On October 18th, rising star Joseph Parella, known as Joe P, put on an intimate show in Chicago at Reckless Records in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago. Celebrating the release of his album Emily Can’t Sing and EP French Blonde, Joe performed songs from his 2021 release. On TikTok, he has amassed a following of over 300k where he has been able to share his stories. After this show, Joe was on his way to open for the rising band Spacey Jane. From the first Joe started to perform, there was an immediate sense of comfort and warmth in the room. Audience members were standing around him, like people sitting around a campfire. It is so cool to see smaller artists putting on these types of shows to spread their music. The atmosphere of the shows felt like that of an NPR Tiny Desk concert, where the performer can be vulnerable with their audience. Small shows like this one allow mainstream audiences to see artists in their element for who they are.
His music is fun, full of rock power chords but also somber, with a tinge of melancholia. In his most popular song “Off My Mind,” Joe sings “Got myself another lover God, I’ll love her I’ll never stop.” The wordplay here is effortless. The rest of the song is just as infectious as this line, making a listener want to hear it again and again. All his music has perpetual motion and urgency which makes you want to dance your sadness away. Joe thrives in his own youth when he sings and gives his audience a sense of what that is like.
When I spoke to him after the performance, there was an immediate sense of comfort and warmth that radiated from him. He was a super down-to-earth guy who just wanted to spread peace and love to those around him. The next time Joe comes to town, definitely go see him!
You can keep up with Joe and his journey here: TikTok // Instagram
