Joel is a multi-instrumentalist focused on taking his current knowledge of music and making it approachable for anyone interested in picking up a guitar, bass, piano or voice (maybe drums?). Born in St. Louis Missouri, Joel spent much of his early childhood learning the theme songs of his favorite cartoons with his brothers on piano by ear. His mother would bring him along to participate in his brother’s music therapy sessions where they learned melodies and rhythm could express so many emotions and bring people from all sorts of backgrounds together. Joel’s interests continued to grow throughout middle school and high school while playing trumpet for the school band and bass guitar at bars and churches with his friends.

Joel’s skills on bass got him a scholarship for Greenville University where he furthered his studies and earned his BA in Audio Engineering and spending most of his time in the campus studios writing and recording music for most of his fellow students. Those skills brought him to Nashville where he worked as a studio musician, engineer and producer along with touring as a bass player for several acts including The Great Romance, Low Weather, and Nighttime Safari.

He found his way to Portland in 2018 and picked up a job as a music instructor and coordinator for the Salvation Army in Gresham where he taught choir, guitar, bass, ukulele, and voice to children from all backgrounds including children with autism, ADHD, and the visually impaired. In a very short time of teaching, Joel has found that anyone willing to learn music can be taught and he is willing to teach anyone willing to learn.