Life & Work with Brian Joyce (Val Astaire)

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Joyce (Val Astaire).

Hi Brian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began playing guitar and drums when I was young. I think by default, I became more of a guitarist and songwriter just because I enjoyed being creative and conceptualizing ideas.

I started the band Major League while in high school and shortly after graduating, we found ourselves on a major label with no real experience to back us up. Luckily we were able to find our way out of a binding deal and immediately back into the diy punk scene which was where we cut our teeth. We toured pretty extensively for about three years before we signed to an independent. I found myself on tour nearly 200 days a year, sometimes more and I found less and less time to nurture that creativity.

Fast forward to 2018 and I took some time to travel by myself and revisit some ideas and thus created the moniker Val Astaire in which I am today. I released an EP (yellow) and toured both the UK and Europe before releasing a second three-song EP (///) to hold me over while I was in the studio recording my debut solo album Fever Dreams. FD released in July 2020 amidst the pandemic and uncertain future.

I’m the following months, I dove back in heavily to home production which has lead me to my newest single, Bad Vibrations which released earlier last month!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is it ever? Haha, no but it’s definitely been a grueling and often winding road. It’s given me perspective where I’ve been blind and experience where I’ve been complacent so I can’t say that I would change it. I like to think I’m taking the scenic route.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have a few ventures at the moment, a Jack of all trades if you will hahaha. I run an independent record label from Southern California called ESI Records; we’re home to some of the most incredible new artists from all over.

I also work as a creative director for quite a few artists at the moment doing everything from album art design to music videos and visual concepts.

Most of my downtime is spent making music whether for myself or with friends and clients as well. I put a lot of my energy into Val Astaire and the projects I have in the vault.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Nothing is owed, everything is earned.

Contact Info:

• Website: Valastaire.com // ESIrecords.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/valastaire
• Facebook: Facebook.com/valastaire
• Twitter: Twitter.com/valastaire
• Youtube: Youtube.com/valastaire

Image Credits:
Shallow pools ep cover by @danebrain