Joe Rathburn turned pro in 1972 and hasn't looked back. With a world of experience on stages big and small from concerts to coffeehouses, opening for a diverse list of artists from glam rockers Kiss to folk icon Dave Van Ronk, headlining his own shows, to playing corporate events, Joe is ready for just about anything.
Joe knows what to bring to the gig. With enough cover material in his head to do 8 four hour gigs without repeating a song, and enough strong original material to do 3 two hour shows, Joe will provide the right music for you, if he can't, he'll tell you. He's very particular about which gigs he accepts, and wants to make sure that his repertoire fits with what the client has in mind. He's mostly about playing the music that has spoken to him over the decades, not necessarily what's most popular. He's good at what he does, but he knows he's not for everyone, and he doesn't try to be. One thing Joe will tell you right up front: "If you're looking for an all night...
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Joe Rathburn turned pro in 1972 and hasn't looked back. With a world of experience on stages big and small from concerts to coffeehouses, opening for a diverse list of artists from glam rockers Kiss to folk icon Dave Van Ronk, headlining his own shows, to playing corporate events, Joe is ready for just about anything.
Joe knows what to bring to the gig. With enough cover material in his head to do 8 four hour gigs without repeating a song, and enough strong original material to do 3 two hour shows, Joe will provide the right music for you, if he can't, he'll tell you. He's very particular about which gigs he accepts, and wants to make sure that his repertoire fits with what the client has in mind. He's mostly about playing the music that has spoken to him over the decades, not necessarily what's most popular. He's good at what he does, but he knows he's not for everyone, and he doesn't try to be. One thing Joe will tell you right up front: "If you're looking for an all night dance party band, you best look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you're looking for just plain good music, some of which can be danced to, all of which makes for a good listen, and can be enjoyed by a wide variety of age groups, I can help you out".
About his repertoire: Aside from his original music, which might fall under the categories folk/Americana/folk-rock or folk-pop, his cover song list consists of an eclectic mix of singer/songwriter material. There's Beatles, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Jimmy Buffet, Sting, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, and many more. Then there's Motown, Reggae, Calypso, Beach Boys, and classic songs in all kinds of styles.
He is interested in all sorts of gigs: community concerts, house concerts, church concerts, corporate events, private parties, residencies at restaurants etc.
He performs solo, but also as a duo, trio, quartet, five and six piece. As a solo or duo Joe is fully equipped with high end sound gear to cover up to 300 people without any extra charge. Anything from the trio on up may require extra sound and Joe's sound tech, which would require an additional fee.
The details of your event can always be worked out - send a request and Joe will figure something out to make your event special.