Joel Pelletier is an independent musician, composer and multimedia artist living in Los Angeles, CA. He explores recreations in his painting, music and constructions, with modern and individual takes on existing and classic works and structures. He has performed in his own and other original, cover and tribute bands and projects for over 30 years. His songwriting is influenced by both classical and pop music, while his lyrics combine the personal with social and ethical topics. His painting and illustration style combine portrait and realist stuckist styles with surrealism and cartooning, and also deliberately explores and combines styles and works of previous painters, including Ensor, Magritte and Rousseau.

Raised in Massachusetts, he received a degree in Music Composition from The Hartt School of Music at The University of Hartford , while also studying at the Hartford Art School and playing in rock bands at night. In Los Angeles since 1988, he has been a vocalist, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist/pianist, Chapman Stick player, mandolinist, composer, arranger and musical director for many bands and ensembles, including his own.

Music
As of September 2010 Joel performs as John Paul Jones in Heartbreaker, a San Jose, CA-based LED ZEPPELIN tribute band thoughout the United States. From 2006-2010 he performed as John Entwistle in the Los Angeles THE WHO tribute band The Who Show, where he also msic directed a live concert recreation of TOMMY. Other previous tributes include performing as Geddy Lee from RUSH, as well as specializing in the catologs of JOHN LENNON and THE BEATLES, STING, PETER GABRIEL, YES and KING CRIMSON. When preforming his original music he plays solo, with a string quartet, or with his Chamber Pop Ensemble, with guitar, bass, drums, a string section. He has performed his original music from Southern California to as far as London, UK.

His background as a composer/musician, artist and computer graphic artist/designer come together in the production of his 1999 CD/CD-ROM, "CHAMBER POP ," featuring 12 songs plus videos, lyrics in 10 languages, animations, etc. The CD is available for purchase at his site, or free MP3 downloads of all the album tracks as well as others is posted at his website (go to http://www.joelp.com/music.html).

As a "sideline musician" Joel has appeared in films and TV shows including Jim Carey's "The Man In The Moon", Star Trek Voyager, VH1's Meatloaf Bio, Family Matters, Celine Dion Special (CBS), INK, Fame LA, Murphy Brown and Columbo. He has also performed as a bassist and/or musical director in many theatrical productions in Los Angeles, including HAIR, GODSPELL, CHICAGO, BABY, SWEET CHARITY and PIPPIN.

Art
Joel's 2004 large-scale painting American Fundamentalists (Christ's Entry into Washington in 2008), based on James Ensor's famous expressionist masterpiece, has been featured in galleries, publications, lectures and presentations throught the United States, UK and Belgium. His interest in photogaphy ranges from archiecture to nature to almost any "found" situation, with a painter's eye for composition and contrast, and many are posted his site (go to http://www.joelp.com/photos.html).

Other
Besides music and art, in 2009 he started a complete remodel/rebuild of his new home in Hollywood, CA, performing alomst all of the work himself. This is the third such project he has undertaken; photos previous home and rooms he has completed are featured on his website (go to http://www.joelp.com/other.html).

Professional
Through his web, design and multimedia company The Way Home Media, Joel has created and designed professional commercial websites, illustrations and advertising campaigns and materials for dozens of large and small commercial clients, and this work continues to finance his art, music and music company, The Way Home Music. For 2 years Joel was "Cyber Music" columnist and webmaster for Music Connection Magazine, LA's oldest and most respected professional music publication, and he has also contributed columns and illustrations to Electronic Musician. He has moderated panels on music and the Internet at MUSICOM, and was featured on The CBS News in a story about music, the Internet and MPEG3. For performance, interview and/or panel bookings he can be reached by email at joelp@joelp.com, or by phone at 818-373-7511.

(updated 24 August 2010)

Music as Performance Art
I didn't just start the dress-up thing with Mr. Entwistle and Mr. Jones; as you can see below I have been impersonated other (and better?) musicians before...

Ready to beam me up? On 3 March 1999 UPN aired an episode of Star Trek: Voyager entitled "Course: Oblivion," in which the entire crew melts away, illustrating the futility of life and mortality (well, that's one way to look at it...). I was playing my 24th century upright bass (actually my Quintas composite bass) in a wedding scene (yes, I play a human Voyager crew member). A trekkie back when they were still called that, I can now die knowing that I have achieved a small bit of future syndicated immortality.

Alias (aired 4/7/02) On February 27th, 2002, I spent the day on the set of the TV show ALIAS, appearing as a glorified extra in a formal costume party scene. As a member of a string quartet from circa 1760 (I'm the third guy from the left, NOT contemplating a major lifestyle change, and on the far left is Eric Gorfain, who played violin on my CHAMBER POP CD), and it was good to spend a day with him, three local real string players and myself (I only play one on TV...) were costumed, wigged and powdered just like musicians from around that time (or close enough anyway). Back then musicians were just another servant in a nobleman's stable, were required to wear the house uniform at all times, shup up and play for their betters. We did the same, albiet pretending to play some 19th century Vienese waltz, while looking at (18th centuery) Mozart on the music stands.

In an effort to prove that only musicias look real pretending to play, I suggested we all do a synchronized page turn on a pre-arranged cue, but it would probably be cut out anyway, so we had another donut and waited to be released from the set (making me late for a gig playing bass in a production of HAIR, from what I remember).

This third photo is wrong for so many reasons... Never mind the 17th century outfit with the cell phone - I particularly enjoy my fellow musician behind meditating on his Krispy Kreme.