The Early Years
Joseph Timothy Blanchard was born in New Orleans, LA an only child. His mother, a talented trumpet player in the high school band, dated his father while in band class together. Joe’s father was a fantastic rock drummer, however in the mid 80’s was unable to support a family on a drummer’s salary alone. After learning a few chords on keyboards, he was able to make ends meet by playing solo gigs with electronic beats and recorded tracks.
2nd gig ever with dad April 1995
Joe watched his father struggle as a professional musician but knew that it was exactly what he wanted to be. As a child he excelled at the drums like his father, and in 1995 joined his dad’s band. He was home-schooled in 9th grade which allowed him to play late night gigs on drums and spend the day learning how to play his new favorite instrument, the guitar. With only an old acoustic guitar and a beginner's VHS tape, he started a journey that would shape the rest of his life.
The bands
Joe formed a three-piece band (Bad Hair Day) on guitar in 1999 and set out to be a singer/guitarist. They practiced for months, played one show, and quickly disbanded. Shortly thereafter he heard about a popular New Orleans based cover band (Nozmo King) looking for a new guitarist who could sing backups. After a quick audition, Joe was in and recorded one CD with Nozmo ("Ones to Fall"). His plans of being a singer were put on hold as he traveled the Southeastern US as a lead guitarist in multiple bands including Les Marbles, Son of Sam, and 5 Finger Discount.
Bad Hair Day reheasal 1999
Nozmo King Panama City, FL 2000
Les Marbles Baton Rouge, LA 2001
After playing in mostly cover bands, Joe joined an original rock band from New Orleans named Adam’s Attic in 2002 to fill the role of lead guitarist. He recorded two CDs (“...in the blink of an eye” & “Skylines and City Lights”) and toured nationally and internationally on three AFE tours performing for troops stationed at US military bases in Greenland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Diego Garcia, and Singapore.
With US troops at Peterson Air Force Base Thule, Greenland 2007
Adam's Attic New Orleans, LA 2004
New Orleans, LA 2003
The west coast move
While enjoying relative success in New Orleans with Adam’s Attic, 2005 brought hurricane Katrina and big choices to make. The band decided to leave New Orleans and relocate to Long Beach, CA. With only a couple of months left to finish school, he stayed behind to finish his bachelor's in marketing and decide what to do next. He bought an acoustic guitar and booked a few solo acoustic gigs at the local bar. For the first time he was selecting and singing all the songs at his shows. Just a few weeks after graduating college, Joe joined his band mates in California. He left Adam's Attic in 2008 but remained in Long Beach, making a living performing solo acoustic shows and developing his craft as a singer/guitarist.
Going solo
In 2013 Joe released his first solo EP entitled “The Bittersweet Road” with 5 original tracks recording all the instruments himself. The songs were a reflection of personal relationships and his struggles as a musician.
Tracking vocals 2013
Long Beach, CA Summer 2015
Big Bear, CA December 2014
going country
In 2016, Joe caught the attention of a country band from Orange County in need of a singer named Redneck Rodeo. It was his first country band, but after a crash course in the new country music scene Joe went on the sing with the band for nearly two years. It also gave him the opportunity to get reacquainted with some of the classic country songs he used to perform with his dad.
Costa Mesa, CA 2016
Redneck Rodeo Long Beach, CA 2016
OC Register June 2017
On the bar in Newport Beach, CA August 2017
The Solo acoustic show
During the pandemic in 2020, Joe focused on how he would return to making his living as a performer. He turned his attention to social media where he was able to reach new audiences and venues. Using only his voice and an acoustic guitar, he's currently performing 15-20 solo acoustic shows a month in Southern California. Click here to see where he'll be playing next!
July 2022