Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel (Sprenger)
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started playing guitar at 14 years old. As long as I’ve been playing, I’ve been writing in some form or another. From punk, to emo, to folk, I’ve dipped my toes in several genres and approached writing a handful of different ways. “JOEL” as a band wasn’t really something that was planned. Around 2012, I had this little spark of inspiration when I was sharing ghost stories and talking about cryptids with some friends. The lore surrounding the Mothman of Point Pleasant, WV was particularly intriguing to me. I decided to take a stab at writing a song about it. I locked myself in a dark room in my basement and didn’t come out until it was done. The result kind of became the template for my writing over the next several years.
Initially, this was just a personal project with no name. I didn’t have a band, and I had no intention of performing the songs I was writing. I just wanted to tell stories and record my ideas to have for myself. After sharing some ideas with my close friend and now drummer, Ryan, we decided to record a handful of songs as an EP. Since there was no band, I decided to just use my name. I always got Jerry Springer jokes about my name, Sprenger (not spelled the same but sounds the same), so I ended up dropping my last name and simply going by JOEL. Once I had a recorded collection of songs, it wasn’t long before I had a group of friends wanting to play shows with me. With a band somewhat forming, I thought a name change might be in order, but the guys didn’t see the need so JOEL just kind of stuck. We gave it go, but the lineup of players that kept changing, and we never did more than play a couple of isolated gigs.
In 2020, during the Covid 19 pandemic, I started writing more songs that would eventually ignite another attempt at putting a band together. This time recruiting my closest friends and longest standing bandmates, I planned to make a serious effort at establishing JOEL as an ongoing musical pursuit for myself and my friends. It wouldn’t be until 2023 that I would be able to get on a stage in front of an audience, but that would be the beginning of what has remained an ongoing presence in the St. Louis/Metro East music scene. We’ve continued to play gigs about once a month, and we began recording an album in 2024 that we hope to have done in the first half of 2025. We are currently looking forward to playing on March 14th at Moshmellow and March 15th at The Sinkhole.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think you’ll find an independent artist that will tell you they’ve had a smooth go of it. For me, being employed full-time and being a husband/dad occupies the majority of my time, so my creative pursuits often take a back seat to the demands of everyday life. While I definitely don’t face the same struggles of artists who are pursuing their craft full-time, booking and keeping a full show schedule is difficult with the limited time I have to give to it. It’s also important for me to take breaks to maintain my priorities and my own mental health. For example, our 2024 show schedule kind of fizzled out at the end of September. Rather than pushing to fill the final months of the year with gigs, I decided to break, regroup, and set my sites on 2025. That’s really just part of the rhythm of life as an artist.
As it stands, booking continues to present challenges, but I’m focused on finishing a full-length album before pushing myself to get back to a full show schedule. But keep an eye out for us. We’ll be back at it soon. Currently, the 14th and 15th of March are the only things on our calendar.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I would call myself a singer-songwriter that ended up becoming a band almost unintentionally. When asked, I often tell people I’m a folk story teller hidden in an indie rock band. If anyone around St. Louis and the surrounding area has heard of me, they might be familiar with my songwriting style and subject matter. I get called the ‘cryptid guy’ because I write thematically about cryptids, aliens, ghosts, and the paranormal. That’s primarily what I’ve become known for. I write about the strange and unusual as a way of telling my own stories or to highlight something about the human condition. From cautionary tales to faith and spirituality to political commentary, there’s always a story buried in the story. I would say that finding this unique voice to communicate about the things most important to me is what I’m proud of most. I’m also very proud of my band and the live show that we’ve refined over the past couple of years.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I pop in and out of several paranormal podcasts (I’ve even been featured on a few) because I get a lot of inspiration from the stories that people tell. I also have a long and storied spiritual background, so I’ve really enjoyed listening to Rainn Wilson’s Soul Boom podcast, Data Over Dogma hosted by Dan McClellan, and Misquoting Jesus with Bart Ehrman.
My favorite books are by the father of sci-fi, Jules Verne (I may or may not be working on a set of thematic songs based on 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://listentojoel.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/listentojoel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/listentojoel
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@listentoJOEL
- Other: https://listentojoel.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Owen Pye, Mike Petrowich
