Joe Vital Jr. - Dancing with Shadows

The Buckeye State is without a doubt one of the best places for music in the country. Okay, I may be a little bias but who could argue? And it seems it doesn’t matter if you’re in Cincinnati, Athens, Toledo, Columbus, Cleveland, and all parts in between you can find great local music and some of the most talented musicians you will find anywhere. To prove my point I am going to introduce you to Joe Vital Jr. from Canton, OH. Joe is a multi-instrumentalist playing Guitars, Drums, Synthesizers, Percussion, as well as being a Producer, Songwriter, and Vocalist. Wow, put that on a resume. Vital comes by his talent honestly, his father is Rock & Roll Drummer Joe Vital who has played with Rock legends Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Joe Walsh, and the Eagles to name a few. According to his bio Joe spent the majority of his childhood growing up around these Rock greats soaking up everything around him. In 2008 Vital Jr. released the CD titled “Dancing with Shadows” and the hit single of the same name. Joe played many of the instruments on the album with some help from his Dad Joe Vital and David Santos playing Bass on many of the tracks as well as Tom Bukovac playing Lead Guitar on the tune “I Only Need You.”

Vital Jr takes his Rock influences and combines them with an Electronic-Industrial groove for a unique sound. I think Joe’s bio puts it best, “The best way to think of Joe's sound is "The Who" meets "Nine Inch Nails.” The album begins with the tune “I Don’t Belong Here” and features Vital Jr. on Guitar and Vocals with his father playing Drums, Synthesizers, and Backup Vocals. The song shows a little of Joe’s rebellious side. The first verse reads, “I’m just a stranger lost in the city, passing by all the towers of glass. I’m goin out on the town, I’m getting reckless and wild, I’m gonna blow all my money like a prodigal child.” I can relate! The next song on the CD called “BREAK!” is a heavier tune that has that classic rock/industrial we talked about earlier; Joe’s Guitar skills are on full display on this song, it’s a great tune! Another one of my favorite tunes on the album is the title track “Dancing with Shadows.” The song has a great groove and one of the best Guitar riffs on the CD.

The song “Beautiful Girl” is about leaving your inhibitions at the door and taking a chance at the beautiful chick in the corner; it’s a track I think every guy can relate too. “I walked into the unexpected just to see what I’d find and there she was, just sittin in the corner, playin with her ice. I had to take a chance and left pretension, I took a roll of the dice.” I’m guessing Joe has no problem with the ladies however. The song “I Only Need You” shows Vital’s softer side and features Tom Bukovac on Guitar. Next up is a rockin nugget that reminds me of the band Queensryche and features Joe on every instrument; this is my favorite tune on the CD, it freakin ROCKS! The song “It’s Not Me It’s You” gives folks a glimpse into Joe’s since of humor and it’s followed by “Mysterious” and gets back to what Vital does best, hard pounding Rock & Roll. One of the best lines on the CD is featured on this tune, “You’ve got your plans, Life’s demands in your hands, but you never know what lies ahead.” This is a killer tune!

The song “Never Give Up” is one of the songs that really combines Vital’s Rock background with his admiration for the Industrial/Techno grooves. Vital’s video for the song was the Best Music Video winner at the 2011 Canton Film Festival. One look at the video and you will see why it was a hit at the film festival, it is visually stunning. In addition to producing the record, Vital also directed and produced the video.  “Along with being a musician I am also a cinematographer & director. I always strived to make visually interesting, creative and compelling music videos & films.” I have to say it was a job well done. “By the Shoreline” is a beautiful tune and is a love song of sorts; it’s one of those tunes where you can close your eyes and reminisce of your time on the shoreline getting it on with your honey. Ah, memories!

The final three songs on the album are heavy handed Rock gems that leave you wanting more. “Infectious” and “You Make Me Fell Alive” more than any tunes on the CD has that Nine Inch Nails thing going and is guaranteed to get the blood flowing. The final tune called “Fight It or Self Destruct” is a fist pumping tune that encourages us to hit life’s struggles head on. The course goes, “Fight it or self destruct, Fight it or self destruct, when life is crushin you down just plant your feet on the ground and fight it or self destruct.” Hell yeah, great advise Joe!

The CD “Dancing with Shadows” is a great listen and I recommend adding it to your music collection. Joe has been hard at work assembling a great band and is currently touring the Buckeye State. Vital has also been nominated for a 2012 Columbus Music Award in the Rock category. Vital will be releasing a new CD in February of 2012 called “The Virulent Strain – The Infectious Remixes.” The album is a remix of several of the tunes on the “Dancing with Shadows” CD. Be sure to check out Joe’s Website and check out his Bio; it’s a great read and highlights some of Vital’s other accomplishments. I can’t wait to see this guy live, I bet he puts on quite a show!

Joe Vital Jr.

“Dancing with Shadows”

Vari Loud Records