Upcoming book release ‘Backstage Pass – The Grit and The Glamor’
- Posted on 07-11-2021
Upcoming book release ‘Backstage Pass – The Grit and The Glamor’ by Joe Matera, featuring stories from the artist’s years as a music journalist and as recording and touring musician
“A great guitarist and an accomplished wordsmith” PHIL MANZANERA (who has written the foreword for the book)
"To most people the perception of the life of a music journalist is one of hanging out at parties with rock stars, partying until the early hours of the morning, jetting off to far away locations and indulging in all the glamorous benefits that come with hanging with that sort of crowd. This perception couldn’t be further from the truth.”
JOE MATERA HAS BEEN ON both sides of the musician/critic divide. A childhood obsession with music led to an early career in a covers band and a day job as a guitar teacher but it was the advent of the internet that opened up the possibility of writing about his first love.
His first big journalistic break was getting the first Australian interview with Nickelback just weeks before they became huge and from there Joe interviewed artists from all over the world covering the full spectrum from heavy metal heroes such as Lemmy to nostalgia acts such as Bay City Rollers front man Les McKeown and everyone in between.
As a musician Joe elicited a different response from his interviewees to those that might be directed at a career journalist – his technical knowledge of music and his conversational approach that eschewed the quick headline allowing him to delve behind the facade of the rock and pop stars he met.
‘Backstage Pass’ takes the reader to that holy of holies, the artist’s dressing room as they prepare to entertain the masses and in some cases face their demons.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
HAVING THAT RARE COMBINATION of being both a talented guitarist and music journalist, Joe describes himself as a musician first and foremost and it is this sensibility that he brings to his writings. His ability to befriend and elicit insights from musicians renowned as ‘difficult’ has allowed him to get behind the facade of some of the biggest names in rock and pop.
Australian singer/songwriter/guitarist and instrumentalist Joe Matera, is a melodious troubadour, having amassed quite an impressive track record in his music career. This includes playing guitar for famed British music legend Steve Harley (Cockney Rebel fame) to performing on the festival stages in Europe to scoring a Top 20 hit on Radio Berlin in Germany. His songs and music speak with authority and emotion straight from the heart.
Since 2011, he has recorded and released CD albums and EPs through European record labels W.A.R Productions in Austria and RVPrecords in The Netherlands. RVPrecords issued a best of album titled ‘Then And Now‘ in Europe in 2016 followed by the EP, ‘Heart Of Stone’ in late 2017. September, 2018 saw the release of the all acoustic ‘Waiting For The Sun’ EP via the Mercury Fire Music label. His acoustic instrumental ‘Brick By Brick’ was voted #48 on Australia’s SBS Chill Radio’s Top 100 Chillest Tracks of 2020.
September, 2019 saw the release of the single, ‘Overload’ which was recorded and mixed at famed Sunlight Studios in Stockholm, Sweden with legendary Swedish producer Tomas Skogsberg (Backyard Babies, Entombed, The Hellacopters) at the helm. In April of 2020, Mercury Fire Music issued his most recent album ‘Electric Wire’. And in October that same year he released the single ‘Only One‘, which was again co-produced and mixed by Tomas Skogsberg in Sweden. In April of 2021 he issued his latest single ‘Take A Look‘ which featured iconic Swedish guitarist Janne Schaffer (ABBA) on guitar, and in October, 2021 he released ‘Inside Looking Out‘ which featured Don Powell (SLADE) guesting on drums. It was the fourth in a series of Swedish rock-based recordings co-produced with Tomas Skogsberg.
He regularly tours Europe, with his most recent European tour – his sixth to date – in April-May 2019. As a solo artist, he has appeared on television and radio, and also supported numerous major artists live in concert. These include iconic Australian acts such as Mental As Anything, Brian Cadd, Russell Morris, Karise Eden (The Voice Australia), Daryl Braithwaite, 1927 to American rocker Peter Criss (KISS) and blues legends Canned Heat, to 1970s Scottish tartan sensations, Bay City Rollers ft. Les McKeown and Irish soulster, Andrew Strong.
He is also a regular co-host of the ‘Music Maestros’ segment on Australia’s ABC Radio Statewide Drive show with Nicole Chvastek.