Who's the Guy with the Funny Name? After the first five seconds of his music, listeners will be surprised to hear that Joe Hickey does not come from a long line of famous Irish tenors. Though music may not be the only thing going for this singer and songwriter (he's also a Ph.D. chemist teaching in the Bay Area), he wouldn't need much else. With a vocal range rivaling that of his greatest influence, Jeff Buckley, the accessibility of Jason Mraz, and the songwriting chops of a more intellectual Zakk Wylde, Joe will make you glad you forgot what the person next to you was saying. With a rich vibrato and cutting diction, it's hard to miss every metaphor or subtle twist of a phrase that decorates his message about love, self-examination, and finding yourself suddenly in the fast lane. While fusing influences ranging from an adolescence spent with grunge, blues and classic rock, to a later discovery of progressive rock and funk, to recent interests in R&B and folk, he employs a sense for melody that will leave you not just with a song in your heart, but probably one rattling around your head for the rest of the night. He flutters into soft falsetto; he growls ferociously; instrumentally he displays intricate beauty and raw rhythmic power alternately. Expect the unexpected, and have fun trying to guess the next in a series of dramatic shifts in tempo, mood and tonality that have defined his musical style. In the aftermath a chaotic summer, Joe is back on his own as a musician and has returned his focus to the teaching profession. You can, however, go to the Music Page of this website to hear his sound and look for the Grace Woods Trio on iTunes to hear his work in three years with that jazz-pop group.