Joey Wit finds a home near and far on the expansive and expressive ‘Rose Gold’
The Connecticut indie songwriter speaks in code to the dreamers through a dynamic new album out September 13 via H1 Massive
MEDIA PREVIEW: Listen to ‘Rose Gold’ via The Orchard [private link]
September tour takes Wit across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Iceland
Middletown, CT [September 13, 2024] – It’s often noted that the state of Connecticut pulls from the best of both Boston and New York City, and adjusts its allegiances when necessary. Middletown native Joey Wit has taken that type of strategic positioning to a greater geographical scale, angling a proper link between a lineage of American and English rock and roll to create his timeless sound, drawing from both sides of the Atlantic in kaleidoscopic colors on new album Rose Gold, set for release on Friday, September 13 via H1 Massive.
A mainstay up and down the East Coast club circuit, bridging disparate stages and spaces from New England to Florida through a passion for music, and now embraced by British audiences after a successful spring tour with guitar heroes Joel Hoekstra and Brandon Gibbs, the former professional baseball player turned indie musician and songwriter now sets his sights on a global presence with his sophomore album, arriving in tandem a new 10-date tour of the United Kingdom, Ireland and Iceland.
“This collection of songs sort of felt like I found myself as a songwriter from a confidence standpoint and decision-making standpoint,” says Wit. “There was a willingness and eagerness to explore other avenues. We didn’t just try and paint a picture, rather we sketched it out first in black-and-white and then found the appropriate shades of color to fill it in. As a whole, I think it showcases everything from the traditional songwriting elements, a sort of pop sensibility, a couple of heartfelt ballads, and several new unexpected movements.”
With lyrics and music written by Wit, Rose Gold includes contributions from 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts) and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big). The record was produced and engineered by Mick Connolly, who also provides bass, backing vocals, and additional guitars. It was recorded at Red Room Sound Studio in Torrington, Connecticut, and mastered by H1 Massive’s John Eye at Beach House Studios in Weymouth, Massachusetts.
Releasing an album in the age of the single is an invitation for the listener to come along for an extended journey both literal and metaphorical. For Wit, the literal is all the places his career in music has taken him thus far, while the metaphorical extends his creative songwriting canvas in several directions, not the least of which is relatedly introspective.
Rose Gold, which has rolled out a series of monthly singles leading up to this month’s release, showcases a dynamism in its 10 tracks that echoes an American raised on stateside classic rock and England’s envelope-pushing modern alternative, harnessing the same tender tension through anthemic songwriting as the likes of Oasis and The Stone Roses; an ability to convey feeling and emotion as Wilco and Radiohead; and provide the psychedelic depth of Yes and Pink Floyd.
It’s a stirring cocktail of anecdotes and influences, all aligned through the storytelling in his songwriting, aimed at engaging the listener by painting a vivid picture; the music as the canvas, the lyrics as the brush. Though these are Wit’s tales to tell, speaking in code to the dreamers, as he eloquently puts it on the ethereal “Fake Paper,” he knows the scenes that are crafted are entirely relatable as they play out across lush soundscapes that defy genre limitation.
“The lyrical content on this one seems to be trending more into the metaphorical than the literal,” Wit admits. “I was in a completely different place mentally than before… It certainly feels like a more mature record. There are some common themes; falling in and out of love, etc. I think I dug deeper into wordplay and turn of phrase than on previous efforts, however.”
Take the bookending lyrics that both introduce and close the inviting nature of Rose Gold. Propulsive lead track “What Went Wrong,” where he looks back at a love lost, opens with the lyrical query “Who’s there to save me from myself again?”, revealing Wit’s willing vulnerability. As the album draws to a conclusion, psych-rock closing number “Heavy Crown” leaves us with a startling revelation on a hypnotic loop, fading out the declaration of “The revolution’s in your mind” as the listener’s final takeaway.
Both lyrics, the first appearing with honest poignancy and the last arriving as an assertive psychedelic trip, suggest an inner journey at play. And on this record and in life, what exists in the middle, the journey that leads to the destination, is where the good stuff truly resides.
“I like how certain tunes take a progressive twist,” Wit adds. “‘Fire Pilot’ and ‘Fake Paper’ both come to mind. Those two also happen to be a couple of my favorites to perform live as well, especially with the full band. I certainly made a clear decision to include some instruments that we hadn’t used in prior sessions. The horn solo, the violin, different keyboard selections; even the harmony and backing vocals featured throughout the record felt fresh.”
The journey that Wit reveals here on Rose Gold plays out across each revealed single, from March’s crystalline “A Point of No Return” to last month’s urgent “Borrowed Time,” which acts as a foray into his deep personal thoughts. But to understand where Wit is now is to understand where he’s come from; a professional baseball career cut short due to injury, an engagement abruptly called off, a life trajectory that has taken him around the country and over to the United Kingdom and Ireland and back again.
All of those things are mere footnotes in his story of the now. Delivering his lived-in lyrics with a barstool wisdom and the chords from his guitar with a confident, playful jangle, Wit rolls out magnetic songs of wistful longing, about looking back to look forward, and piecing together the past to make some sense of the future. It all helps define Wit’s still-unfolding journey.
Though he’s careful to not reveal too much about each track, or even the album’s title – to that he says: “A little man on a flaming pie who appeared and gave John Lennon the name Beatles with an A came to me in a dream and said ‘your record shall be called Rose Gold’ and so it is” – a majority of the songs found on Rose Gold were written pre-pandemic in Wit’s native Connecticut. Recording began in 2021, a changed world from just a year prior, with collaborator Starr in the studio starting the process.
