Joe Romersa

Joe Romersa is an American musician, composer, and producer.

Recognized in his teens for his talent with sound, Joe's illustrious career includes working with many notable music industry greats. Joe's first love has always been drumming but early on he branched out into sound engineering. As Joe tells it, "After a tragic early tour I did at age 19 which left me homeless sleeping on a park bench in New Jersey, I had to find a way to make money and still be close to what I love; music."^[1] Upon his return to California, Joe studied sound engineering. Combining his fledgling career as a professional musician with the more stable income of sound engineering allowed Joe to perfect his craft as both a gifted drummer/percussionist and as a hard-working, and talented sound engineer.

Joe started touring as the drummer for the Marc Tanner Band. On April 19, 1979, they would open for Firefall, at the Palace Theater in Cleveland Ohio .^[2] The Marc Tanner Band also opened for Jefferson Starship. Joe was a drummer, percussionist, and composer on Tanner's second album, Temptations, along with guitarist Ritchie Zito and bassist Ron Edwards.

While working in the studio, a chance meeting with keyboardist Vincent Nicoletti would result in the band Soy Cowboy with its unique 'Thai Western' sound. Joe was brought in as a drummer and sound engineer, but his talent as a lead vocalist would soon be discovered as the band was pulled together. After their first recordings received airplay by renowned Los Angles radio personality, Tom Schnabel of KCRW-FM (89.9), the band caught the attention of then art student Tarsem Singh. In 1990, Singh would produce the Soy Cowboy's only music video for their song Lily Pads and Rock Cod.^[3] Soy Cowboy's first album First Time Again was produced in 1991 but it was not released to the public. The album would later be released in 2009, by Shadow Box Studio. Their second album 2012 was produced and released in 2012. As noted by Tom Schnabel "The band got moderate airplay on U.S. radio, but in England briefly jumped to the top of the charts."^[4]

Joe was both a drummer and engineer on John Prine's 1992 Grammy Award winning album The Missing Years. He would go on to work with Carlene Carter on her 1993 country music album Little Love Letters as the drummer, percussionist, engineer and backup vocalist along with bassist Howie Epstein and keyboardist Benmont Tench. Little Love Letters would rise to #35 on the Top Country Albums chart and included the #3 hit Every Little Thing and two top 100 songs; I Love You 'Cause I Want To (#50) and Unbreakable Heart (#51). Joe's beautiful young daughter, Reyna, would make her video "debut" in I Love You 'Cause I Want To.

In the late 1980's, a slight, older gentleman with a shock of long white hair would walk into the recording studio without an appointment. That man was Eden Ahbez, known as ahbe to his friends.^[5] That fateful day would mark the beginning of an 8-year relationship with the man that wrote Nature Boy. Joe and ahbe worked together until ahbe's untimely death in 1995.^[6]

During Joe's career he would also work with Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Laurence Juber, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, David Lindley, Whoopi Goldberg, Poco, Thin White Rope, Bruce Springsteen, Angelyne, Havana, The Dickies, Melanie, The Lettermen, Peaches, Miki Howard, John Klemmer, Iron Butterfly, Egyptian Lover, Bitch, Dave Edmunds, Freddy Cannon, Don Julian & the Larks, Mary Wells, Big Mama Thornton, The Coasters, and Bob Dylan.

Joe's talent as a voice artist would soon find him working in the world of anime. In 1994, Joe started engineering, voice acting, and ADR directing on Anime and Game projects, which led to his work on Silent Hill.^[1] In 2002, Yutaka Maseba and Haruyo Kanesaku at ZRO Limit Production introduced Joe and Akira Yamaoka. The two musicians got together and jammed at Joe's studio, Joe on his drums and Akira playing on Joe's borrowed Strat and Line 6 amp. Their only communication was through their music until the translator came and they would discuss the Silent Hill project. Joe would go on to work as music supervisor on Silent Hill 3, Silent Hill 4: The Room and Silent Hill: Homecoming. Joe is the talent behind the song lyrics in these games. He also sings on "Hometown" and "Cradle of Forest."^[7]

One of Joe's more recent projects is the production of Alana Sweetwater's 2004 release of Alana Sweetwater. Her single from that album, Song of Love, was featured on the original Showtime series, Season 3, Episode 6, of The Real L World. Joe was a musician for the album and handled the mixing for this project as well.

