From Wall to ground, band shakes Tallahassee with its sound

Filled with passion and deep respect for the legacy of rock 'n' roll, Joe Wall and his band the Nitro Groundshakers find their beat in Tallahassee.

Listening leads to discovery

The trends of our times are often captured in song lyrics. If "video killed the radio star" and "they paved paradise to put up a parking lot," it is safe to say that the death of the record store has changed the way music is listened to. Listening is no longer an adrenaline-filled hunt, culminating in a unique product.

At the risk of sounding ancient, "kids these days will never understand" the rawness of how music was discovered and listened to in a pre-digital era. However, their desire to understand more may be why we have seen a resurgence in vinyl over the past few years.

For Wall, drummer and lead singer for the Nitro Groundshakers, the art of music-making is in the listening. As a child, Wall sat on the floor of his parent's home surrounded by the classic rock and riffs by The Beatles and The Stones, or The Police’s Stewart Copeland’s drumming and quick explosive accents.

Influenced by 1970s classic rock from his childhood along with Cheap Trick, Styx, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Costello, REM, the Pixies, Squeeze, XTC, Frank Black, and Nirvana, Wall developed a lifelong infatuation with music. “At an early age, I discovered my parents' Beatles albums, and I’ve been obsessed ever since,” shares Wall.

“Especially in those early stereo mixes where all the voices would be in one ear and all the instruments in the other, you could really focus on what the instruments were doing, and how the harmonies would go… So much great music!” Since this discovery, Wall has made a personal commitment to learning a plethora of instruments by listening to music with the intent to dissect and understand it.

He credits his mother for encouraging his love of singing and shares a family myth that his grandfather played bass for Flatt & Scruggs. “I tried to research that - could never find any evidence that it was true, but it was a nice story,” chuckles Wall.

After an embarrassing moment in middle school that included a girl, a talent show, and Wall’s pants splitting as he banged the drums to Heart’s “What About Love,” he moved on to guitar. While serving in the Army, he sold his videocassette recorder for a Yamaha 12-string acoustic and taught himself chords using a guitar songbook by the musician Sting.

Years later, Wall picked up the drums again. “Some co-workers chipped in on a cheap drum set for the office fun area,” shares Wall. “I brought that drum set with me to Tallahassee when I moved here 20-something years ago and continued to play until I had to upgrade to something more professional to gig with.”

Today, Wall lovingly calls Tallahassee home with his band the Nitro Groundshakers: John Viele and Mike Strum on electric guitar and Big Phill on the bass.

Rock, roll, and Wall

When asked, “What does rock 'n’ roll mean to you?” Wall heavily responded. “That’s a big one.” In all fairness, the question can be answered in so many ways for so many of us. For Wall, it is not a singular meaning but an encompassing of an entire life’s dedication to listening and experiencing music.

Music has been a consistent presence in his life. To Wall, rock n’ roll is inclusive and endless. And the best way to experience rock n’ roll is from the stage. Although Wall admits he is always anxious before a show, he is in “the zone” by the third song and relaxed into the music.

For three to four hours, he and his bandmates cover the music of his idols, which Wall calls “endlessly gratifying.” The energy rises and gets caught in a performance loop that exchanges energy between the audience and the performer.

It is intoxicating “to see people get excited by what you’re doing, when they jump up for a song they love [and start] dancing, laughing,” says Wall. “Even when you get the occasional drunk person who wants to jump onstage and sing with you, I appreciate the enthusiasm." He continued, "I should add, don’t do that!”

Wall carries this enthusiasm off the stage and into the writing room. He and his Nitro Groundshakers bandmates have recorded an album of originals, consisting of songs written by Wall and Viele. Having started as friends getting together, the band is connected in a way that can be heard in the music they create.

Wall looks for music that does something unexpected and strives for lyrics that mean something. However, Wall admits it’s all about the sound. “I was a big REM fan, and a lot of those songs are practically gibberish. I Am The Walrus, Come Together. These songs feel like they mean something - the combination of the music and the sound of the words makes it bigger than the sum of its parts.”

Rocking up ethics with a song

What makes the Nitro Groundshakers unique? “Having a drummer who is the lead singer is somewhat unique, right?” humbly brags Wall. According to Wall, the band’s ability to pay homage to the classics while maintaining “deep tracks” and pop references sets his band apart.

You can witness them for yourself at the Florida Ethics Institute’s main fundraising event of the year, Ethics Rocks! Throughout the year, the Florida Ethics Institute advances the cause of ethics through advocacy and education.

Wall and his bandmates are grateful for the opportunity to work with the institute's executive director and event organizer Caroline Klancke to raise funds while showcasing the talents of local musicians and performers. Grab your ticket and catch the opener the Nitro Groundshakers and headliner Rockitz for a night of rockin' beats and diggin' dance moves to support a great cause.

If you go

What: Ethics Rocks! The Florida Ethics Institute’s benefit concert

When: 6-10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 6

Where: Goodwood Museum & Gardens, 1600 Miccosukee Road

Cost: $20 – $125 per ticket; floridaethics.org/ethics-rocks

Contact: 850-404-1113 | info@floridaethics.org

Dr. Christy Rodriguez de Conte is the feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA). COCA is the capital area’s umbrella agency for arts and culture (tallahasseearts.org).

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Ethics Rocks! Tallahassee's Nitro Groundshakers play benefit show