Draft:Joe Vitale Jr.

Joseph James Vitale (born July 2, 1977) is an American rock artist, musician, singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, cinematographer, film director and the principal songwriter and leader of the alternative rock band, Ravenwood, which he founded in 2010. His first commercial release was the 2008 album "Dancing With Shadows" under the record label Vari Loud Records. His first release under Ravenwood was the 2018 single "Don't Let Go", also under the label Vari Loud Records & features a guitar solo by guitarist Neil Zaza. He also a member of the rock band, The Vinyl Machine made up of the band members who actually played on the hit songs that the band performs.

In a musical career spanning over 22 years, Joe Vitale Jr., like his father, drummer Joe Vitale (musician), has performed with some top names in the business as well as his own released material.

Vitale was the digital audio engineer on the 2005 album Man Alive, by Stephen Stills. Vitale's work on the song "Feed the People" won Stephen Stills a humanitarian award from UNICEF. Vitale has also worked with the Jimi Hendrix Foundation and Stephen Stills on previously unreleased material.

Early life
Joseph James Vitale was born July 2, 1977, in Canton, Ohio. He started playing drums at age 12, learning from Phil Zampino, who Vitale's father Joe VItale (musician) had taught. He learned to play additional instruments including guitar, analog synthesizers and sing.

Before pursuing music as a career, Vitale wanted to be an astronaut, even getting to meet several astronauts and getting to go behind the scenes at NASA in Houston.

Vitale describes the moment that he decided to become a musician was when he was asked to play tambourine on Teach Your Children with Crosby Stills & Nash in 1988 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in front of 19,000 people at age 10.

Beginnings
Joe Vitale Jr started his professional career in 1994 when asked to perform drums on stage for Joe Walsh when the keyboardist didn't make it and Vitale's father, who normally played drums for Walsh, was asked to fill in for the missing keyboardist.

In 1998, Vitale was asked to play percussion on the Stephen Stills Blues Tour that year which led to being asked to perform with Crosby Stills & Nash on the 1999 Caesar Casino Tour.

Solo career
In 2000, Vitale decided to become a recording artist, not just a side musician. Vitale released his first commercial LP album "Dancing With Shadows" (2008). Soon After, Vitale released several additional singles and albums. Vitale currently performs both with a full band and solo.

Ravenwood
In 2010, Joe Vitale Jr started a new alternative rock band called Ravenwood. In 2018, Ravenwood released it's first commercial single release "Don't Let Go." In 2020, due to the pandemic, Ravenwood then released it's second commercial single, "We're All in This Together" which was reviewed by A&R Factory and Crack Wise Magazine. The release of the full length album "Ravenous" was covered by the Canton Repository Newspaper.

Joe Walsh
Vitale performed on the 1994 Joe Walsh tour filling in on drums in Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State Fair and at the Naval base in Norfolk, Virginia. Vitale's father, Joe Vitale was asked to play keyboards on most of the shows because the keyboard player never arrived.

Stephen Stills Blues Band
Vitale performed on percussion for the Stephen Stills Blues Band tour in 1998. They performed in Biloxi, Mississippi and Tunica (formerly Robinsonville), Mississippi with the start of the tour. Vitale performed on several Stephen Stills tour between (1998 - 2001).

Crosby, Stills & Nash
In 1999, Vitale performed on the Crosby, Stills & Nash tour in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe.

Joe Vitale Jr
Vitale began working on his solo album, "Dancing With Shadows", in 2000 & released in 2008. Mr. Vitale was also selected to perform at the national 2023 BMI Island Hopper Songwriter Fest held in Fort Myers, Florida in September of that year.

Ravenwood
Vitale's personal band, Ravenwood, is a alternative rock band based in Akron, Ohio. The band's inception dates back as early as 2010. Their first commercially released LP was in May of 2021 titled "Ravenous" Ravenwood released it's second commercially released second album titled "Unsympathetic Vibrations" on March 3rd, 2023. In the summer of 2023, Ravenwood got it's major break by performing at the 2023 Alive Music Festival in Mineral City, Ohio on July 14th, 2023. Vitale's band, Ravenwood, was also chosen that year to headline the inaugural Downtown Canton Music Fest replacing the long time national Canton Blues Festival.

Donnie Iris & the Cruisers
In the summer of 2021, Vitale began playing drums for Donnie Iris & the Cruisers as their back up drummer.

