocity that I do Springsteen. Cat’s “Peace Train” is an unbelievable song and so is Cohen’s, “Hallelujah.” I love the classics. Where do those songs come from?! I just have to keep working and listening better.

What are your plans for the immediate future as well as farther into your career?

I’ll follow this road as far as it takes me so that I can play for as many people as I can. But, I’m trying to be smart about it. Finding a balance between the road and my family is important to me. I have incredible respect for artists like Randall Williams and Rebecca Loebe. They seem to live on the road. But, I can’t do that just yet. I’m trying my best to take an approach similar to that of Joe Crookston or Red Molly. They develop fans a region at a time and then move further out when it becomes feasible to do so.

I’ve got a long way to go, but don’t think that I’m just sitting around waiting for things to happen. That’s not the case. I’m just back from my first tour of The Netherlands. That was a great experience. People really love folk and roots over there and I hope to make that an annual trip. Right now, we’re promoting the new album and planning CD release shows for the northeast. Folks are noticing and I’d like to let them all know that I’m here to stay. Hopefully, I will continue to develop my songwriting and expand my reach long into the future.