Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Eaker.
Alright, thank you for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
I was raised on a small piece of property in the woods outside of DeSoto, MO. A small railroad town about an hour south of ST. Louis, MO. My fascination with music started early. My dad had an acoustic guitar in his closet from a brief period when he had tried to learn guitar as a kid. I would sneak into my parent’s room, sit in their closet, and pick the open strings to listen to the sound. Around 8 years old, I acquired a hand-me-down keyboard from an older cousin. This sparked my love for melodies. I still have the keyboard, which can be heard on albums for my band, Brother Lee and The Leather Jackals.
I wouldn’t start to explore my desire to make music until age fourteen when my dad passed away, and I was given that old acoustic from the closet—bittersweet, but also perfect timing and a blessing. The strings hadn’t been changed in 20+ years and were all rusty. You can probably guess how that felt as I cut my fingers and started to try and build calluses. I noticed that all my friends played either guitar or drums, and there was a void for bass players. So, I took my savings and went to a pawn shop. I picked up an old bass that weighed as much as I did at the time and the cheapest amplifier.
By age 16, I had a group of buddies that had started a band. They were my friends, so I helped load gear and went to all their shows with them. I immediately loved the lifestyle. Eventually, their bass player moved exclusively to vocals, and on my 17th birthday, I played my first show. It was on the front porch of a trailer for someone else’s birthday party. It was magical; every feeling was solidified. This was for me. I would also periodically fill in on bass for my youth group at church, being in a Pentecostal church. The prayer services would sometimes last for hours. This taught me valuable lessons in improvisation, listening to the ensemble, and reading a room.
I played bass in bands until age 22, when I moved to Dallas, TX, to help start a pizza company. While down there, I felt a growing desire to write songs. I began to focus my attention back on the guitar. My mother had just passed away, and I needed a change. I would find my singing voice in this period as well. Almost a year later, I received a call from my friend and former bandmate, Matthew James, that their band, Palace, was signing to a record label out of Kansas City called The Record Machine. I knew working at a pizza place was not meant to be my future. I came back home to hit the studio and the road. While playing bass in Palace, I started a band with my friend, Danny Blaise, where we would play the songs I had been working on in Texas. We added some more members because I wasn’t very proficient at singing while simultaneously playing guitar. We called the band Brother Lee and The Leather Jackals, and you can still catch us performing. I noticed that I wasn’t playing guitar or practicing music much when I wasn’t playing a show. So, I started playing acoustic gigs at two of my favorite bars, Layla and The Gramophone, to make some extra cash and get more practice at my craft. What a change. Though I had been performing for many years with bands, I had never been stripped down to just me. I would drink up my bar tab during my set. I was terrified and, at times, was not very good. This brought me to come up with my Just Joshin’ Around act.
“My name is Joshua Eaker, and I’m here Just Joshin’ Around. Every time I say I’m Just Joshin’ Around, you should take a sip of your beverage. Because the more you drink, the better I sound, and that’s why I’m just Joshin’ Around” I was playing the cards I was dealt with my name, and it was a perfect cushion for my sometimes drunk and disorderly show in those early days. That brings us to where we are today. I’ve been Just Joshin’ Around as my full-time occupation for almost five years. Just Joshin’ Around is a blend of yesteryear and modern Americana songs, and my original music is usually performed in an acoustic style. On fortunate occasions, you can catch me Just Joshin’ Around with members of Brother Lee and The Leather Jackals and various St. Louis musicians. I still do odd jobs all the time to make extra money, but maintaining my career is a full-time job and is a constant balance of time and focus. I’ve probably gone on long enough, but there are a million more instances, thousands of highway miles, many state lines, and friends along the way that I’m wholeheartedly grateful for and have been pivotal in any success I’ve acquired. No one does it on their own.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road you follow to any dream or passion is rarely smooth. It feels weird to talk about struggle because being a straight, white male has given me an advantage that others do not have. These advantages cannot be overlooked. I’ve always been on the lower end of the financial class, worked many crappy jobs, lived in my car at times, and struggled with all the nasty vices like drugs and heavy alcohol use that come with a Rock&Roll lifestyle. With the support of my wife and loved ones, I’m glad to say that I’ve gotten rid of those vices and have been rebuilding my self-worth for the last five years. The vices were always in the way, and at the end of the day, I couldn’t play music or be a good person to those I cared about. If you’re reading this and find yourself in a similar pit, I’m here to tell you there is hope, and you’ll be grateful for the second chance at living.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
After 15 years of performing, I’ve seen many peaks and valleys. Many know me from Brother Lee and The Leather Jackals, and folks are now getting to know me for Just Joshin’ Around. I’ve played to audiences of thousands and also to zero people. I’ve played in the rain, the cold, and the blistering sun. I’ve played racetracks, dirty clubs, a grocery store, a public library, a liquor store, nursing homes, the side of a mountain, dance halls, theaters, on a trailer bed in the middle of the woods for outlaw Motorcycle groups, weddings, apartments, courtyards, huge outdoor stages, block parties, galleries, shoved in the corner of restaurants, a dip & dots store, opened for Chuck Berry, a snow cone stand, coffee shops, flooded basements, breweries, VFW halls, lodges, wineries, and many other settings. I try to appreciate every performance. But all of those settings have one thing in common. I was given the gift to come to play music.
Sure, I get tired. I get burnt out. But I understand that it’s a gift to be able to play music for people. To bring a distraction from what may be going on in life. This was something I learned when I was able to perform again during the pandemic. The music brought people joy. They shared memories of musical experiences. For that brief time, everything was good. This made an impact. It changed me as a performer and person; It was a form of ego death. Music is not about fame; music is about the release. A new, positive outlook on my passion is something I’m proud of. Separately, I’m proud that I’m dependable, punctual, respectful, and have a strong work ethic. I hope these traits set me apart from the standard stereotype of musicians. I’m just trying to be a good person to my friends & community and also an intelligent businessman while pursuing my passion.
We love surprises, fun facts, and incredible stories. Can you share something that might surprise us?
Something surprising that most people probably would not guess by listening to my music. There was a long period during my childhood through my early teen years when I was not allowed to listen to any music that was not categorized under the Christian genre. The Beatles were the only exception. I was lucky enough to have two grandmothers that looked out for my musical well-being. One grandmother was obsessed with Chuck Berry, Elvis, and Johnny Cash. The other was into the modern music of the time, like Smashing Pumpkins and JA Rule but also introduced me to Queen. I learned a lot of the music I love from PBS telethon events and late-night Time Life music infomercials.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/justjoshinaroundmusic13/
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ImJustJoshinAround
- Youtube: YouTube.com/JustJoshinAroundMusic
Image Credits
Image#2: Josh Basco Image#3: OddSoulSight Image#4: Arica Shanise Image#5: Mammoth Management & Production LLC