This Is Guernsey

By Globe reporter Emily Burden

JOE CORBIN will astonish anyone who watches him play. At the tender age of 17 he is accomplishing things musically a lot of his peers could only dream about.

He is of a generation fuelled by angsty, metal and emo influences, yet he refuses to let his music be defined by genre. Instead, his work is based around the ideals of blues, folk and acoustic, a starting point which was manipulated by his love of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Damien Rice, Robert Johnson, Jose Gonzalez and Ani DiFranco.

Not the typical influences for your average 17-year-old.

‘The blues is a timeless genre,’ explained Joe.

‘It really was the birth of other genres such as rock ’ n’ roll and even pop.’

He is currently in the process of finishing his first album, Waiting for Dawn, and performing gigs with his band, Spoonful. He is a wanted man among the island’s older musicians and as by far the youngest Spoonful member, he is proving to be a great crossover artist, bringing in audiences of all age groups. Most recently, Peter Frampton was impressed by Joe’s talent and asked him on to stage to play alongside him.

But how and when did all this talent start oozing from this youngster?

‘I’ve been writing songs ever since I could play a few chords,’ said Joe.

‘I first picked up the guitar when I was 11 and started learning the basics from Mark Guillou.

‘He taught me the songs I wanted to learn at the time – Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton – but after a while I got to the point where I wanted to learn scales and theory, so I started lessons with Steve McCarthy,’ said Joe.

Steve gave Joe the opportunity to take exams and gain grades in guitar and inevitably helped expand his love and knowledge of the instrument.

‘I realised then it was never a showy thing for me – it became my natural form of expression,’ said Joe.

‘To me, there’s nothing more satisfying than communicating my feelings through a song.’

When Joe was 14, he wrote Butterflies, which highlighted the young musician’s maturity in songwriting and earned him a lot of feedback and exposure to the Guernsey music scene.

‘Butterflies was and still is my most simplistic song,’ explained Joe.

‘However, it was a very personal and honest song for me and I think it was the birth of honesty in my songwriting, which appeals to me a lot now. There are lots of people who like to pretend to be people they’re not and their music tends to convey this.’

At 16 he began showcasing his music at the popular Tuesday Jam Night at the Cock and Bull. It was there he realised people enjoyed his music.

‘Realising people were actually interested in my work was such a great feeling,’ he said.

‘It enabled me to meet other people in the local music scene and receive constructive criticism and support.’

Not long afterwards, Joe formed Spitshine with fellow students Spud (drummer of Beaver), Harry Parkins and Dan Knight. Each had a specialist genre and the band’s sound was full of tasty flavours, including blues, funk, ska and rock.

With such a varied sound, Spitshine quickly gained a following, landing regular slots at Pieces Bar, the Golden Lion, Hogwash, Greenman Festival and the Vale Earth Fair. But the band was a fleeting friend to the island’s many live music fans and when the other three members left to go to university, Joe was left behind.

‘Yeah, that was hard. Not only was I losing my band but, musically and personally, we had all connected,’ said Joe.

‘We had reached a point where we could have easily taken it much further. We were writing great material and it seemed so effortless between us all as we had that certain chemistry.’

Joe is currently playing with Spoonful but is moving to Brighton at the end of the summer to attend music college.

So, what is his take on the Guernsey music scene?

‘I have been lucky enough to find my identity through music early,’ he said.

‘Because the blues is a timeless genre, I have appealed to older and younger audiences. I have been able to expose my music to a more balanced audience.

‘Yet young people in the island are deprived of venues because of the over-18 rule and there is hardly anywhere willing to cater for the talent. The venues which are willing, such as the Fermain Tavern, Pieces Bar, the Cock and Bull and the Full-Boar biker club, create a vibe and atmosphere that are needed and I am grateful to them – it’s just a shame no one will follow suit.’

What would he be doing if he hadn’t found the guitar?

‘Gosh, it’s really scary when I think about it,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what I would do. I’ve always been interested in philosophy, so perhaps studying that. But not having the guitar is not an option. I wouldn’t be me without being able to express emotion through music.’