Next up, Joe Berry.
He’s the horn leader, sax player, 2nd guitar and my main co-writer for the new stuff. The first time I met Joe, I thought he was adorable and an incredible musician. The next day he showed up to the studio and had charted every horn part for every SF song, in one night. Joe can pick up an instrument he’s never seen and know how to play it in 15 minutes. Fun fact: Joe is also a puppeteer at David Arquette’s “Bootsy Bellows” night club in Hollywood. He and his marionettes are the stars of my annual Chrismahannukwanzika party. Joe charms my guests while the marionettes creep them out. I love you Joe. Knowing you has truly changed my life for the better. You are one of the most positive and creatively encouraging souls I have ever met. Now SF fans, meet my sweet friend Joe Berry… (Text by Monique Powell) Happy Skanukkah, Save Ferris Fans!
LADIES AND GENTS, MEET JOE BERRY: SAX, GUITAR PLAYER EXTRAORDINAIRE
What do you for SF?
I am the saxophonist and horn leader with the occasional rhythm guitar and back up vocals 🙂
How long have you been playing your instrument/practicing your chosen profession?
I have been practicing and involved in music professionally for 15 years and counting. It is my morning coffee, my drink at night and reason I love to wake up everyday 🙂
Do you love playing, practicing your chosen profession and why?
I don’t know what else I would do if I wasn’t involved in music. I have been very fortunate and blessed to be able to pursue music and part of that blessing is being taught the world from music and because of that I could not imagine doing anything else.
Is this something you always wanted to do and why/why not?
When I was younger I actually used to want to be a professional skateboarder until my mom started telling me that by the time I turn 50, most likely I will have to retire from skateboarding because lets be honest, how many elderly professional skateboarders are out there? (if the art form has even been around long enough for that :-))
But then my mom said that if I were to ever pursue music, I might be in the prime time of my career by the time I turn 50. At that time I of course was to naive to really know what she was talking about but for some reason that has always stuck with me over the years and looking back now, I guess I listened. I mean, Mother’s are always right thats for sure 🙂
Where are you from originally?
I am originally from Granite Bay California, I’m sure no one knows where that is, but it is basically Sacramento.
Favorite SF song:
I get really stuck on the subjectivity of the word “favorite” but I think my favorite SF song is a close tie with the new Save Ferris song that y’all haven’t heard yet, and “Super Spy” because there is just awesome horn madness in there 🙂
Favorite Piece of SF Merch and why:
The pins of course. I’ve never been on a pin before so I was pretty stoked to see that and naturally have a bunch of them. No shame of course 🙂
Top 3 Favorite Bands (Besides SF, of course 🙂 ):
This changes all the time, but right now I’ve been digging Skatalites, Tune-Yards, and the electronic group BlueCheckeredShirt.
Top 3 Favorite Albums of all Time:
Currently:
John Coltrane’s “Innerstellar Space”
Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
Chirgilchin “Tuvan Throat Singing”
Top 3 Favorite Musicians:
Currently (too many):
Tim Shagoian
Michael Jackson
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Kramer
Your greatest accomplishment:
One of my greatest accomplishments thus far in life was completing my masters degree in music. If you knew me in high school (still don’t know how they graduated me) I was the last person you would ever think could go to college, let alone finish a masters degree.
Your 3 Favorite things in the world:
Family, Friends, Music. All the best things come from these.
Your Favorite Holiday and Why:
I am a sucker for christmas. My mom is a mid-west girl at heart and when I was young she really went all out for christmas and it gave me some of the most fond and favorite memories so every time christmas comes around all I want to do is go home and hang with family and friends, eat all the holiday food, watch Christmas Vacation over and over… I guess that sounds pretty cheesy but cheesy anything makes us smile, even though I am lactose intolerant 🙂
Best thing you ever ate:
Bill’s Donuts in Granite Bay, CA. I once didn’t eat any sugar or sweets for over a year and when I had a bite of a donut after that long, I swear to god, I had a Ratatouille moment, my eyes were closed, moaning, and I could see colors and I was speechless for about 2 minutes. My friend at the time was like “uh… are you ok?” Donuts are pretty much the best food, with a lactose pill of course 🙂
Best gift you ever received:
When I graduated high school my parents asked me if I wanted a saxophone or a car. I figured I could use the saxophone to buy a car so I chose the saxophone and that saxophone is still the saxophone I play to this day. Even my last 4 digits of my phone number spell SAXO, which I didn’t not do on purpose, fate I suppose.
Worst gift you ever received:
I definitely believe that any gift is a privilege, even if it seems “bad” it’s usually something good in disguise. Another thing I learned through music.
Favorite Holiday Song and Why:
My favorite holiday song is the Chipmunk christmas song “Christmas Don’t Be Late”
There is an awesome Bari Sax line in that song, but also, there is something about the melody and the way it sounds with the chipmunks singing it that brings me back to being 6 years old and just so happy to have the family that I have. God, I feel like I talk about family so much but aside from music, I guess that’s what matters most. That and playing my Sax off during a Save Ferris show!!! 🙂
