We were lucky to catch up with Joey Billingsley recently and have shared our conversation below.

Joey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In order to be successful in any industry, it takes a lot of patience, dedication, and sacrifice. When I decided to work in the live music industry I started working as a Door Staff employee at The Pageant and Delmar Hall with the intention of working in production. While working there I attended Webster University for Sound Recording and Engineering in order to attain the knowledge necessary for doing Audio Production. Many opportunities came up to work in the production department however, I wanted to gain all the knowledge possible in that field before coming into it. I did a few side gigs here and there doing audio and recording bands and later did an internship at the venue I was working security/bartending. I put in lots of time working for nothing and picking the brains of the engineers in the production department. Once I finished my internship, I shadowed fellow engineers as much as I could until a job came up for an Audio Tech for Delmar Hall. I still work there today and I can confidently say that I love the job and the people I work with. Without The Pageant and Delmar Hall I would not have gotten where I am today.

Joey, 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?

Growing up I was always using music as some sort of outlet. I picked up a guitar when I was 13 and began teaching myself how to play guitar. At some point in High school my older brother mentioned that Webster University teaches how to record music. That was my goal until I realized that furthering my education was going to be expensive and I did not have the discipline to do another four years of schooling, This led to me enlisting in The United States Marine Corps where I was a Field Radio Operator for 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, Lima Company. After achieving the rank of Sergeant, I decided to leave and go back to school. I went for a degree in Environmental Science but settled for an associates in General Education.

I hopped from job to job, continued to write music and play live performances in small bars and events. I made my way back to St. Louis and began a job as door staff security and eventually a bartender at The Pageant and Delmar Hall. This was short lived as COVID restrictions shut both venues down, and I was lost as to what I wanted to do. I decided to pursue my dream of working in the music industry and went back to school at Webster University for a degree in Sound Recording and Engineering. Once the restrictions from the pandemic were lifted, I was able to go back to The Pageant and Delmar Hall where I continued to bartend. I then began to shadow and do an internship, learning how to do live audio in a venue that has some of the best equipment in town. I compare it to taking a drivers ed course in a Cadillac. The engineers were very helpful and taught me so much that I wasn’t able to learn in school. After graduating with a B.S. in Sound Recording and Engineering, I then received a job as an Audio Tech at Delmar Hall.

One thing that I am most proud of is doing a project with my good friend Jessica Weidhaas called South City Sessions. We record local musicians, give them a quality music video of them playing live. The idea is to help promote local musicians around the St. Louis area. We have so many good artists in this area and I love being able to use my skills (as well as my partners skills) to create something with talented individuals.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect is helping create something for the audience and artists alike to enjoy. When running monitors on stage, it is important to me that the artists can hear all the instruments clearly and be able to vibe and create music comfortably on the stage. When you can’t hear the other band members or yourself it’s hard to perform to the best of your ability. Seeing the band having a good time on stage and complimenting the sound is rewarding in itself.

When mixing at front of house, it’s rewarding seeing the audience having a good time to an artist they paid to see. Whether it’s a band they love, or a band they’ve discovered it is important to myself and my fellow engineers that they get the best experience possible. Seeing people jump up and down, clap, mosh, and even crowd surf during the artists perfomance shows that they’re having a good time and that’s what is rewarding. It’s like making art at school and your parents hang it on the fridge.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

In this industry, networking is the best strategy for growing clientele. If you don’t put yourself out there, talk to people, and try to collaborate with artists the road will be very difficult. You want to be the person that when someone is looking for work to be done another person says “I know someone!”. Going to live shows, talking with artists/engineers, and putting in the work will create so many opportunities you didn’t even know existed.

Contact Info:

• Website: southcitysessions.com
• Instagram: @jbillingsley13
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephbillingsley13/

Image Credits
Jessica Weidhaas