by morgan henley
Joe Gaskin is like a local Ben Harper who likes to ride his bike everywhere he goes. He’s got a bluesy-rock acoustic type of sound that has flowingly poetic lyrics. Opening for hip-hop artist Common and the punk-ska band Less Than Jake at the UNF Arena this past Saturday, this was Gaskin’s biggest performance yet. Normally performing in small local joints with his bass player Garnet Tipton and drummer Nate “Cool Beans” Stokes, Gaskin is a budding new artist Jacksonville should lend an ear to.
“This is the scenario: Take Chaka Khan, Prince and the Revolution, Robert Johnson, the Roots meets Mars Volta equals Joe Gaskin,” explained Gaskin on his music.
“I’ve always been able to walk to Five Points,” he notes. Gaskin grew up in Riverside and graduated from Lee High School. Voted “Most Likely to Succeed,” he has always been recognized for his talent. He was previously performing alone until he met his bass player Tipton, formerly with the band Allele and Fatimerica, and drummer Nathaniel “Cool Beans” Stokes.
You can normally find Gaskin playing in numerous local venues from Jack Rabbits to Inertia, so playing before Common and Less Than Jake was a change. Although an awkward mix of styles, with Common’s R&B/hip-hop sound and Less Than Jake’s mosh-pit, “let’s party” attitude, Gaskin’s chilled out, soulful vibe was a stark contrast. He is the type of musician that eats tabbouleh and broccoli before a big show. But unusual lineups are something he is accustomed to. Just last week he shared Boomtown’s stage with a belly dancing convention.
For Gaskin, playing at UNF was quite strange, since he’s usually the attendee at such a show. He says he’s probably been to every show there for the past two years and notes that Flogging Molly was among his favorites. Being a UNF student gives him an appeal that many of the local artists lack: the college outlook.
That’s the thing about the Jacksonville music scene; it’s got a little bit of everything. Gaskin is nice for the coffeehouse set, those looking for some nice tunes to listen to while reading the newspaper and slowly sipping on a cappuccino. The talent accompanying Gaskin’s performance makes him more than a Ben Harper rip-off. Performing great original songs, such as ‘Dreams,’ provides something that you definitely won’t see anywhere else.
“A good song is a good story. Music is a great way to tell a story, if we did that, then we did our job,” said Gaskin.
The lyrics of Gaskin’s music are poetic, but not like spoken word, so they don’t sound like hip-hop.
Gaskin’s next performance will be the Florida Music Festival, on May 17th at The Vintage in Orlando. Check him out at myspace.com/joegaskin to hear some of his music first-hand.
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