ABOUT THE ARTIST
    Hailing from Midlothian, Va., and now residing in Los Angeles, Joel started playing drums at age 5 at his local church. By age 8 he was singing the Star Spangled Banner for a Memorial Day assembly at his elementary school. On his way to becoming a lawyer, his parents pulled him aside and told him to dedicate his life to music.
    Joel sees music as an outlet for his observations. He writes his songs in the personality of those around him.
“Things I can’t say, I sing,” he says.
This is true of his first song “Because,” a love song written out of a deep longing of the heart for his girlfriend. “Look Who’s Bad Now” is an angry anthem for the wronged individual desperate for justice. “Don’t Believe That Lie,” a fan favorite, resonates with anyone who has been falsely accused.
Joel has a come a long way from that little boy playing drums at his church in Colorado Springs. He now plays the accordion, ukulele, harmonica, djembe, and a variety of other instruments. Joel was voted in as a finalist in the Fame, Fortune, and Flags contest sponsored by Six Flags. His first album, “Breathless,” was released out in December of 2009 on CD and iTunes. Joel’s exposure as an artist has grown in the past several months, but as he continues to play on stages across Los Angeles, his drive to be a unique and outstanding performer is unchanging.

ABOUT THE HOST
    “House Blend” host, writer and co-producer Stephen K. Peeples is a Grammy-nominated record producer (“Monterey International Pop Festival,” 1992), award-winning radio writer-producer (“The Lost Lennon Tapes,” 1988-1990) and veteran record company executive (Capitol, Elektra/Asylum, Rhino). A Canyon Country resident since early 1988, Peeples wrote about the SCV music scene for The Signal newspaper in 2004-2006 and was Managing Editor of the My Santa Clarita community website in 2006-2007. He was The Signal’s Online Editor and social media manager from October 2007 to May 2011. In 2009 he was honored when The-Signal.com was named “Best Website” by the California Newspaper Publishers Association. A jazz and rock drummer since he was 12, Peeples was a member of the underground West L.A. garage band Peaking Duck from 1977-2008. In 2010, he co-founded the SCV-based jazz quartet RainTree.