“I go back to when we first pressed ‘record’ and were doing drum tracks,” admits Wit. “Matt Starr and I took one day to rehearse all the songs, we got back to the studio the next morning, this is back in August 2021, we just let it rip. No click – just live energetic rock and roll. These days that may seem crazy and extremely difficult to pull off to a lot of artists and producers, but it just felt so raw, real, proper rock and roll, it was so much fun. I don’t think we could’ve made this record any other way. I think that those first few days really set the tone for what we were trying to accomplish. It seems like it was pretty effortless to execute, but looking back it was risky as hell.”
Off the live stage, it’s the studio where Wit’s creativity flourishes: “There’s so many interesting sounds on this record. We used so many interesting pieces of gear to achieve those sonic balances. I’m a bit of a gear nut, once I get an idea for a sound in my head I have to find the piece that can accomplish that sound accordingly. We used so many different guitars on this record from vintage Harmony acoustics on ‘Slower’, to the Rickenbacker 360 on ‘Fake Paper’; this really cool Epiphone Casino on ‘A Point of No Return’, and my go to cherry red Gibson ES-355, a.k.a. ‘Chief’ handled quite a lot of the other responsibilities. I did use Mick’s black Les Paul for the backwards solo on ‘Heavy Crown’. Amp-wise, we relied heavily on a hand-wired Vox AC-30 head and cab as well as a 1967 Fender Bandmaster. We also utilized an old vintage Rhodes keyboard on several songs.”
The only thing Wit reels off quicker than his list of trusted gear are the cities he takes them to. His September tour includes stops in Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Birmingham, London, Dublin, Belfast, Omagh, and Reykjavik. (See the tour poster below for dates and venues.)
“I may have to take up a permanent residence across the Atlantic soon!” he exclaims. “I love performing in the UK and Ireland. The people, culture, and venues are all fantastic. We’re going to be in some new cities as well as some familiar places and also it will be the first time bringing my full band to Ireland and Northern Ireland. I cannot wait to perform with the band in the beautiful cities of Dublin and Belfast, as well as Omagh, on this run. We’ll also be making a stop in Iceland on the way home. It’ll be my first time performing there ever.”
In addition to the contributions noted above by Connolly, Starr, and Byrd, Wit’s musical team on Rose Gold also features Nate Oakes on piano and keyboards; Shaun Flynn on saxophone; Jared Schmidt on violin; and Lucinda Rowe on backing vocals. Each displays an uncanny knack for chemistry and showcases a cohesion of a band playing together for decades.
“On the record, we captured each individual instrument as a performance to tape,” Wit concludes. “Now we get to do it as a collective in a live setting. We’re incredibly lucky to take this show on the road and support this collection of songs in a live setting in front of so many amazing people.”
From one side of the Atlantic to another, Wit has found a home, wherever he may find himself at any particular moment.
Appearing on ‘Rose Gold’:
Joey Wit: Words, music, guitars and vocals
Mick Connolly: Bass, backing vocals, additional guitars
Matt Starr: Drums
Nate Oakes: Piano, and keyboards
Shaun Flynn: Saxophone
Jared Schmidt: Violin
Lucinda Rowe: Backing vocals
Ricky Byrd: Lead guitar on “Leave It To Me”
‘Rose Gold’ production credits:
Written by Joey Wit
Produced and engineered by Mick Connelly
Recorded at Red Room Sound Studio in Torrington, Connecticut
Mastered by John Eye at Beach House Studios in Weymouth, Massachusetts
‘Rose Gold’ album artwork:
Joey Wit short bio:
With a story as unique as his sound, Joey Wit’s journey has been one of unrivaled adventure. After a tragic injury derailed his professional baseball career, Joey turned his focus to his greatest passion; music. Drawing on influences from classic rock n’ roll to modern alternative, Wit’s songwriting skills are steeped in story with timeless stops and lyrical journey. For the American singer/songwriter there is no greater thrill than performing his songs to a live audience. Featuring the single “Reconsider,” his debut record Eastern Standard has garnered extensive radio play on the indie rock circuit. Having already achieved a Radio Indie Alliance top 75 single with “Leave It To Me”, Wit’s anticipated sophomore effort Rose Gold will be released in September 2024; including contributions from 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts) as well as Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big).
Media praise for Joey Wit:
“Your new favorite song” _The Whole Kameese on “A Point of No Return”
“…They stop and start their songs using the telepathy of familiar bandmates, infusing the material with dynamics that let the music go from a roar to a whisper of fingerpicking from one beat to the next.” _The New Haven Independent
“[‘A Point of No Return’] is a buoyant daydream of psych-pop bursts which lyrically paints a vivid portrait of a day spent alone in New York City reminiscing on a lost love.” _The Bad Copy
“For fans of indie and alternative rock, ‘A Point of No Return’ offers a compelling glimpse into Joey Wit’s evolving musical journey, inviting listeners to explore the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery.” _Pure M Magazine
“Joey Wit may be the only former professional athlete we’ve covered here at If It’s Too Loud... The Connecticut alt-rock singer-songwriter played professional baseball for three years until injuries ended his career. Now he’s making music, and his latest single is “A Point of No Return.” The song reminds me of 90's singer-songwriters but with a modern indie flair. It’s the kind of song that keeps skirting between a more traditional structure and adding in little unexpected touches to keep Wit’s sound fresh and interesting. “A Point of No Return” will have you spending your first few listens trying to figure out if it’s a mainstream or indie style song before you give up trying and just allow yourself to enjoy it.” _If It’s Too Loud
Joey Wit 2024 fall tour:
