Music

from Lifestyle Cyprus February 2022

Constantinos Zannetos

MUSIC JOYOUS WOLF

The green monster visited me in January as it did many, so I turned it into a positive and caught up with lots of music..... there are SO MANY BANDS OUT THERE, we are spoilt!! One of them is Southern California Rockers, JOYOUS WOLF,who I have supported and been on their trail since 2017. It's refreshing and interesting to delve deeper into a band than just listening to the finished product. My first impression of vocalist Nick Reese was his energy, it reminded me of a young Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) and the sultriness, charisma and depth, of Jim Morrison. On stage he is like a preacher, welcoming everyone into his fold with his velvety voice and alluring stage presence. Joyous Wolf, born 2014, are one of the most exciting and upcoming modern Rock bands, brimming with old and new influences but very much a present band. They make what sounds old, new in their own way and contribute to the Classic Rock revival. The four-member band is continuously evolving and started out as a favorite amongst the more underground scene but now moving fast to the forefront. Vocalist Nick Reese may be young in years but his old soul shines through his music. Influenced growing up by Elvis,

James Brown, Johnny Cash to Prince and Michael Jackson, with his top era of music being 1977- 1987 (he was born

Music expert Drew Andreou, who organises Cyprus Rocks, gives her insight into the music scene around Cyprus. If you want to be included email info@lifestylelivingcyprus.com

in 1994!) he was also drawn to the most classic sounds of Zeppelin and Sabbath. He said to me, ‘I may be young Miss, but I

have an old soul’ and this is reflected in his work. When the band started out, they bonded over bands like Audioslave, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine, Muse and were also huge into Blues music. All these influences and elements combined, produce the music of JW who are passionate about what they do, from euphoric to melancholic. They fervidly want people to feel the emotions that they push out when they perform, whether it's to 20 people or 2000 and believe that what they are doing when they perform is substantial, ‘like a vitamin pill’ for all that are there. JW put on one hell of a show, full of explosive vibes and an abundance of energy which makes them stand out from other contemporaries in the genre of modern rock. It is possible that Nick Reese’s bold and loud clothing style and his crazy stage antics, back flips and splits or climbing the rigging was to draw attention in the beginning, but now they are his signature moves, which you don’t see from any other artist. Deep down his James Brown moves and his Mick Jagger swagger come from his expressive passion from deep within. His feet just don’t stop moving! In 2019, pre pandemic, they released their highly anticipated debut 7 track EP. Place in Time, (listen to it!) - a combination

of slow ambiatic tracks leading to a more rockier place to vigorous and fiery. It was welcomed with excitement and well-deserved praise. The vocals range from sultry deep velvety tones to rocky and ravaged, complimented by the astounding skills of the other three members of the close-knit band. Their aim is for their music to be audibly pleasing and for different songs to have contrasting feelings and bring out different emotions. Their latest single release FEARLESS, which won the BREAKOUT song of 2021, is a great rock song with mounds of encouragement and dynamics. ‘....be fearless like a child is, be careless like no one else is...’ Joyous Wolf have already played at numerous festivals and met lots of their heroes, supporting and spending time on the road with Deep Purple, Myles Kennedy, Buck

Cherry, Dirty Honey and Of Limbo. They are scheduled for lots more this year and heading across the pond to Europe for the first time this summer to Download,

Graspop, Hellfest and

Tons of Rock. Even though the pandemic halted their Live shows, they used the time productively by writing material for their new upcoming album which will be released this year. In addition, vocalist Nick, continued to do regular live acoustic streaming on social media to stay connected with his fans. Where there's a will, there is always a way! ‘All I want is for Rock music to thrive, I want that more than what I want for myself’ Nick Reese Ladies and gents...... Joyous Wolf are Nick Reese, Blake Allard, Greg Braccio and Robert Sodaro. Check them out, follow them, listen to their music! @Joyouswolfmusic