Insider Beat: Joe P on embracing his roots with 'Garden State Vampire'

Joe Parella, a musician who performs under the stage name Joe P, proudly wears his New Jersey heritage like a badge of honor. While others may criticize or harbor their own perceptions of the state, Parella embraces it, flaws and all. Hailing from Sparta, his adoration for his home shines through in his craft, especially in his latest project, "Garden State Vampire."

In an interview with The Daily Targum, Parella talked about growing up with music, finding his audience on the East Coast and his complicated thoughts on social media.

While most celebrities and musicians pack up their bags at the first opportunity and leave their small towns behind, forgetting their roots, Parella is a breath of fresh air in this regard. Although he now cherishes Jersey, it took him a while to develop a healthy relationship with the state.

The endless woods of North Jersey might have been an ideal playground for an adventurous child, but for Parella, they represented nothingness and boredom. Struggling to find motivation in school, he turned to his true passion — sports.

Basketball was one of Parella's favorites, yet after enduring the wrath of belittling coaches, he sought a new hobby he could pursue on his own terms. Initially, he viewed his older brother's guitar as just another toy, but it eventually became a cherished outlet he consistently returned to. Classic rockers like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC quickly replaced Michael Jordan as his role models.

"It's kind of like the closest thing to superheroes," said Parella. "When you're a little kid and you see Jimi Hendrix playing guitar at Woodstock, it's this crazy thing where you're like, 'What is this magical being that I'm seeing do this thing?'"

From there, Parella began pouring all of his time and effort into music. Still, even as Parella made his way into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts, he struggled with self-perception issues and figuring out what his path in the industry was.

"The day one of getting there, there (were) kids from Italy and South Africa that were 100 times better than I'll ever be," he said. "I don't regret going there, because it was such a humbling experience."

Looking for another way to stand out, Parella decided to elevate his music by focusing on songwriting. He would make the bold decision to drop out of school, move into an apartment in Belmar, and bet on his flourishing storytelling abilities to attract an audience. With the support of his friends and family, Parella had the green light to begin his music career.

Parella would adopt a unique strategy to get his name out there. While most musicians move to major markets like Los Angeles, New York City and Nashville to make connections, Parella made full use of the passionate underground music scene in Jersey. He would play local shows, even making stops in New Brunswick, playing basement shows and the now-closed Court Tavern.

Parella wouldn't be able to schmooze with agents or peers in the traditional sense, but he credits recent industry developments for helping him gain exposure. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels have enabled him to reach people he otherwise wouldn't have, all from the comfort of his basement, which doubles as a recording studio.

He concedes that the relationship between music and social media isn't perfect, as promoting music can sometimes detract from the product and its message. But, it's been instrumental in helping him carve out his niche. He recalls a specific video about the flooding of his beloved basement, which helped contextualize his art and connect with his audience on a deeper level.

"Social media started that way, where it was like, 'Here's what I ate for breakfast,'" he said. "And then it got away from that and it became, 'Look how expensive my breakfast is,' … We're too far down that rabbit hole, but we're trying to get back to — people want that real thing. And music can be real."

The integrity of Parella and his artistry has been a consistent theme throughout his career, especially with the release of his debut album, "Garden State Vampire." Despite its gloomy title, the album delivers an electrifying and meditative fusion of pop and alternative rock, filled with references to Jersey iconography, including a nod to the Garden State Parkway in the song "She Got Me."

Although Parella faces relatively less competition in Jersey than he might elsewhere, he holds himself and his craft to high standards. Regardless of others' opinions, he is determined to ensure his work is entirely singular, even if it takes him in weird and unknown directions.

"Since it's kind of just me versus me down here, the pressure is always just song quality," he said. "I'm just always trying to outdo the last thing I did, as far as getting closer to that purest form of the thing that started in my head."

Some may be quick to judge Parella's approach to music, but the results speak for themselves. He has opened for prominent indie acts like beabadoobee, Cold War Kids and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Later this month, he's set to embark on a tour with stops everywhere from Germany to France to the Netherlands and, of course, Asbury Park.

As Parella's popularity continues to rise, he remains the small-town Jersey kid finding his way through the dense woods of the music industry. If there's one thing he hopes fans take from his journey, though, it's that there's no clear-cut path to finding success.

"Don't ever do it in a way that you're thinking, 'I'm not doing this right because I feel like I'm behind," he said. "Just always be really confident in the exact spot you're in is where you're supposed to be."