JOE Matera feels lucky to be able to rise every day and do what he loves.
The Shepparton-based musician and music journalist draws on his two great passions - music and writing - to create a lifestyle that would be the envy of many.
From chatting one-on-one with The Beatles' producer, George Martin, to meeting a wide range of performers and speaking in-depth with them about their craft, he has been able to write about those encounters for music magazines in Australia and across the world, while also creating his own music.
Add to that writing a regular music column for the Shepparton News, and popping up on ABC Radio's fortnightly 'Music Maestros' with Nicole Chvastek, and Joe is busy, but feeling fulfilled.
When things did slow down for him as the pandemic hit and live music opportunities halted, Joe used the time to write the book people had always told him he should produce - 'Backstage Pass: The Grit and the Glamour'.
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He will visit Wangaratta Library from 6.30pm on Friday, March 3 to talk about the book, and his dual-path career.
'Backstage Pass' takes the reader into artists' dressing rooms as they prepare to entertain the masses, and in some cases face their demons.
Joe said he had been able to draw on his extensive diaries in writing the book, which was released last year through UK-based Empire Publications.
"I have kept a lot of diaries, and one book was not really enough to fit all the stories, so there could be another on the way," he said.
The first instalment of his anecdotes from life as a musician and critic has been well-received, spending two weeks as the best-selling music book on Amazon in Sweden, and attracting positive reviews.
The book is the latest step in a life-long love of music for Joe, who remembers being enamoured with the first album he owned, The Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds'. After taking up guitar at the age of 15, he said he "never looked back".
"I was in a band in the Goulburn Valley called On the Prowl, which occasionally played in Wangaratta, and have travelled extensively overseas with my own music. I've done 1400 gigs in the past 30 years, and that has really developed me as a musician and in my ability to connect with an audience," he said.
Having always loved writing, Joe saw the development of the internet as his chance to use his music knowledge and way with words to write informed pieces for publications like 'Rolling Stone' and 'Classic Rock'.
"I started seeing sites with artists and their email addresses, and I thought, 'You can just contact them?'," he said.
He began with Andrew Gold, an artist known for his song 'Lonely Boy'.
"I emailed him a few questions and he answered them, which gave me the idea that I could do this, so I moved to Melbourne and started working with magazines," Joe said.
Joe said his major break came in 2001 when he interviewed the band Nickelback just before they hit the big time, and had the interview published.
"Then I started being contacted by artists, and now that I'm established, they will often come to me," he said.
"It can be a very lonely existence; you spend many hours writing, editing and working, but it's a lifestyle, it really is a way of life.
"There have been quite a few memorable interviews. In the book, I talk about interviewing Sir George Martin in 2002, when I made the shortlist of 20 journalists who were able to speak to him.
"I spent weeks researching that one; I thought, what do you ask a producer of that calibre that he hasn't been asked a thousand times before?
"Because I'm a musician, I come from the same mindset as the people I'm interviewing, so I can connect with them on a deeper level.
"They know I'm not after a headline; it's all about the music and the artist."
Joe, who is also preparing to release his album, 'The Lone Runner', on March 17, said his talk at the library would cover how he got his start as a music journalist, and touch on the many genres covered in his book.
"I wanted to make it accessible to everyone who loves music, so there is something for everyone in there," he said.
As well as speaking about his writing career, Joe will perform a couple of songs related to the book.
"Come along and listen to some stories and songs," he said.
Bookings for the evening with Joe are essential, and can be made by visiting Humanitx https://bit.ly/3DsR5Rd or by contacting library staff on 5721 2366 or library@wangaratta.vic.gov.au.