The Vinyl Machine / Joe Vitale's All Star Band
In the fall of 2021, Vitale began working with the group, "The Vinyl Machine" a rock band consisting of musicians who have performed with the top names in the business.

Stephen Stills
Vitale was the digital audio editor on the 2005 Stephen Stills album Man Alive which led to working on several other Stephen Stills albums & recording projects Just Roll Tape (2007) and being the chief editing & mixing engineer for Live at Shepherd's Bush (2009).

Jimi Hendrix Foundation
Through his work on subsequent projects, Vitale additionally worked on previously unreleased material of Jimi Hendrix & Stephen Stills working with Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer and The Jimi Hendrix Foundation.

Radio personality
Vitale had a radio career in 2013 on the Canton, Ohio radio station WNPQ The Light 95.9FM with his show Joe Vitale Jr.'s Sound Factory. It was a 1-hour weekly program featuring local Christian musicians as well as nationals.

Film career

 * In 2010, Vitale was the director of photography of the short film "Safe" under the name J. Ravenwood.
 * In 2011, Vitale scored the soundtrack for the short film "Making Friends."
 * In 2011, Vitale also scored the soundtrack for the short film, "The Teacher's Lounge"
 * In 2012, Vitale and his wife Kathryn wrote, produced and released the short film thriller "Encryption."

Awards

 * 2011 - Joe Vitale Jr won the best music video award at the Canton International Film Festival.
 * 2012 - Joe Vitale Jr won the best short fiction award for the film Encryption.
 * 2014 - Joe Vitale Jr won the Ohio Music Awards for Best Modern Rock Song.

Personal life
Vitale married his wife Kathryn in 2014. She is a radio personality in North East Ohio WNWV JenY 107.3FM under her professional name Kathy Vogel and owns the online magazine Crack Wise Magazine & the brand Haus of V. His parents are Joe Vitale and Susan Vitale. In 2008, Vitale was part of the release of his father's book: Joe Vitale Backstage Pass Written by Susie Vitale.

Joe Vitale Jr.

 * Dancing With Shadows (2008)
 * Jingle Jingle (2010)
 * Talk to Me (2011)
 * The Virulent Strain (The Infectious Remixes) (2012)
 * Encryption (Soundtrack) (2012)
 * I Live for the Weekend (2013)
 * Live It Up (2013)
 * The Keeper (2014)
 * Above the Fathoms (2014)
 * Be My Baby For Christmas (2016)
 * Against the Grain (2020)
 * Like No Other (2021)
 * Where Have All the Monsters Gone (2022) (The Happy Hound Records)

Ravenwood

 * Don't Let Go (2018)
 * We're All in This Together (2020)
 * Ravenous (2021)
 * Blind (2022)
 * Unsympathetic Vibrations (2023)

Stephen Stills

 * Man Alive (2005)
 * Just Roll Tape (2007)
 * Live at Shepherd's Bush (2009)

Films

 * Encryption (2012)

Joe Vitale Jr

 * The Lyrics of Ravenous (2021)
 * Prayers Through the Pandemic : Year One (2022)
 * Prayers Through the Pandemic : Year Two (2022)
 * Prayers Through the Pandemic : Year Three (2023)
 * When the Millions Vanished (2023)
 * The Lyrics of Dancing With Shadows (2023)

Ravenwood

 * The Lyrics of Ravenous (2021)
 * The Lyrics of Unsympathetic Vibrations (2023)


 * Manifestations 1 - The Ravenwood Aesthetic (2023)

Music Videos (Joe Vitale Jr)

 * Never Look Back (2009)
 * Jingle Jingle (2010)
 * You Make Me Feel Alive (LIVE) (2011)
 * Fight It Or Self Destruct (LIVE) (2011)
 * It's Not Me, It's You (LIVE) (2011)
 * She Intoxicates (LIVE) (2011)
 * Mysterious (2014)
 * Fight It Or Self Destruct (2019)
 * You Make Me Feel Alive (2020)
 * Where Have All the Monsters Gone? (2021)

Music Videos (Ravenwood)

 * Don't Let Go (Lyric Video) (2018)
 * We're All in This Together (Lyric Video) (2020)
 * Aural Borealis (Alpha) (2021)
 * Ravenous (Lyric Video) (2021)
 * Blind (Lyric Video) (2022)
 * Aural Borealis (Beta) (2023)