Singer, songwriter and guitarist Joel Beazer wants everyone to feel as connected to music as he is. Beazer is the lead singer and guitarist of the local rock band Death to Paradise.
He has toured many countries playing with this band, other bands and even solo. Beazer said music was his only solace when he was dealing with difficult times when he was younger.
The musician, who is originally from Mayaro, said, “I choose not to talk about my backstory right now, but the odds weren’t really in my favour as a boy and a lot of things happened in my life. The only thing that got me through was music. It got me through and helped me express myself. Instead of doing something extremely negative, I took up the guitar and let my feelings come out with the guitar and I write to help me cope with all the things I went through.”
He said that is when he realised there was nothing else he wanted to do with his life and feels as though he was born to be a rock musician.
As for the name of Beazer’s band, Death in Paradise, he said it stemmed from living in the Caribbean.
[caption id="attachment_1011119" align="alignnone" width="773"] Joel Beazer says music ws his only solace when he was dealing with difficult times in his youth. -[/caption]
“It coincides with all the crime and murders that we all see every day. I’m not trying to be negative about our region, but when I’m in Europe or wherever, they always call here (the Caribbean) a paradise. I just say that it’s not always paradise because there are many social problems as well.”
Beazer said on occasion, he has to go solo, performing under his own name since his band members are from Europe.
“It’s really hard to form a solid rock band here that will stick together and go on tour since I travel a lot.”
All of his music can be found on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music. His self-titled album is filled with demos that he put together and his other album No Stopping Now can be found on Spotify. Death is Paradise’s also released its first music video three months ago on YouTube.
“A lot of people say they love the energy that I bring on the stage. I live for, I breathe, eat, s--- rock and roll, so I get a really good responses. I try to do shows where I know the organisers are not into pop rock and are trying to showcase original bands, so I get real reactions. I really try to push being a real artiste in the Caribbean.”
Beazer said he first started off as a guitarist when he was 17. He said he played for a few bands when his friend Graham Granger, who is the bassist for 3canal, begged him to join him in Brooklyn, New York.
"He said, ‘If the band can’t make it then you, please come.’ So I sold my guitar, amp and everything and I went. It was so hard, but he helped me go to all my auditions and when I didn’t have the cash, he’d give me money to take the train and I would audition my a-- off.”
From those auditions, Beazer got gigs playing for a few bands before heading to New Orleans to continue his musical journey. He toured for two years with a band Minervavil
