Meet Joe Schicke | singer/guitarist/songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Schicke and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

Why did I start West Side Joe & The Men of Soul?

Because I saw I had the possibility to make music with great musicians. That’s the end goal for me.

I love playing music because it’s kind of a microcosm of life. There will be peaceful times, chaotic times, exciting feelings, lonely feelings, the whole gamut. But what makes it different from the regular day-to-day is that in music, you have this creative process you’re engaged in. The music is the shared goal, and you get to pursue that goal with other musicians and then share it with audiences. I was talking with Brian Johansen from the Sugar Britches band about this yesterday. We feel really grateful to be able to do this. I personally wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
West Side Joe & The Men of Soul do what we do because of our philosophy on music. We try to explore all the different approaches to music that have soul, which as far as I can tell means freedom, love, community, a sense of humor, and the power that comes from all that. So whether it sounds like blues, R&B, rock & roll, pop, folk, or whatever, we’ll go there. If we were signed to a record label, we might have more limitations on where we can go musically, but we’re not, so we get to totally immerse ourselves in whatever we want to do, and I think audiences appreciate that. That’s just the way we do it. Some of our favorite bands stick to one genre, but we like to float around more, kind of like bands like Los Lobos, The Band, and Tedeschi Trucks.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whitewater Park, The Lyric, Moe’s BBQ, Saja Butler’s Urban Monk Music Studio, Overland Park, Andy Grant’s Farm in Wellington, Holiday Twin Drive-In, Konjo Coffee, FoCoMX, Debut Kid’s Theater, La Famalia-The Family Center, Blast N Scrap, Wolverine Farm, The Poudre Trail at Shields

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My band – Steve Amedee on drums and vocals is creative and reliable. Taylor Tesler on bass and vocals is smart and detail-oriented. Brian Keller on keya, sax, flute, and vocals is tasteful and talented. All three are excellent musicians. They’re great to work with and they’re all pretty hilarious. 

Website: www.westsidejoeandthemenofsoul.com

Instagram: @bluesgotsoul

Facebook: @bluesgotsoul

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@westsidejoeandthemenofsoul1258

Image Credits
Backstage Flash