Music to me, has always been more than music to me.  It has been a lifestyle, an attitude and a faithful hand on my shoulder, that guided me through a lot of stuff.  When I was a teenager, I was very sheltered.  Coming from a single parent, and having a physical challenge, my Mother felt the very strong need to protect me even more so.   

By the time that I had reached intermediate school, I had figured out that I loved music, and wanted to do something with it. I picked up the guitar in seventh grade, and joined the chorus in school. Only two years prior, I had been introduced to Metallica's (thank you, Fred) Black Album, and something just clicked in my mind.  I knew at that point, that I that I wanted to become a musician. 

Before the internet, you found out about bands through your friends, shows, and the radio.  In the fifth grade, I was the only one (as far as I knew) that liked Metallica.  When I had gotten into my new school, it's like a whole new world opened up. I suddenly discovered bands like Type O Negative, Ozzy, and Fear Factory.  After being exposed to bands like that, I no longer thought that I wanted to become a musician, I knew it. 

I started to practice Metallica, Ozzy, and Type O songs.  I got tired of that, real quick.  I said to myself - "why am I learning other people's stuff?  What about making my own music?" I started coming to the conclusion that I had to make my own way, by myself.  It was not easy.  When I first started to write music, it was (the best way that I could describe it) was very dark alternative.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I did know that this type of music that I was writing - it wasn't "me." 

By the time I had gotten a little older, I had discovered Iced Earth, Darkseed and In Flames.  These are the bands that I was yearning for, but didn't know existed.  Thanks to the Internet (thanks Internet - yay!) a whole new world opened opened up - again. It was around that time, that my playing got quite a bit better, and I started to finally get song ideas. 

There would be nights where I'd just stare up at the sky and just talk to the moon, silently in my head, while listening to October Rust, from Type O Negative.  That was my go to album.  Through time, I just fell in love with the night.  When the world was asleep, Joe was up, finding solace.  I had no idea that as this was happening, I started to find myself. 

I remember one night, I was upstairs in my house, looking outside.  The moon was so bright.  I remember silently talking to it, and I started to just tell it everything about how I wished to become a musician, and loads of other things.  I must of done this for about twenty minutes. Once I had done "talking" to the Moon, I could of sworn that I saw the moon reveal its face to me.  A jagged grin, and eyes that looked right at me.  I was completely mystified. 

Not too too long after that - after school, I was playing guitar.  I remember seeing outside that a large black bird (not sure if it was a Crow or Raven - I didn't have my glasses on.  Yes, I'm part of the four eyes club.) had flown onto a tree, and was just sitting on a branch, staring at me, for quite a long time.  I remember just playing riff after riff, and not stopping, locking eyes with that bird.  I remember playing my heart out to that bird.  It's head tilting sideways to one side, then the other, repeatedly.   

My Mother had called me for something, and I stopped playing to answer her.  As soon as the music stopped, the bird flew away.  I saw that as a sign, that I was on the right path, and remembered my little talk with the moon.  Ever since then, I knew that the night, dreams and the moon were way more than what meets the eye.  Now you know where the name Night Spirit comes from. 

It took me YEARS after that to find my sound.  I sacrificed going out, and a whole load of other things, just to find what I eventually figured out was inside of me all along.  It just needed to be nurtured.  Certain people were leaving my life, and others were coming  into it.  I had eventually re-met my producer, drummer and guitarist/bassist.  Once I met all of them, and put them all together, I knew that I had something special.  That's a story for another day, though. 

I had previously said that Night Spirit is more than a band lead by me. It's a lifestyle, and an attitude.  Hard work, dilligence, faith, inspiration, the moon, determination, love, and the ability to not be afraid of who you are is what Night Spirit is about.  Also somehow add a dash of llamas, dragons, and some insanity in the mix as well, and there it is! 

I really hope that you enjoyed reading this novella (ha) and I'm so glad that you are on this path with me. 

Joe

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