Drowkid Revisted: An Update on Joel Poe

Drowkid Revisted: An Update on Joel Poe

Back in January of 2015, the multi-talented Joel Poe unveiled his debut album Drowkid via Standby Records as part of their Storytellers series.  Filled with emotional driven songs from the heart, Drowkid and a massive Internet presence gained the ubiquitous Mr. Poe an ardent following.  Issues with Standby Records would place Joel’s recording career in a turnaround, but a true artist never loses the urge to create.  Not only does Joel Poe make original and cover song videos on his YouTube Channel, but he now finds himself involved with a few very exciting movie projects.  Highwire Daze Online revisits the vibrantly original Drowkid himself to find out about all the latest happenings of a still very passionate artist on the rise.  Read on…

Your bio says you were born in Havana, Cuba. What memories do you have of living in Cuba and is that a place you hope to revisit someday?
Yes definitively. Though my memories are very early because I was relocated in Spain at a very young age, I was a kid. And shortly thereafter my parents decided to move here in the United States where most of our family lived. I felt like I was jumping from one place to another and I hated it because I had to leave all my friends behind. But I remember Havana as being this magical place that seemed frozen in time. A post-apocalyptic wonderland. Everything was old; every building or street, schools, cars. The city was full of music, vibrant with art and artists everywhere. I absolutely plan on visiting soon.

Where are you currently located at what is your local music scene like there?
I’m currently living in Miami, Florida. The music scene is pretty eclectic, there’s people who come here from all over the world and you get to listen to so many different genres and styles. It’s pretty rad. I would say the hippie culture is predominant in the alternative scene here.

Looking back on your first album Drowkid, what do you think of the songs on it now?
Oh, very childish. I love looking back at it and listening to the songs and seeing how different I was when I wrote them. I was 14-16, all the music that’s in that album is so EMO, and I think it’s great to look back and see how much you’ve changed, like it’s not the same person. I remember what I was feeling when I wrote the songs but I can’t identify with it anymore since i’m in such a different place in my life. Besides I never took it seriously enough, for me it was an album “just for fun”.

With the tensions you had working with Standby Records, what advice would you give a band or artist seeking a record deal today?
I would advice any band/artist looking for a record deal to actually take the time to research the record label they are being offered. Make sure you talk to some of their artists and how they feel about their label. Make sure they have the resources to support your product or album and that they’re willing to do so. Your art is your baby, don’t put it in stranger hands. I sure as hell hated my time with Standby Records and was so happy when I was finally free from them.

Have you written any new songs since Drowkid? If so, tell us about two of them and what inspired the lyrics.
Yes, I never really stop writing songs. Something always pops up in my head and I sit at the piano and pop a song. My favorite one that I’ve written recently is called “Metal Heart” and I wrote it after one of my worst break-ups. I poured my whole heart into it.

Joel Poe in a still from The Broken Gods

With your singing being so heartfelt and dramatic, have you ever thought about being in a musical or acting?
Absolutely, this is the main reason I’ve been away from music for a while. I’m focused right now on working with filmmaker E. Garcia and a group of very talented film students at the University of Miami on an indie shortfilm called The Broken Gods. My character is so dark and far away from my personality but it’s a challenge and a lot of fun working with a group of very creative people. I can’t tell you much about it yet but here’s a preview of what my character looks like! == ( picture attached)

Last but not least I’ve been in talks with the amazing talented filmmaker Harrison J. Bahe who’s offered me to star on Navajo Joe Film’s indie feature Nobody’s Boy; the story of a young man who gets himself in a world of trouble while trying to find his place in the world. This is a challenge I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time now. Harrison is still working on the script for this film but I fell involve with the character from the first few pages of the draft he sent me in early December. This film is going to touch on a lot of social issues and personally is going to push me out of my comfort zone because I’ll have plenty of on-screen nude scenes and I’ve never been naked in front of a camera so that’s going to be interesting to say the least.

What advice would you give a kid being bullied?
Keep your head high. When you see a bully stand up to them. Not only if they’re bullying you or a friend. The way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them whenever and wherever you see any form of injustice. Think if yourself as a superhero and you’ll never be afraid.

With your presence on the Internet, have you ever been offered some interesting or indecent propositions?
Yeah but that’s part of being out there, there’s all kinds of people you have to deal with. The internet is full of trolls.

If your music was a cookie, what kind would it be and why?
Dark chocolate Emo cookies -pun intended.

When could we expect to hear new music – or even an EP or album from you?
I can’t tell you for sure. We have a project in the works that might come to fruition within the next few months. And I don’t think I wanna put together a whole album because that involves a whole lot of marketing and all that noise I don’t like. But we may or may not release “Metal Heart” as a single with a music video that may or may not be filmed in Barcelona around August. If it proves successful we’ll consider a full album. That’s all I can tell you for now but I’ll keep you posted.

Any final words of wisdom?
When life gives you lemons you’re probably high.

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Joel Poe on Facebook