The World-Famous Spirit Room Bar features live music acts by local Arizona musicians. Join us for select weekends:
For the best music and atmosphere in Jerome AZ!
Joe Baker is an Arizona-based guitarist and singer performing 1920’s jazz, western swing, blues, and early country. Raised in Sedona, Joe first cut his musical teeth with a set of drum sticks, solidifying the deep-seated rhythm you hear in his music today. As he continued his early musical explorations, Joe got hooked on guitar and vocals and quickly dedicated his focus here at age twenty. Not long after, Joe moved to Portland, Oregon where he thrived playing the local club scene with his unique blend of blues and country-influenced rock, punk, and indie.
By the mid-2000s, Joe’s musical interests had honed in on early jazz, influenced by artists such as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, and Bessie Smith. This resulted in the formation of his first trad-jazz-meets-country band, The Barefoot Brakemen, and their release of the 2007 album, “Shook, Broke, Hung.” As his captivation with early jazz continued, 2014 saw the collaboration with singer Joy Pearson to form the wildly popular High Water Jazz Band, playing throughout the Portland area and with appearances at the Waterfront Blues Festival, Cathedral Park Jazz Festival, and Alberta Rose Theatre.
After a few years Joe again felt the urge to sing as well as explore new musical directions. This led to the formation of The Kitchen Men, with regular monthly slots at the local honky-tonk, The Landmark Saloon, and cemented his ideas for the range of material you hear today – original renditions of classics with underpinnings from the earliest days of jazz to Hank Williams-era country.
Nearing the end of his time in Portland, Joe appeared with Thee Carney Bakers, a 1920s jazz band co-led with legendary saxophone player Ralph Carney (Tom Waits).
Joe returned to his beloved Arizona in 2017 and quickly put together both the 7-piece The Jumpin’ Cholla Band and the 3-piece Joe Baker Trio, opening for such national acts as Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, Petunia & The Vipers, and Tav Falco.
Joe can also be found playing in the old-time country duo, Camp & Baker, led by fiddler/vocalist Carolyn Camp (Pick & Holler). Formed in 2018, the pair continues to perform throughout Arizona.
During the radical changes to the live music scene brought on by COVID, Joe took the opportunity to develop his solo act which now keeps him on the road, playing venues all over Arizona and the Southwest.
Take a listen to Joe’s newest 2022 solo releases, “Sugar Blues” and “Some Of These Days”, available on all digital platforms.
We are excited to have multi-instrumentalist Franco Campanello hosting our Open Mic this Thursday! The concept of the open mic has been around for decades and can encompass comedy, poetry and obviously music and more. Well, we do focus on music, but there have been evenings at our open mic where we have slam poets and beat artists show up.
Just bring your favorite guitar, harmonica, bass, drums, congas, bongos, synthesizer and sunglasses and join us this Thursday evening from 7-10 and let’s make some music!
Growing up with no computer, cell phone, Ipod or even a television, is just not that common anymore, anywhere, but for Tony Balbinot, bandleader and singer/songwriter, guitarist for the Cadillac Angels, that’s exactly how it was. Born in a small, rural farm town in Illinois, in a house without even a television, only a radio and an old record player, Tony’s connection to the big music world was limited to WLS Radio out of Chicago and used 45 rpm records from a jukebox in a diner where his single mother was a waitress. Musical influences varied widely from Johnny Horton to Jimmy Reed, and when his small family packed up and moved to California the spectrum widened and bloomed. With Tony’s growing interest in electric guitar, Link Wray, Dick Dale, BB King, and John Fogerty began to heat up his second hand stereo and his fingers.
Midwestern roots combined with a western migration spawned the guitar driven musical and songwriting style that makes the Cadillac Angels music so special. Now, with over a million miles of touring, and over ten full length original CDs, the band has toured most of the USA and over seven countries in Great Britain and Western Europe. Their first recordings won them “Best Roots Demo” at Austin’s prestigious South by Southwest Music Conference, and their songs have been featured in major full length films as well as commercials.
The Gretsch Guitar Company recognized Tony’s talents and awarded him an artists endorsement. He was invited to perform at Gretsch’s 125th year anniversary celebration, where he shared the stage with legends, Dick Dale, Billy Gibbons, and Jimmie Vaughn. Tony’s picture now hangs in the Gretsch Hall of Fame in Scottsdale, AZ right between Chet Atkins and Brian Jones. Not bad for a country boy from Illinois!
The Cadillac Angels have never caved to musical fads or commercial pressure. They have elected to remain a trio, feeling that the honest sound of one electric guitar, bass and basic drums best suits the integrity of their style…a style born out of the American heartland, traveling the world, yet still their music rings true Rock and Roll…American music.
Growing up with no computer, cell phone, Ipod or even a television, is just not that common anymore, anywhere, but for Tony Balbinot, bandleader and singer/songwriter, guitarist for the Cadillac Angels, that’s exactly how it was. Born in a small, rural farm town in Illinois, in a house without even a television, only a radio and an old record player, Tony’s connection to the big music world was limited to WLS Radio out of Chicago and used 45 rpm records from a jukebox in a diner where his single mother was a waitress. Musical influences varied widely from Johnny Horton to Jimmy Reed, and when his small family packed up and moved to California the spectrum widened and bloomed. With Tony’s growing interest in electric guitar, Link Wray, Dick Dale, BB King, and John Fogerty began to heat up his second hand stereo and his fingers.
Midwestern roots combined with a western migration spawned the guitar driven musical and songwriting style that makes the Cadillac Angels music so special. Now, with over a million miles of touring, and over ten full length original CDs, the band has toured most of the USA and over seven countries in Great Britain and Western Europe. Their first recordings won them “Best Roots Demo” at Austin’s prestigious South by Southwest Music Conference, and their songs have been featured in major full length films as well as commercials.
The Gretsch Guitar Company recognized Tony’s talents and awarded him an artists endorsement. He was invited to perform at Gretsch’s 125th year anniversary celebration, where he shared the stage with legends, Dick Dale, Billy Gibbons, and Jimmie Vaughn. Tony’s picture now hangs in the Gretsch Hall of Fame in Scottsdale, AZ right between Chet Atkins and Brian Jones. Not bad for a country boy from Illinois!
The Cadillac Angels have never caved to musical fads or commercial pressure. They have elected to remain a trio, feeling that the honest sound of one electric guitar, bass and basic drums best suits the integrity of their style…a style born out of the American heartland, traveling the world, yet still their music rings true Rock and Roll…American music.