He’s performing this evening at the 19th Hole in Wheeling, and tomorrow night he’ll be at the Route 88 BBQ in Oglebay Park. Oh, and Saturday evening, he’ll perform at the Blue Moon Tavern in Barnesville with Jake Wharton.
Gage Joseph, quite simply, is in demand here in the Upper Ohio Valley.
But that’s OK with the 17-year-old country music performer. It’s part of the plan.
“I am planning to attend Belmont University in Nashville after I’m graduated from Shadyside High School,” Joseph said. “That’s the big dream. I want to attend Belmont so I can grow my career because making music is what I would love to do the rest of my life. I want to take my music as far as it can go.
“If I can be a national act that is touring the country, I would absolutely love to do that. If people love my music to that extent, I won’t stop until I get there,” he said. “Honestly, that is the big dream.”
Go ahead, call it a fantasy, but remember it has happened before for folks in this region. C.J. Goodwin is playing in the NFL for his favorite team. The Dallas Cowboys. Chase Harler was a pivotal player for WVU a few seasons ago and continues to play the game. Lady Gaga is about as big a star in music and on the silver screen as anyone in the world. And Brad Paisley left the Valley for Belmont University in the early 1990s, and, well, everyone now knows his name.
Gage’s dream began when he was just a 10-year-old boy because that was his age when he performed on a stage for the first time. The sound of applause is, after all, addictive.
“I was about 10 years old when I first started doing the St. John’s talent shows,” Joseph recalled. “Those shows were a lot of fun and it was the first time when a crowd reacted to my singing. That’s a memory I will have for the rest of my life because, it put me on cloud nine.
“That’s always been the best part about performing … the reaction from the crowd,” he continued. “I try to be very interactive with the audience during my shows and if they react, great. If not, then I just keep moving forward so I can offer the audience the best show possible. That’s always my goal.”
He’s OK with Blaming His Roots
Perhaps one day, Joseph will be asked to play on the main stage of the Blame My Roots Country Music Festival that will begin in just one week at the Valley View Campground in Belmont, Ohio.
This year, though, he’s excited to play the Buskers Stage in the tailgate area just outside Gate A.
“I got to play at Blame My Roots the first year in 2019, and of course, last year they weren’t permitted to have the show because of all the pandemic restrictions,” Joseph said. “It was a great experience for me, and I can’t wait to do it again next weekend. I think it’s a great thing what the Duttons are doing with those shows, and they are including some local performers, too.
“Because Blame My Roots is an outdoor concert, you have to hope for good weather,” he said. “But I believe it’s going to grow each year so the people here in the Valley can start a new country music tradition.”
But it won’t be just Gage Joseph. Nope … it’ll be The Gage Joseph Band.
“To be honest, I didn’t think I would have a band at this point, but the four shows we have had have gone really well,” Joseph said. “We have had a lot of practices so we can get it all together. The guys are great, and they help me with my musicianship, and I really appreciate that. They understand that I am young and still learning a lot.
“I am hoping the band can book more shows in the future, but some of the venues in this area do not have the space for a band of four people, so that is why I play more solo shows than anything,” he said. “But it seems more venues are offering live music, so we’ll just have to see what happens in the future.”
Red Solo Cup
Joseph does play country cover songs, and he performs his original music as well during his band and solo shows. But one of Toby Keith’s most popular tunes? The one about having a party?
So, again, he’s only 17.
“When I first started playing in bars, it was really weird for me to see the audience members drinking because of how young I am, and it took me a solid year, I believe, to get used to it,” Joseph admitted. “But I changed my mindset, and I try to always be there for the people no matter what they may be doing.
“It has to be about a good time with great music,” he said. “I just try to have a lot of energy during my shows because it seems to rub off on the crowd. If that’s the case, I feel I am doing what the owners want me to do, and that’s to entertain the people who have decided to come see us play.”
Anyone who does attend a Gage Joseph show can count on his mother, Heather, and several other family members and friends among the attendees.
“I am very fortunate to have my mom, my dad, my grandparents, and my relatives because they support me so much,” Joseph said. “And Doug Boston and Jon Banco have helped me so much. I can’t begin to explain how much they have helped me with this journey I am on at the age I am.
“And the people who come to shows — I can’t explain how much I appreciate their support,” he added. “If they didn’t come to the shows, I wouldn’t be able to do this, so I owe so much to my family and to the people in the audience.”
