Conversations with Joel Clarke

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel Clarke. 

Joel, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I remember watching my father play guitar and thinking I wanted to be like him. And then when I was 10years old I got a guitar for Christmas. An old Conn Acoustic, with bad action and not a great tone. It hurt to play, it wasn’t set up and your fingers would throb after playing it. I am thankful they gave me that guitar ‘cause it taught me how to play through the pain, that if I really wanted this it was going to hurt sometimes. 

Over the years I got “better”, I have never considered myself a good guitarist. When people tell me how talented or gifted, I am, I quickly tell them I am neither. I wanted something and I worked for it. My talent is I don’t give up. 

I started writing music in my late teenage years and my early 20s. I was even found by a producer and asked to do an album. 

Afterwards the producer placed me with a vocal coach and I studied voice for the next 3 years. This changed my entire sound. I could carry a tune before, but now, I could sing. My coach, Jason, took me to the next level as a musician. 

Yet, things were changing for me. I was still writing but I was suffering in other areas. 

Like most musicians, you go through a stage where you feel you are untouchable, a “Rockstar” if you will. 

I also went through this stage and I was very quickly humble and reminded that I am replaceable. 

This is the point in my life where I was diagnosed as a manic depressive, and I took it upon myself to quit drinking. 

I wouldn’t say that I was an alcoholic, but I def had a problem with drinking, and I def needed an attitude adjustment. 

I spent the next two years sober and decided I didn’t want to be on pills the rest of my life. That’s when I made the choice to control my life and I used diet, exercise, and routine to manage my issues. 

These days I will drink, but only in little amounts, and it’s very controlled. 

Unfortunately, I have not been able to write music since I quick drinking for those two years. I have this crutch that I carry that states I can’t write unless I am drunk. It’s been 15 years since I wrote and to this day I still try and just can’t seem to make it happen. It’s a skill I miss and I am working towards getting my hands back on it. 

Although through these changes in my life I was able to walk into a new chapter as a musician and I sang and ran a cover band, The SoapBox Radio, for years. It was some of the best years of my musical career. 

I worked with so many great musicians and I am still friends and even collaborate with those musicians to this day. 

But all good things must come to an end. I saw the end of cover bands coming and the rise of the tribute bands. And I walked away from music. I had no plan to sing for a tribute band. In all honesty, I thought my time in music and performing was done. 

Little did I know that music was not done with me. 

I was asked by a great bass player, Mike Russell, to sing for a Collective Soul tribute band here in Dallas. 

Which was just a crazy coincidence that when I was a young kid learning guitar. I would use the 1995 Collective Soul blue album as a way to learn guitar. Since we didn’t have YouTube back then, everything was learned by ear. 

So, I took the job and for the last 3 years, I have been the frontman of Reflective Soul, a Collective Soul Experience. 

And it has been a really fun ride. 

Through music, through performing as a character as a tribute singer, and through my life choices to stay off medication. I somehow tripped and fell into a life of modeling/acting. 

That has been a weird transition. 

I never saw this path as one that I would walk, yet, here I am. 

Apparently being on stage for over 20 years and emulating other singers has given me “on-the-job” experience to be able to model and act. 

I am very comfortable in front of the camera and I don’t get nervous like some may, of course being a man in his 40s may also have something to do with that. As I have already made a lot of my life’s mistakes. 

People ask me what is my goal with the modeling and acting, and my answer is kinda simple, a little left field, and maybe a little bit selfish. 

I want to grow my YouTube channel and be able to upgrade my equipment to make bigger and better videos to release to the public. 

I have a YouTube channel where I release music that I love. They probably aren’t the most popular songs in the world, but they all have a meaning to me. And I want to share it with everyone. 

I do all this and still work a real job; I am a salesmen of Commercial Audio and Video equipment for large corporations. My job is to create relationships and to build trust and speak a little nerd AV. And I can tell you that I love doing it. 

Gaining your trust and helping you solve problems at your workplace has been a real treat for me. I love being able to provide that. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh no, never has it been a smooth road. 

I have struggle with drinking while being a musician. 

I have struggle with my relationships. Music can take over your life, it can easily become a priority over your loved ones or your day job. 

Music can make your partner resent you. You are in the spotlight and there are people in this world that will disrespect your relationships. 

Music was one of the factors in my divorce, there were times that no matter how hard I tried, my ex-wife would feel insecure because of my time on stage, being in front of crowds, women that did not respect our relationship. 

I always made sure to say on stage that my wife is right there and I would point. That doesn’t matter to some. 

And her paradox is that she didn’t want me to stop because it was a big part of me and who I am. 

But it also drove a wedge between us. 

With the modeling and acting, currently, it hasn’t affected any relationships. But can I see it doing that in the future? Absolutely. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So, I am a musician and what sets me apart is how humble I am about it. I am known for being extremely easy to work with and being thankful for those around me. 

When people tell me how great of a singer or guitarist I am, I am quick to thank them but tell them, I am only as good as the musicians around me. And I surround myself with musicians that are better than me. 

These musicians elevate me and push me to be better. I couldn’t be who I am without them and they need as much or more recognition that I. 

It also doesn’t hurt that I trained as a powerlifter for a number of years and now, since a bad back injury, I train as a bodybuilder and it gives me a “look” as well as the ability to sing and play guitar. It’s just another tool in the toolbox that makes our band desirable. The singer isn’t just good, he looks good when he does it. 

I am really proud of this silly little award that I have, that I got back in 2019, a year that I actually suffered from liver failure. But I also was given the award of the best 90’s rock tribute singer in Texas. 

It’s a silly little award from a magazine but I cherish it. 

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
That I am replaceable. 

When I say that I have been humbled or that I am easy to work with. It’s because I have been replaced. I have been told that people won’t work with me. 

And from that, you have to learn from your mistakes and improve upon yourself. 

As a musician, you are at the mercy of the sound engineers. You could be the greatest singer or guitarist in the world. All they have to do it turn one knob and you are now bad. 

Be nice to the people that work with you. Everyone matters. I take time to learn all my engineer’s name, and I recognize them from the stage. I don’t just thank the venue, the crowd, the supporting bands, our band members. But these sound techs, monitor techs, FOH techs, lighting techs. Each of them has an important job and they are skilled at what they do and they need to be recognized as well. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://reflectivesoulband.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/joelclarkemusic/  and www.instagram.com/reflectivesoulband/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheJoelClarke/ and www.facebook.com/ReflectiveSoulBand
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/JoelClarkeMusic/featured

Image Credits
Greg Lucas