HE may have left Wings two years ago, but his former band name remains a suffix to his stage name, just for the convenience of fans. Seasoned rock guitarist Joe has no complaints if music lovers address him as Joe Wings or Joe Prime Domestic after his current band, but this Dec 9, he would rather be just Joe.
The reason? He is going to have his first major solo showcase, which he describes as a celebration of 35 years in music. Titled The Best Of Joe, it takes place at 9pm in Hard Rock Cafe in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
“It’s a two-hour celebration of my music career, it’s not a tribute to any particular band I’ve been part of but is the sum total of my work as a guitarist all these decades,” he said at the launch of The Best Of Joe in Hard Rock Cafe on Nov 22.
Joe’s 105-minute showcase in the popular restaurant will showcase most of the major hits which featured him as guitarist, as well as lesser-known collaborations with artistes other than Wings. “We’ll have about 20 songs, mostly hard-rocking ones as befitting the name of the venue, one of my favourite places in town.
“It’s a ‘Joe show’ in every sense, that allows me to play both familiar and unfamiliar tunes that have been part and parcel of my long journey in the industry. And as for my collaborators, I’ve got half of them from my current band and the rest from other bands.
“If it’s Joe’s solo concert, it has to be different from a Prime Domestic concert,” he said.
Joining Joe on stage are his two Prime Domestic (rebranded as PrimeD last August) bandmates, drummer Ainol and bassist Rozaimi, Soul Statue’s Adi as keyboardist, and Electric 5’s Zul as vocalist.
“Ainol, Rozaimi and I are discussing the possibility of recruiting Zul into PrimeD. We’ve been without a vocalist since Aweera quit last August to form Pelita Lusoh,” said Joe. He described Zul, who has been singing with various bands for 15 years, as a seasoned vocalist who sounds a lot like Wings’ lead singer, Datuk Awie.
“Awie, Wings and I remain friends despite parting ways. Even if we don’t work together anymore, I’ll always appreciate the years we spent together as my training ground. Without Wings, I wouldn’t have learnt to fly musically!”
FIVE LIVE ALBUMS FOR WINGS
Muar-born Joe, 49, or Abdul Zamin Abdul Kadir, first played the guitar at 13, and worked with various rock bands in Johor.
The first major band he joined was Scandals in 1986, and its best known single, Penantian Yang Tak Pasti, that year, was his composition. Two years later he joined Wings as lead guitarist, and worked with its current members Awie, Eddie and Black on their second album, Hukum Karma.
He spent 28 years as Wings' lead guitarist and producer, and produced nine of its 11 studio albums, including Bazooka Penaka (1993), Orang Asing (1995), Biru Mata Hitamku (1996), Opera Dalam Kenangan (1994), Mencari Asal-Usul (1998), Mr Barbarik (2000), Naga Kramat (2002) and Menakluk Kosmos (2014).
Joe also produced five live albums for Wings, namely Alive 2006 (2007), Wings Live At Planet Hollywood (2008), Wings 21st Anniversary (2009), Double Trouble Live In JB (2010) and Wings Rochestra (2013).
Besides working with Wings, Joe has also produced albums for the rock bands Def Gab C, Tropika, Double Line, Jinbara, Slash and NRG.
His best-known recordings with prominent artistes include Gadis Melayu with Datuk Jamal Abdillah (2006) and Zakiah with Datuk Hattan (2007).
As a solo guitarist, he has been a guest of Blues Gang in Anugerah Industri Muzik (2004), and Search in its concerts Selepas Banjir and Live At Planet Hollywood (both in 2007). Joe has also acted in six films - Pemburu Bayang (1993), Putera (1994), Amelia (1995), Superstar (1995), Awang Trasher (2012) and Leftwings (2012).
Putera, a Malaysianised version of Eddie Murphy’s Coming To America, saw him play a prince from a fictitious Southeast Asian kingdom who arrives in Kuala Lumpur to look for a wife.
THREE IS COMPANY
“All five of us have been rehearsing hard, more than four hours daily, for three weeks now. It may be a small venue, but we want to make it a memorable treat for true rock lovers, hence the intense practice sessions,” said Joe, adding that he had invited some of his old friends from the music industry to come watch the show.
“I’d be very happy if members of my former bands showed up in support. We may have parted ways, but I’ve got no bad feelings towards any of them. This is what true musicians do, stay united for the sake of the industry, bandmate or otherwise.”
When asked about the future of PrimeD, Joe said the group will remain a trio for now, because it was “much easier to work together”.
“Wings had four members, then I left. And when PrimeD started out, there were five of us, and three left. I guess three is company!”
PrimeD was formed shortly after Joe left Wings, and its original members were Ainol, Aweera, guitarist Hillary Ang, bassist Fauzi, and himself. Last year, it came up with album Prima Domestika, which Joe is promoting.
“PrimeD may become a quintet again, if we find good musicians with talent and team spirit. Numbers don’t matter, what’s important is dedication to, and passion for, Malaysian rock.”
The Best Of Joe is produced by JJ Rockestra and supported by Hard Rock Cafe. JJ Rockestra chairman Datuk Seri Johari Jamaluddin says Joe is one of the hardest-working rock guitarists in the country who has inspired many musicians over the years.
“He may not have fronted any band, but he is a legend in his own right, so now is his chance to take centrestage in his very own celebration of rock,” he said.
Tickets are priced at RM50. Call 03-2715 5555.