Meet Joel Graves | Musician & Music Recording Studio Owner & Touring Backline Technician

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

Hi Joel, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
To answer this question in reverse, risk has taken a large role in my life and career (they’re abnormally intertwined) because I feel that just as chaos plays an accepted role in contemporary physics, risk seems to be the necessary component to tapping into the sweet pain of growing and evolving. If you’re too safe, you miss the beautiful pathways and misadventures, and it’s more fun to follow where a hunch can take you. I try not to think too hard about risk, because focusing on the negative side can become a feedback loop that is not helpful to me.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
For years I thought of myself as a guitar player because I played in rock bands, but I’ve come to recognize that I’m just a musician. Or a musical person. Or a studio janitor. Or a roadie. Whatever, really. Musical ideas often manifest first in my head, before I can hum into my phone recorder or my hands can find the notes on a guitar or keyboard. I’m not a trained musician, I’ve learned almost everything I know today by ear and then took the risk of playing with musicians that I considered to be better than me. I’ve always thrived in band and collaborative musical settings because I can come up with unique perspectives that I hope can add to the piece or conversation. My fascination with music has lead to some practical knowledge and skills that have opened several different career paths. It’s been a brick by brick process, often not knowing where I’m going to end up. Most of the trip has been challenging, so when things click or a series of events align to create a moment that is bigger than the participants, it’s still deeply enriching on a non-quantifiable level. I’ve always thought of our little recording studio as a clubhouse of sorts, a sonic cabin for creative folks to feel comfortable and free to do their thing. I just hope to share that idea and spirit onward.

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?
I’m a rare Angeleno, and I could ramble for days on here … so I’ll keep my list focused on an area where I spend as much time as possible, Topanga Canyon. The Topanga community has been through a lot in the last several years and the businesses face being cut off from normal routes, so they can use some support. In the neighborhood here you’ll find a cobblestone right hand point break surf spot, some of the best hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains (Topanga SP, Red Rock SP, Tuna Canyon) and a rich counter-culture history that dates back beyond Woody Guthrie’s time at Will Grier’s theatricum botanicum or Neil Young’s late 60’s After The Gold Rush house. There’s a mountain community vibe, and the town center features small local businesses ranging from several cozy coffee shops (@cafemimosatopanga @waterlilycafe), a family owned Topanga General Store, creekside fancy dining (@innoftheseventhray), great thrifting (@hiddentreasurestopanga), and a solid pizza/record spot (@endlesscolorpizza). It’s a stone’s throw from the ocean and the perfect place for getting some fresh air in a busy city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to give a shout out to my mentor and friend Bonnie Levetin of Lookout Management and Vapor Records. I learned an incredible amount about the music business (and life in general) from Bonnie. I am very thankful to have learned much of what I know about the industry of music from her staunchly independent perspective.

Website: http://www.newmonkeystudio.com/

Instagram: @newmonkeystudio and @minethewell (personal)

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-graves-4916b450/

Image Credits
Photos by Edgar Camey, Johnny Graves, Zoran Orlic & Danielle Marriot