Joel’s break came in 2007 when he formed Hokie Joint with singer JoJo Burgess, drummer Stephen “Cupsey” Cutmore, harmonica player Giles King and bassist Fergie Fulton. Hokie Joint were snapped up by Dutch record label “Cool Buzz” who released their debut album “The Way It Goes…Sometimes” in late 2008.
2009 saw the band perform at prestigious European festivals such as Moulin Blues, Peer Rhythm & Blues Festival, Maryport Blues Festival and The Paradiso in Amsterdam.
Joel’s performance at the Peer Rhythm & Blues Festival lead him to be described as “the next Eric Clapton”, certainly a huge compliment considering Mr Clapton is one of Joel’s biggest influence.
Several reputable international magazines including Rootstime (BEL) & Revolver (NL) have described the band as; “rough, dangerous and steaming” and that the band sound “less fake then so called hip acts like the White Stripes and Black Keys.” British magazine “Mojo” awarded the band 3/5 stars for their debut album, and described Hokie Joint as having a “promising blueprint for the future”.
Highlights of Hokie Joint’s career include of sharing the bill with the likes of Steve Winwood, ZZ Top, Moby, Robert Cray and Jamie Cullum to name but a few.
In November 2010, Hokie Joint recorded a session for BBC Radio 2 at London’s famous Maida Vale studios, which aired on the Paul Jones Rhythm & Blues Show.
2011 saw the release of the band’s follow-up album “The Music Starts To Play”, which charted in the top 10 of Amazon’s Indie and Blues charts.
“Force Of Habit”, the first single from “The Music Starts To Play”, was released in early 2012, available to download from iTunes.
Hokie Joint disbanded in 2013, after a series of sell out shows in the north of England, including support for Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.