When I think of melodic punk rock, bands like No Use For a Name, Lagwagon, The Swellers, The Ataris, and MxPx come to mind. Each of these bands feature intricately melodic guitar work and heartfelt lyrics. All of these bands create music can make you energized, and make you think at the same time. Now we can add Northern California’s One Armed Joey to that list.
Formed in 2014, the trio has been building a cult following for themselves ever since. Not only have they self-released two EPs, but they’ve run several regional music awards as well. On May 27th, One Armed Joey takes the next step in their ascent to further greatness. The band has signed with Sell The Heart Records and will be releasing Happiness, To Me. For the uninitiated, One Armed Joey’s particular brand of punk rock blends that ’90s Cali melodic punk with Midwestern emo.
The album is the perfect salve as we emerge from pandemic hibernation.
It’s ten tracks of high energy music with heart. It’s that best friend you turn to when you need advice or have a bad day. The album doesn’t shy away from struggles, negativity, or turmoil. Instead, the music confronts those emotions head on with the goal of acceptance and joy shining through as a result. We’ve all just went through two really tough years, so the album is very current and relatable.
We’re so lucky to be able to premiere the next single off their upcoming full-length. “Mirrors” is the next young adult anthem. It touches on what it’s like to finally get to that “adult” age you strive for as a kid, and then asking what’s next now that you’re there. It’s not just relatable to the twenty somethings. Here I sit in my early 40s having the same feelings brought up in the song.
While the song will be available this Friday on all streaming services, we’ve got a first listen of the song and its video.
Check out the video for “Mirrors”
To help us get even more excited about Happiness, To Me, Avery Okamura (vocals, guitar) took some time to answer a few question. Check out what he had to say below.
Your new album was recorded during a global pandemic. How was that experience vs. your previous work on your EPs?
Our first two EPs were recorded with our good friend Scott Goodrich, who we had recorded with since we were in our high school band. Not only did we record during a pandemic, but it was with two new engineers we had not worked with before, in two studios we had never worked in before. We had heard their stuff and knew that they get great tones though, so we weren’t too concerned about that (Shout out to Sam Hammond at Sonic Bloom Recording and Erin Tadena at Laughing Tiger Studios, both legends) But 90% of the album we all recorded separately. I think we were all in the studio together for only half a day, out of the two-and-a-half weeks we recorded. That obviously wasn’t preferred, but after playing with each other for so long I think that we were able to just trust in each other’s performances.
With this being your debut full-length, there’s got to be an extra level of excitement this time around. The release is so close now. How are your nerves?
We started writing this album before our last EP came out (which was in 2017), so yeah, very excited, but also very anxious because of the amount of times we’ve had to say “Don’t worry, it’s coming!” We want it to live up to expectations, especially after talking about it for so long. But we’re all stoked on it, and so far the response has been very positive.
How have you grown as a band since your days of DIY releases?
When we went into this album, we very consciously kind of went over all of the things from our previous EPs that we think worked really well that we could expand upon. This album feels very much like a collection of those elements, and a complete collaboration between the three of us, and by that I mean Kevin (bass, vocals) started writing and singing more and James (drums) took on more of a role in the arranging of the songs, which is great.
So I think the three of us are just now much more familiar with our own and each other’s individual playing/writing styles, and we were more excited to try things that we each may not have thought of before. So many of the songs I wrote for this album could have been way less cool without James and Kevin’s creative input, which is the best part about being in a band.
Thinking back to the beginning days, what bands inspired you to want to start a band and play music for people?
Well in 2003, my older brother came home with War On Errorism, Untitled (by blink-182) and American Idiot. That was pretty much game over for me. James and I started our first band and were gigging fairly regularly in 2010, and we just wanted to play music. We loved playing the songs that we wrote. We didn’t want to be just a garage cover band. Then when James, Kevin and I started One Armed Joey in 2014, we were absolutely enamored with this band called Point Of View from San Jose. We were also pretty deep into the Fat sound around that time too, so we were like “This is the blueprint, this is the type of band we want to be” We absolutely wore those influences on our sleeves for the EPs.
Your next single from the album is “Mirrors.” What’s that one about specifically?
Well, Kevin wrote “Mirrors”, so I’ll hand this one off to him:
Kevin: “Mirrors” is a song that embraces and analyzes life as a young adult, specifically at the age of 21. I felt like 21 is the peak age you look forward to when you’re younger, but then after you get there it’s like ‘Okay, now what?’ There’s a lot of uncertainty for what your future might look like. You don’t want to be stuck in something that you’re not happy with, but at the same time have no idea what will make you happy. Until you figure it out, you grind away at a boring job and then party with friends, leading you to some “fateful nights” that might cause you to rethink everything”
Sell The Heart seems like a really rad label. Andy clearly has passion and busts his ass for his bands. What was it that ultimately sold you on working with him?
I had been following the label for a while, and the main things that really stood out to us were that he doesn’t sign a bunch of bands, which means he only puts time into stuff that he truly believes in, and he’s local to the area. We’ve been playing all over the Bay Area forever, but he’s lived in Sonoma County and kind of knew what the scene was like up here. And knowing that he was interested in our band meant so much because all the bands he signs are so ridiculously good, so we knew we would be in good company. Andy has been so great to work with, and we’re so grateful for his help and support.
What are your plans to help promote the album when it’s out? Any release shows or tours coming up?
We’ve got some shows in Southern California lined up for the album release weekend in May. We’ve got a hometown release show the following weekend on June 3rd, and then we’re gonna be going up to the Pacific Northwest by the end of the summer too.
Speaking of shows, what is a typical One Armed Joey live show like?
We always see bands starting their set by saying “HEY GUYS, LET’S GET EEEEEEEVERYBODY UP TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE! COME ON, WE WON’T BITE!” And we’ve always felt weird about that crowd engagement pressure. So we always say “Hey guys, the great thing about our shows is that you can do whatever you want. Go stand at the bar, sit on the floor, sit on the side of the stage, whatever. Just have a good time and respect each other. ” We’ve found that that’s the best ice-breaker. More often than not, people feel like they can let loose if you don’t force them to. What a concept. But other than that, we just try to go as hard as we can without being too sloppy.
Is it weird to be thinking about shows still with COVID still lingering in the shadows?
It’s definitely a touchy subject. I think it depends on the show. If it’s outdoors, and people are being respectful, we feel pretty safe about doing that. Otherwise, pretty much all of the shows I’ve been to and played have required proof of full vaccination plus masks for non-performers, so I feel like people are starting to adapt. I can’t really see either of those things going away anytime soon, so I think bands and venues just need to plan accordingly and do it right.
For the uninitiated, solve for X. If I like “X,” then I will love One Armed Joey.
X = 2010s Bay Area pop punk disguised as 1990s Midwest pop punk
What new bands are you digging these days?
Melted, Problem Daughter, Decent Criminal, Sarchasm, Legal Disaster (most of these bands have been around for almost ten years, but deserve attention!)
Any last words?
If you dig the singles, you’ll probably like our whole album, so go pre-order that through Sell the Heart Records! Follow us on our socials and come out to a show some time. Tell us the Bearded Gentlemen sent you and we’ll give you a free sticker.