About

Joe Cantor is a singer/songwriter who writes and plays acoustic/folk music with a blues influence. From Los Angeles, he grew up in a diverse family full of musicians. He started out playing bass then taught himself guitar. In Jr. High and High School he spent most of his time playing out of garages in rock and punk rock bands. Exposed early on to a wide range of musical styles, he sites Bob Dylan, The Band, John Lee Hooker, Hank Williams, Stevie Nicks, Band of Horses, Black Sabbath, and Bob Marley as his biggest influences. His roots in old and new Los Angeles, New York City, and the woods of Maine as well as many visits and stays in small town America and small town Mexico has also influenced his style.

Joe’s songs come from a storytelling perspective. They are about real life, simple and straightforward yet original and dream-like in their poetically collaged arrangements. “3 AM” is about an outcast who sees things that are really there at a certain time; no one believes him when he tries to explain what he saw.

Leaving LA after highschool, Joe spent 20 + years as a resident of Brooklyn and has had the good fortune to develop his sound with great New York musicians. He says playing with these musicians gives his music new life. In the summer of 2011, Joe released his first professional CD, In Depth of You. His latest album Puzzle pieces, was put out in 2014. In 2022, Joe moved back to LA.

Joe is also a Professional Photographer. To check out his work please visit his photography website.