By: Brad Tuck

Self-described as a mix of blues, hip-hop and rock n' roll, Joe Grizzly has been a mainstay on the St. John's music scene for the last couple of years. They've developed a following through entertaining live performances and consistently delivering catchy new tunes, not to mention creative music videos which accompany some of their tracks.

On March 24th Joe Grizzly will be releasing their new Vinyl “Uproarious”, and we were able to talk to lead singer/guitarist Mike Simms about the process.


Rock Island: Can you take us through the recording process for “Uproarious”, and fill us in on some of the details of your new album’s production?

Mike Simms: I was writing a lot of songs with elements of anti-establishment in them, and I liked the feeling I was getting from this unfiltered approach to song writing. Lyrically, I wanted to do some social commentary in an uproarious manner, but also explore some more intimate feelings that can stem from these self-centered opinions and actions. That being said, I brought these ideas and songs to the guys in the band and we worked on them, creating fun songs and serious ones. My plot for recording was to create an environment that would excite everybody involved. I wanted that excitement and energy to be captured and translated on record. My parents got out of the house for 3 days and allowed us to bring recording gear and instruments into their house (thanks ma and pa). We all booked three days off and spent all of that time recording the body of the album. We had a spectacular friend, engineer, and producer, Stephen Lilly, work with us throughout. We ate, drank, laughed and played. It was quite the experience. After that, we added some additional instrumentation and vocals, had it mixed and mastered by Steve, and got it pressed to vinyl!

RI: For anyone who hasn’t seen a Joe Grizzly live show before, what can they expect from your upcoming live performance on March 24th?

MS: If you're coming to see Joe Grizzly you can expect a few things. We're probably having a scattered beer, there's gonna be a guitar solo, somebody might rap, and we're all gonna get groovy. On Friday we're going to have some people accompanying us later in the set. It's gonna be a big band and we're just gonna try to have as much fun with it as we can.

RI: What’s in store for Joe Grizzly after this release show? Do you have more upcoming performances, or perhaps a tour planned in support of the album?

MS: Things are pretty up in the air right now for Joe Grizzly. We'll definitely be rocking a few shows and writing new tunes when we can. We aim to get this record out there and see what happens! All the members of Joe Grizzly are part of a large hip hop band. We play for a group called the Van Beuran Boys, so you can also catch us at Factory in April. Stay tuned for that.

RI: You released a wildly creative music video for the album’s title track, “Uproarious” on December 11th. Given your history of intriguing music videos, are there plans for another video in support of a follow-up single? If so, can you give us a preview of what we can expect?

MS: We actually did put out a follow-up video a little over a month ago! Go to YouTube - search: Joe Grizzly Playing The Role of God. You know, when Donald Trump and dog videos are all over everyone's newsfeed, how can you expect people to watch your band's little music video? Strange day and age we live in. I think we may do another video for the Song “Saturday”. I don't know what you can expect! Hopefully something worth watching.


Be sure to make your way to The Fat Cat on March 24th to catch Joe Grizzly, joined by Cicerone and Carlyle. You won't be disappointed.