Conversations with Joe Nelson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Nelson.

Hi Joe, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I grew up in a small town in Virginia called Fredericksburg. Over the years, it’s gotten much larger and become a suburb of DC. But when I was a kid, it had a pretty quaint vibe, and mostly ran by local businesses. I was into a lot of different types of music growing up, but the one that I felt like spoke to me the most Was Bluegrass. I kind of kept that hidden from a lot of my friends, didn’t really follow suit on who I was at the time, but I always loved it. When I found slide blues years later, I was always searching for way to combined Bluegrass, Blues, Rock ‘n’ roll, folk, and Desert Rock. In 2017, Aaron Rogers and I started King Cackle. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Yes and no. We’ve consistently been overwhelmed by the love and support of the local community and fans, but it’s been hard. King Cackle would not have started without a man named Noah Warner. Noah was like a brother to me, and really the factor of me starting the band with Aaron. Noah pushed me to start playing live after discovering I had an array of instruments and amplifiers and forced me to do my first open mic night at the Evening Muse in a neighborhood called NoDa. People dug it, and the sound of people cheering over something you created is still the best drug I’ve ever done. Noah joined our band about a year later, and we were having a lot of fun. Gaining some momentum and writing new songs. Noah got very sick shortly thereafter and was unable to play. He passed away on July 28th, 2019. I was destroyed by his death for almost two years. Spiraled into a well of libations; anything to numb the fact that he was gone. I still think back on those times quite a lot and how much my band had to deal with my bullshit. But they always stayed by my side. Justin Bickley was asked by Noah before his death to replace his roll-on bass guitar in the band. Justin’s words on the day of Noah’s death were, “I’m twice your size, and I’ll never fill your shoes.” I’ve always been taken back by that. Doc Caines was our original guitar player and will forever be a member of KC. Doc was blessed to become a father and made the call we would probably all make: focus on being a dad. Dan O’Leary joined the band in March of 2022 on guitar and has been an awesome addition to KC. Ian Pasquini, the hardest working musician I know, has also joined us on fiddle and jumps in for studio sessions and small tour runs. 

As of today, we’re in a good place. Our time has become more limiting with jobs and the like, but that just concentrates the sessions we have. It’s been going well so far. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Well, I was a chef for a little over a decade. Because of the nature of that work and its schedule, I left the industry to have more time to focus on Music and my personal life. I now work as I was a chef for a little over a decade. Because of the nature of that work and its schedule, I left the industry to have more time to focus on Music and my personal life. I now work as a project manager for a remodeling company that allows me the time off to pursue the things that are important: documenting our time on this planet. 

In regards to Music, I think the most proud thing I can claim his playing with left lane cruiser, 20-Watt Tombstone, and the Maness Brothers in Wausau, Wisconsin. Left Lane Cruiser was by far my largest influence when starting King Cackle. I made a promise of myself that I would not stop until I played with left lane cruiser, along with a few other bands in my little black book. There’s one band left: the legendary Shack Shakers, an incredible psycho band that is fronted by a man named JD Wilkes. 

What do you think about happiness?
Being alive. I partied pretty damn hard in my 20s, and looking back, I’m happy myself and others are still here. I’m glad I can still talk to my parents; I’m happily married, and seeing others thrive makes me happy. I’ve learned there’s still good people in the world; and I’d like to be one of them. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @kingcacklenc
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/kingcackleband

Image Credits
Pete McCoil
Rob Brason
Jeff Howlett
Adam Anderson