Bonner Anticipates Premiere Album Release
Artwork from Joey's song "Gold" featuring Emmitt James. Photo by Katie Boeckman.

Bonner Anticipates Premiere Album Release

Joey Bonner has dreams of taking the stage and performing his music for millions of people.

For Bonner, the key to achieving those dreams is through hard work and dedication.

Since he was a child, Bonner knew he wanted to pursue a music career. Bonner is a senior music major specializing in applied voice.

“I think my favorite part of performing is that I get to show other people my songs,” Bonner said. “I generally write songs to get things off my chest or say things that are too hard to say out loud.”

Bonner has released music as a solo artist and with a band. In the past year, Bonner has paired with Emmitt James, a University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point musical artist and James London clothing designer, to create the EP “Gold.”

“My favorite part of working on ‘Gold’ with Joey, besides collaborating with him in general, was watching the song go from an acoustic favorite to a full band release on iTunes,” James said. “The song has gotten so popular in Stevens Point. Every time we perform it, the whole crowd knows the song word for word. It feels amazing.”

Bonner is currently working on his album “Colors 1: Basics,” the first in a series of three EPs that are each six songs long. Fans of Bonner’s music can anticipate the album’s release in late January 2015.

“Each song features a different artist and is based on a different color,” Bonner said. “I see colors when I interact with people, read written text and listen to music, so I found musicians who were the colors I wanted to write about.”

Creating an album is both time consuming and draining, but with the right team, satisfaction and completion are possible.

Kenny Baumann, a recent graduate from Belmont University and Bonner’s friend, played a large role in creating the album.

“I tracked, mixed, and produced the album,” Baumann said. “Working with Joey was easy. He has a very clear and concise idea of what he wants, but doesn’t shut out the idea of trying different stuff. Having that kind of mindset in the studio helps everything run a lot smoother and more efficiently. Joey’s going places.”

Students had the opportunity to listen to Bonner play in The Encore Nov. 15 at 8 p.m.

Bonner’s music is typically categorized by the indie-pop genre, but Baumann said there are no barriers for listeners to relate to Bonner’s music.

“There are moments on this album that make you bob your head,” Baumann said. “There are some that make you smile. There are some that will make you bawl your eyes out. The song writing is superb, the talent level is on par with what Joey’s fans have come to expect from him, and I think that combination is going to make for a finished product that won’t disappoint.”

 

Emily J. Pahl
Contributing Writer
epahl159@uwsp.edu

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