The Kiama folk and indie artist Joe Mungovan has released his EP and it is delighting the ears of all who hear it.
Music isn’t just a passion for Joe Mungovan, it’s an addiction. The Kiama native’s introspective folk music will fill your soul with wonder.
Starting of his music career as a drummer Joe has always had a passion for music. In 2007 he had an unfortunate accident, which left him with two broken femurs. Wheelchair bound he was unable to play the drums with an unfulfilled need to keep playing music. Thus he decided to teach himself the guitar whilst wheelchair-bound. They say that everything happens for a reason and even though it was unfortunate, we now have the soothing folk sounds of Joe Mungovan.
I caught up with Joe to find out a bit about him, his inspirations, plans for the future, his struggles with the music and writing process and what artists he listens to. What I found most from talking with Joe is an exact reflection of how I felt after first listening to his EP. He plays music for music not for fame and glory (even though, hey, you wouldn’t knock it back). Joe’s driving motivation for playing music is the need to do it. For him, playing music is like an addiction- there is a deep-rooted need to do it…it’s apart of him and he couldn’t image doing anything else. This inhabitancy of music he possesses, is unquestionably reflected within his EP.
Matter of Time is a track from the EP that opens with a rhythmic upbeat guitar and harmonica intro. The track has a really great build element to it. As the track goes along you can feel the anticipation grow for the big release about 2 minutes into the track. Once you hit this point you cant help but be caught up with the beat and guitar, which you find your body responding to the track.
The next track on the EP is Cotton Wool. There is a great use and play of tempo in this track. There is a blend of his indie and roots with the added pop elements to this track, which create another layer that encompasses the use of tempo play within the song. His vocals within Cotton Wool seemingly compliment the track and place the cherry on top of this song sundae. Within the EP Cotton Wool is definitely one of the standouts.
The slowest tack on the EP is Face in the Crowd. Unlike the other tracks, this is the most stripped back for the EP. Apart from his use of acoustic guitar Face in the Crowd is focused greatly on the lyrics within in song. His lyrics within the track are greatly expressive, poetic and emotional. It is as if Joe has enabled people to see a snippet into his personal life with the song and as a result it resonated greatly with me, as I’m sure it will do for others who have/ will listen to the track. I loved each section of the EP, however, Face in the Crowd was my favourite track from Joe.
Having a City and Colour/ Boy and Bear/ Mumford and Sons vibe June + July is the second last track on the EP. This is the perfect song to have playing on a hot sunny day, whilst driving with the windows down. The upbeat tempo and rhythmic guitar collaborated with the vocals and drums come together to create a track that is not only easy listening but also a treat for the ears. By June + July you really start to get a sense of what Joe Mungovan the artist is.
So what is next for Joe? He is playing a bunch of shows around the Illawarra before setting of on an East Coast AUS tour for his group with James Vann, El Grande in December. His next shows are:
October 16: RAD Bar and Café, Wollongong NSW (FREE)
October 18: Woonona Bulli RSL Club, Woonona NSW (FREE)
October 31: Wests Illawarra Leagues Club, Unanderra NSW (FREE)
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