Joe's musical inspirations are eclectic, but it all started with watching The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Other musical influences include Beethoven, John Cage, Jimi Hendrix, Louis Prima, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Emerson Lake and Palmer, The Move, and David Bowie.^[1]

Joe currently lives in Southern California. Joe remains first and foremost a musician. Having recently released his vast archive representative of his work, he has returned his focus to composing and performing original music. He still drums live and can occasionally be found drumming somewhere in the Valley with the Blue Baron Band. Joe continues to produce music at his Shadow Box Studio. He keeps the light on in the studio because there is always sound engineering to be done.

Discography

Mainstream albums

Indie albums

Acting

Anime voice-over

• Akira as Joker
• Armitage III as Big Thug
• Bastard!! as Priest C
• Battle Athletes as Claus (Ep. 4); Hans (Ep. 4)
• Battle Athletes Victory as Additional Voices
• Black Jack as Mob Boss
• Black Magic M-66 as Additional Voices
• Blood: The Last Vampire as David
• Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion as Ryouga Senba
• Cowboy Bebop as Abdul Hakim
• Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure
• El Hazard: The Magnificent World as Driver (Ep. 3)
• El Hazard 2 - The Magnificent World as Additional Voices
• El Hazard: The Alternative World as Additional Voices
• El Hazard: The Wanderers as Additional Voices
• Fist of the North Star as Heart; Zeed; Zaria
• Gate Keepers as Hippie
• Ghost in the Shell as Truck Driver (as Joe Michaels)
• Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence as Crab Man, Undersea Cyborg Escort (Animaze Dub)
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig as Coil Krasnov, Kitora Masoki
• Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society as Colonel Ka Gael, Security Cyborg
• Hand Maid May as Additional Voices
• Hyper Doll as Additional Voices
• Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro as Gustav (Animaze Dub)
• Macross Plus as Additional Voices
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie Trilogy as Gaia
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team as Hige, Doctor
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team - Miller's Report as Agent Jacob
• Moldiver as Additional Voices
• Ninja Scroll as Additional Voices
• Ninku the Movie as Additional Voices
• Orguss 02 as Additional Voices
• Outlaw Star as Fake Shimi; Kyokan
• Phantom Quest Corp as Additional Voices
• Red Hawk - Weapon of Death as Additional Voices
• Rurouni Kenshin as Merchant (Ep. 15); Politician (Ep. 15); Raiko
• Sol Bianca: The Legacy as Additional Voices
• Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie as Balrog (as Joe Michaels)
• Street Fighter II V as Balrog (Animaze Dub)
• Street Fighter Alpha as Zangief
• The Big O as Nightingale Club Bouncer (Ep. 2), Repairman (Ep. 25)
• The Legend of Black Heaven as Luke Yamada
• The Wings of Honneamise as Air Force Member 4
• They Were 11 as Knu
• Trigun as Descartes

Non-anime voice-over

• Big Rig Buddies as Smokey the Fire Truck (formerly)

Staff work

• Armitage III as ADR Engineer
• Brave Fencer Musashi as Voice Director
• Bushido Blade 2 as Digital Tracker (English voices)
• The Castle of Cagliostro as Digital Tracker, English Adapter, Director (Manga Entertainment dub)
• Dual! Paralle lunlun monogatari as Final Mixer, Director
• Ghost in the Shell as Digital Tracker (English voices)
• Firefighter F.D.18 as English Dialogue Director
• Front Mission 4 as Voice Director
• Invisible Mom II as Music Supervisor
• Lurking Fear as Dialogue Editor
• Nano Breaker as ADR Director
• The New Adventures of Captain Planet as Sound Designer
• Reaper Tales as Sound Recordist
• Resident Evil 5 as Sound Designer, Video Storyboard Artist
• Shadow Warriors as Dialogue Editor
• Silent Hill: Homecoming as Lyricist
• Street Fighter Alpha as Writer, Director
• Suikoden IV as ADR Director
• Timberwood Tales as Editor
• Tollbooth as Dialogue Editor, ADR recordist
• Wings of Honneamise as Dialogue Sound Engineer

References

External links

• Joe Romersa's Official Website
• Joe Romersa at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Joe Romersa at the Internet Movie Database