joel@reputationmusic.com
As told by Joel himself, in his own reluctant words...The palatably short version starts with me growing up in Eugene, Oregon. My mom was a music teacher, so I was pretty much forced to play the piano as soon as I was old enough to sit up and figure out what my fingers were for. Around fourth or fifth grade, though, I quit piano for the upright bass, which I played in school orchestras. By the time I got into high school, I was starting to get into jazz, and getting more serious about music in general. Of course, that's not to say i wasn't in my fair share of the classic high school garage rock bands. It was the early nineties in the pacific northwest, after all.
After graduating high school in '95, I moved to Chicago to study jazz bass at DePaul University. Winter sucked beyond my wildest imagination, and I was thinking about moving home to Eugene, where I was working with an indie rock band called The Xtabay, which has since released a song on a comp for Jealous Butcher Records in Portland, and has recorded a full length album still awaiting release. I decided to tough it out, though, and give Chicago a second chance.
Once I got used to it, Chicago definitely grew on me. I spent the next couple years dividing time between school and a number of small jazz combos. I also recorded an album for Chicago's Southport Records with a swing band called Miss Midori and The Jazz Inquisition. I know, I know...everyone and their dog was making swing records in the mid to late 90s. So sue me. The kids were digging it, and I like to help the kids.
Anyway, I eventually left school for a number of reasons which I would be happy to explain if you're curious and have some time on your hands. So I was pretty much doing music full time. After leaving school, I was working pretty consistently with various jazz groups. Most of my time was devoted to my own trio, embarrassingly titled The Joel Root Trio, for lack of a better name, and avant-jazz group Andiamo, which features members of Him, Central Falls, and the Four Charms. Andiamo recently headlined the Nervous Center Festival of Improvised Music in Chicago, and my trio plays weekly on Sundays at Cody's Pub in Chicago.
I got hooked up with the Reputation pretty randomly. I knew Sean from Cody's, where he can be found often after the midnight hour, and i ran into him at a show at Fireside Bowl that Elizabeth was opening for. We got to talking, one thing lead to another, and next thing you know, we're all in the van on tour. And the rest is pretty much history, I guess. If anybody wants to know more excruciatingly boring detail, feel free to drop me a line.
Joel's Discography:
The Xtabay -- Air Check Cassette comp on Jealous Butcher feat. Elliott Smith, Rebecca Gates, Kaia, etc.
Miss Midori and The Jazz Inquisition -- Southport Records
The Reputation -- Initial Records