JZ JOE ZEPPY

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am keeping this a family-safe page......NO PROFANITY.....GOT IT? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ My life story or the making of a Psycho!!!! (Just ask me) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I was born in 1963 in Passaic, NJ. My parents names are Larry and Pheobe . I grew up in Hamburg, NJ and have always wanted to play guitar as long as I can remember. At 3 years old I had a plastic toy guitar and I used to set up a stick (held up by rocks) for a microphone and sing and strum my guitar. One of my earliest memories is of my Dad waking my brother and i up on Christmas morning to sing Christmas songs while Dad strummed his guitar. He died when I was 7 years old. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I actually started playing guitar at age 12. I took lessons for about a year. It seemed that I was learning more by ear than I was by Mel Bay Guitar Method. My brother Larry would burst into my room and say "you can't play guitar unless you can play 'Stairway to Heaven'". So I'd wait until he left the house and borrow his Led Zep 4 album and scratch the hell out of it in order to learn the mysteries encased therein. "You aren't a real guitar player if you can't play 'Eruption'". Larry would leave the house and it was "Hello Van Halen album!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I've always loved hard rock. I was always attracted to bands and musicians who strived for real production. Bands like Rush, Boston, Aerosmith, and Ted Nugent were my world. Even now I listen and learn from bands like Savatage and Dream Theater (and their many side projects). I would learn whole albums at a time. Along the way I eventually forged my own style of navigating around the fretboard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Anyway, after a 3 year Army extravaganza I floated around in several bands and drank heavily. I was in various bands (Tempest, GLAS, Van Ace, Etc.). I sobored up after a 1990 rehab stay and started a band called First Rank. We gigged locally and recorded a couple of demos. I then joined this great band from Brooklyn, N.Y. called Black Cat Crossing. Black Cat recorded a great CD but soon I was forced to part with the band. I hooked back up with First Rank and we evolved into Jungle Rooster (named after singer's pet name for his How-do -you-do). Eventually the band just "wasn't". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bobby V. (the drummer from BCC and Jungle Rooster) and I started looking for a bass player to start a blues band. In walks Steve K. - Bass Master! Steve looked like he was going to pull out a huge triangle pick and would play quarter notes all night. Steve plugged into a crappy rehearsal studio amp and a torrent of sound came out. My first thought was "this guy is too good for us". Fortunately, Steve wanted to hook up again. Good thing for me as Steve has become one hell of a best friend. Love ya, Brother! This was the birth of the Dirtwater Dogs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I stayed with the Dogs for about 6 years playing about 100 plus shows a year. Eventually the need to play different music was nagging at me. I told the Dogs that I was looking for something else and I found it.............. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BAD INFLUENCE................I checked out some local bands. Some were good, some were not. I heard that BI were looking for a new guitarist but I felt too intimidated. I went to see them at the Pocono Pub one night and Mark (who was leaving the band) and I were talking. He suggested that I audition for the band. I set up an audition with Yoman who sent me a CD with 10 songs on it. I learned the songs and 3 or 4 days prior to the audition I got very sick and all of my joints swelled up. Never found out what it was but I couldn't make a fist. I called and had to ask BI if I could postpone the audition. Yoman said "no problem" and we set it up for 2 weeks later. The night before the audition I didn't sleep too well. I went and met the band and we went through all of the songs and then some. 4 days later I was asked to join Bad Influence. I was with Bad Influence for 3 years and got the itch to play originals. ................... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BRUISER.............A couple of months after leaving Bad influence I got the itch to play out again. I went to practice with SW one day and told the guys I was going to start a cover band and asked if they wanted in. They said "Yes" without hesitating one second!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The POCONO ALL-STARS..........I've been going to the Pocono Pub for the Open Mic Jam for a while. It's hosted by Mark "Scooby" Fahad.

AND NOW,

PHOTOS

Classic photo

A singer/songwriter, JZ sings leads / harmonies and plays lead/rhythm guitar.

Alicia

Joe and the Legendary Dave Hlubek - Yes, I thanked him for the guitar lessons!

FRIENDS