We recently connected with Joe Cafarella and have shared our conversation below.
Joe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
There’s quite a few being an independent artist / musician but the biggest claim to fame is writing music for the (UFC) Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The UFC had been using my band, STEMM music since 2002 on their TV Shows.
As the UFC was approaching a legendary fight UFC 40, I received a call from UFC Owner / CEO Dana White asking if I could write a song speciifically for UFC 40.
We demoed some songs the next day and sent them off and 1 week later the UFC producers were in Buffalo NY and booked time for us to record the song, ‘Face the Pain’ which aired for the 1st time on UFC 40 November 22, 2002 Tit0 Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock.
After 6 months of treatments and testing, I got a call while STEMM was on the road heading to Cleveland, Ohio from the UFC producers saying, “Congratulations, your song Face the Pain is now the Official Theme Song for the Ultimate Fighting Championship!”
Not only that but the UFC has licensed over 25 songs I have written during my time in STEMM as well as songs I have written for music libraries in production music.
Face the Pain was the official UFC theme song from 2002 to 2018 and even though it is not the opening track today, Dana White still walks out to Face the Pain.
Joe, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I got my start writing music for the ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP (UFC) in 2002.
Credited for writing 25+ songs licensed by the UFC including theme song “FACE THE PAIN” for TV, Movies & Video Games during my time in my Hard Rock / Metal act STEMM.
Outside of my tenure with the UFC, I write for APM Music, Universal Music, Sonoton Production Music, Atomica Music, The Fight Network and more! With sync placements all over the world!
I formed Seeing Red Music with a focus on songwriting, music publishing, production music and artist development services in the “New Music Industry”
I have a team of writers, engineers and producers capable of writing music for nearly any type of situation from country and blues to rock and heavy metal genres.
I am always looking for like minded writers looking to expand their career and introduce them to the world of ‘Production Music’
As an independent artist, I also have knowledge on marketing and promotion and how to release your music to build an organic fanbase without the help of a record label.
No situation is too small, I love a good challenge. I have worked in many genres that I feel my services were not needed and just by ‘trying’ some songs that I collaborated on have been placed on television shows all over the world.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
The music business is full of ups and downs and you have to have a thick skin accepting failure as the stepping stones to success. I look at it as a football team moving down the field. Different plays are used to move the ball down field. Some plays work, some plays can get you in the end zone. 1 successful play can be as hard as moving the ball 1 yard for that 1st down, suffer a QB sack the next play and then get that touchdown pass in the next.
Its all about analyzing what tactics are working and what is not working. You might put out promotion at 11am and nothing happens on social media. That’s ok! So what about doing that same promotion at 3pm and 8pm and even consider 1am where the other side of the world is just waking up while you are sleeping?
The music / entertainment business is always evolving. What was working for you 6 months ago, might be obsolete today. It’s up to you to be willing to learn and adapt or you will be left behind for others who can play the game.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Well 1st and foremost, it is always shocking after 20 years to hear my music aired on the UFC and any other media for that matter. I guess that still makes me a fan of music which I feel some people over time, lose that feeling. I am appreciative to anyone that takes the time to listen share and talk to me about how much a song means to them.
2nd, to be my own boss and work on my own terms to be there for my son and my family is very important to me. I worked ‘punch the clock’ type jobs for many years and you do not realize how much time you actually sacrifice being away from your loved ones for those 8 to 12 hours you are working for someone else.
Don’t get me wrong, I work 10 times harder for myself than I ever did for a 9-5 gig. But, if the school calls to let me know my son is not feeling well I can be there for him in minutes. If there is a ‘snow day’ like yesterday I am not hustling to figure out who can be there for him. I am right here at home working and that means the world to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.seeingredmusic.com and www.stemmband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jodahc and https://www.instagram.com/seeingred_music
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeCafarellaMusic and https://www.facebook.com/seeingredmusic1
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodahc
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jodahc
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jodahc and https://www.youtube.com/@seeingredmusic
- Other: A lot of the seeing red social media is on hold as we are revamping the seeingredmusic website and business model launching in April 2024