Joe Mungovan has made a name for himself in Australia with his music – playing at a range of venues on tour as well as festivals all over the country. It has taken him two years but he has finally released his second EP, ‘Way Down South’, which has been receiving great feedback. We had a chat with him about his music and fresh EP.
Hi Joe, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte, how are you and what are you up to at the moment?
Hello, I am well thanks, just packing Rodger (my van) getting ready to hit the road tomorrow!
You’re just about to kick off the tour and “play some shows and drink some wine” with fans, if a fan were to buy you a glass of something, what would be your drop of choice?
I am quite fond of a Cabernet Sauvignon, but anything in the red department usually pleases the palate.
The tour of course is in support of your new EP, how did the recording process and everything come along for the release?
It has taken me over two years to write/record the new EP because I have been touring pretty hard for the past two years. I started demoing the tracks at my parent’s house in Kiama on the South Coast of NSW and then recorded the final product in a few studios around Sydney. Luckily my sister lives up there so I could crash on her floor during that time. It feels really good to have new music out finally, I promise it won’t take me this long next time.
You’ve got a few house shows in the mix too with this tour, what is it you love about performing these more intimate venues?
Intimate gigs are my favourites and I think it’s because the vibe at the shows is a lot more conversational than at a lot of venue shows. Also, house shows provide a completely different experience for the people attending. A lot of my songs are pretty quiet and really require a smaller listening crowd.
We understand you transitioned from drums to guitar after an accident that left you wheelchair bound, do you ever indulge as much behind the kit from time to time? Or have you found your place with the guitar?
I still love playing drums. I play all the instruments on my records. I also play drums and sing in a duo called ‘El Grande’ with my best mate Jimmy Vann. We are a rock and roll/blues band. I also used to play drums in a nine piece reggae/funk band called ‘Tommy M and The Mastersounds’.
And you came from a rather sporting town too, what do you think it was about music that captured your interest?
Sport used to be my main thing and then I played a bit of music on the side when I was younger. I played cricket and rugby union. Then I had the crash and I couldn’t play those sports because I was in a wheelchair. I taught myself to play guitar and started writing songs and so I guess it just naturally happened. When I started walking again I was playing shows every weekend so there was not much time to do anything else.
Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, are there any last words of wisdom you’d like to share with our readers?
No words of wisdom, but I’ll see you all at a show very soon!
When & Where: Billyroys Blues Bar, Bendigo – May 13, Babushka Bar, Ballarat – May 14, Beavs Bar, Geelong – May 19, The Loft, Warrnambool – May 20 & Open Studio, Melbourne – May 26
