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Tonie Joy

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Tonie Joy
Background information
Birth nameAnthony R. Joy
GenresHard rock, psychedelic rock, post-hardcore, punk rock
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, bass
Years active1986–present
LabelsKill Rock Stars, Gravity, Gold Standard Laboratories, Vermiform, Ebullition, Vermin Scum

Anthony R. "Tonie" Joy is an American musician based in Baltimore, Maryland. Joy is known for his work in various underground rock and post-hardcore bands. He ran the independent record label Vermin Scum from 1989 until 2001. He emerged in the late 1980s and has been a key figure in several notable bands.

Joy is perhaps best known for his role in Moss Icon, a band that played a significant part in the development of the post-hardcore and emo scenes with their complex song structures and introspective lyrics. Moss Icon's music, especially their album Lyburnum Wits End Liberation Fly, has been highly influential in shaping the sound of later emo and post-hardcore bands.

Apart from Moss Icon, Joy has been involved with other bands, including Breathing Walker, an offshoot of Moss Icon, Universal Order of Armageddon (UOA), The Convocation, and Born Against. Each of these projects has contributed uniquely to various sub-genres of punk and hardcore, with UOA being notable for their intense, chaotic sound and The Convocation Of... blending post-rock and experimental elements.

Throughout his career, Joy has been appreciated for his innovative guitar work and his ability to blend intensity with emotion in his music. His contributions have left a lasting impact on the alternative and punk music landscapes.

Musical career

Having been inspired by his father Bill's early '70s acid rock band Grok and previous group The Verdicts, Joy began playing music as a teenager. Tony Joy had a diverse range of early musical influences starting from a young age. He was drawn to the loud, distorted sounds of 1970s hard rock and metal bands that his parents and older cousin listened to, such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin. As the 1970s progressed, he began gravitating towards more experimental and avant-garde music. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he was exposed to punk rock and gained an appreciation for bands in the emerging hardcore scene like Minor Threat. Tony also listened to new wave and post-punk acts like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Death Call. Throughout his teenage years, Tony remained open-minded with his tastes, enjoying a variety of styles including psychedelic rock, metal, and any "weird" or unique music. These diverse influences from his early life helped inform the unconventional sound that Tony and Moss Icon would go on to create in the 1980s DC underground scene.[1]

In 1986 he co-founded Moss Icon[2] which is known as an early influence on the hardcore punk rock splinter genre known as "emotive hardcore" or emo.[3] Moss Icon were active until 1991, briefly in 2001, and occasionally since 2007.[4] In 1990 Joy played guitar in Breathing Walker, a band containing members of Moss Icon as well as other musicians. Shortly thereafter, following a brief period playing guitar in and contributing artwork to Lava, Joy co-founded Universal Order of Armageddon, another influential post-hardcore group.[5] During this time Joy served as the bassist in the final lineup of the political hardcore band Born Against.[6]

Joy's first appearance as a front man came in 1995 with The Great Unraveling, a band formed by members of Universal Order of Armageddon. After their dissolution in 1997, Joy co-founded The Convocation Of..., who, despite a period of inactivity from 2002–2005, currently remain active under the name The Convocation.[7] Joy was an occasional member in the group Men's Recovery Project in the late 1990s. In 2010 he briefly played bass in the hard rock band The Pilgrim[8] and in 2011 played guitar on a few tracks on the Cold Cave LP Cherish the Light Years[9] and was a touring guitarist on their 2011 UK and EU tour. Later this year, Joy debuted his 7 piece live band called Slow Bull, the culmination of several years of solo writing and recording efforts. Joy currently is in band called Rogue Conjurer [6][10]

References

  1. ^ Tom Mullen (2020). "Tonie Joy (Moss Icon)" (Podcast). Washed Up Emo Podcast. {{cite podcast}}: Unknown parameter |episode= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Moss Appeal:Tonie Joy's first band follows him around – and molded his personal investment in music making". Baltimore City Paper. May 12, 2010. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  3. ^ "What the heck *is* emo anyway?". Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  4. ^ "Moss Icon Reunite for Live Shows". Pitchfork. March 1, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  5. ^ "Close to Far Away". Baltimore City Paper. January 19, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "FRIDAY: Tonie Joy & Slow Bull at Strange Matter". RVA. February 16, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  7. ^ "The Convocation". Baltimore City Paper. April 13, 2005. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  8. ^ "The Pilgrim". Baltimore City Paper. January 25, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  9. ^ "Cold Cave – The Great Pan is Dead". Stereogum. April 4, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  10. ^ "Tonie Joy and Slow Bull w/ The Pilgrim, Frosty & Hadol". Nashville Scene. February 24, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
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