Fort Worth musician Joseph Neville performed on TR Campus Oct. 19 and answered questions about the music industry as part of TR’s Café Music series.
Neville performed a mix of tracks, including cover songs like “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young and an original song of his titled “Bible Belt.” The two-hour set was followed by a brief intermission and a post-performance interview referred to as “Backstage Pass.”
This semester, TR student activities scheduled a roster of seven artists, a boost from their usual two or three, with Neville attached to that list.
“We work through a production company in Fort Worth, and so we request for them to schedule our artists for us,” TR student activities coordinator Carly Johnston said. “But as time has gone on, there’s some names that you can tell the audience like them. Joseph is a great example of that.”
Johnston said Neville has previously accepted TCC’s invitation to perform several times and that a major goal of the event is to introduce students to local artists.
The interview is the most recent addition to the Café Music series, which has been a semesterly occurrence for the better part of five years. Johnston had a sit-down conversation with Neville and then opened the floor to students who could ask questions and gain insight from the musician.
Although this Q&A session is the first of its kind, it will not be the last, Johnston said.
“We hope to repeat it in the future, not necessarily just with musicians, but with other industry professionals,” Johnston said. “Just, like, good inside information like that from a current industry professional in the name of career readiness, and then going forward, hoping that we can theme these events to each of the different five pathways.”
TR student Priscilla Sosa said she researched Neville prior to attending the event and considers herself a fan of his music now. She said knowing about his set helped lift her spirits.
“I was having a bad morning, and then I knew he was playing, and so I was like, ‘OK, well [my] class was canceled, so I can actually come here and relax and listen to music,’” Sosa said. “It just made me happier overall.”
During the Q&A, Sosa asked Neville how to get past stage fright and perform her best despite nerves.
“The truth is, I still get nervous,” Neville said. “I think just like anything, it’s practice, and the only way you can really practice that is by getting out in front of people and doing it.”
Neville said that if a person is nervous about something, it usually means that it matters to them. He said to embrace the nerves.
“Just tell yourself, like, ‘All right, I’m nervous, and that’s OK,’” he said. “’I’m going to do it anyways, and I’m going to do my best.’ And then I think over time, those nerves will become less and less powerful.”
Neville has a background in music education, and he said he feels that it plays a role in his passion for helping other artists thrive in the industry.
“I was teaching piano full –time, and all these kids had to take piano, and I know that not all of them had a passion for piano,” Neville said. “Then a few weeks, a few months down the road, they’re playing this piece at this recital, and they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s pretty cool. A few weeks ago, I couldn’t do this. Now, I can do it.’ I think that that translates into other areas of life. That’s what happened to me.”
The next Café Music performance will take place Nov. 3 with local artist Mollie Danel. An open mic night is set to happen that same day from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will be open to all TCC students, faculty and staff.
Johnston said she believes it’s a good opportunity for student talent to be showcased and that everybody who attends wants to support those who step up to the mic.
“Open mic has been a really, really fun new tradition that we have as part of the Café Music series,” Johnston said. “That’s really the opportunity to meet students where they are, give students a little taste of live performance if they haven’t done it in an environment that they know is very small. It’s safe. It’s supportive.”
