SONORAN DREAMS
THE JOEYS
Released 31st January 2025
Produced, mixed and engineered by Bob Hoag at Flying Blanket Recording
Mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room
Cover artwork by El Ray
Back cover photography by Neil Schwartz
All songs written by Dean Cheney except ‘Love Me’ by Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller
Reviewed 20/01/25 by Nick Constantine
Let’s meet the band!
DEAN CHENEY: Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
LOGAN CORMANY: Vocals, Bass Guitar
HAYDEN LAMM: Drums, Whistling
Also featuring BAILEY ZICK on Pedal Steel Guitar & BOB HOAG on Percussion
The Joeys are a young, very energetic three-piece Rock n’ Roll outfit from Phoenix, AZ. They’ve been around since 2019, and took their name from Joey Ramone, one of their favourite performers and have opened for such acts as The Black Lips, 10cc, and The Meteors. They also won Proof is in the Pudding in 2019, one of the biggest music competitions in Arizona, and opened for Alice Cooper at his annual Christmas show. With inspirations ranging from The Stray Cats, The Doors, Everly Brothers, The Clash, Little Richard, The Beatles and X, The Joeys combine classic and modern songwriting with a distinctive Southwestern flavour. Their live shows are explosive and exciting, always offering a crowd good variety, whether it’s a fast-paced rocker, a slow heartfelt ballad, and anything in between. During the summer of 2024, The Joeys collaborated with local legend Bob Hoag for their newest collection of songs, “Sonoran Dreams”.
I had a chat with the band to get some background info and here is a fantastic insight into this album from Dean -
“Blending a mix of Rockabilly, Surf, Americana, and Punk, our exact “genre” is hard to pin down, but one time an audience member said we “sound like Arizona” and I’d say that’s pretty darn accurate.
I was inspired to cover Love Me after I watched the David Lynch movie “Wild at Heart.” In that movie, Nicholas Cage hops on stage with a metal band in the middle of their performance and he starts serenading Laura Dern. The performance is over the top and comes totally out of nowhere, and I thought maybe we could have the same effect if we incorporated it into our live show. As for the other songs, they are all originals that were written over the course of the last couple of years. They all tell some type of story, whether it’s from the POV of a vengeful psychopath on “I Will Find You” or a love letter from a Mexican prison on “Mexican Sunrise.”
“Following my Bliss” was inspired by a quote from the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir and tells the story of a carefree man following his life wherever it takes him. The first track of side 2 “I Am Hanging On” is our best tribute to rockabilly and is about a man slowly losing grip on everything around him.
The final track on the album, “The Phantom Bride of 13 Curves,” is a true piece of folklore about a man and woman who perished in a car crash on the way to their honeymoon. Since then, locals have claimed to see a Phantom Bride patrolling the road, searching for her long-lost husband. When I heard this story, I couldn’t believe there wasn’t already a song about it.”
Let’s have a listen to the tracks on the album after finding out about the story behind them!
SONORAN SERENADE
The Sonoran Desert is a hot desert in North America and the largest city in there is Phoenix, Arizona, where the band hail from. Obviously taking influence from this large patch of sand, moody and atmospheric guitars open up this track [and indeed the album, giving us a taster of things to come]. Fastly building into a crescendo, then developing into a bluesy serenade, this song is reminiscent of soundtracks from old westerns and we’re imagining cowboys riding out into the sunset.
I WILL FIND YOU
Immediately making you sit up and take notice with a fast guitar riff and beating drum, there is a slightly Spanish influence here, passionately demanding that you had better run and hide because they’re after you to take their revenge, they’re angry and aggressive, but then slowing down midway through, taunting you, menacingly, it’s only a matter of time, don’t let them catch you!
MEXICAN SUNRISE
With part of the Sonoran Desert located in North West Mexico, these guys know what they’re talking about. The Mexican Sunrise is the start of a new day, maybe a new start with some regrets from behaviour before! This lively and very catchy, story-telling song, with some great steel guitar to add to the emotions, tells of a relationship in the not too distant past, which has been messed up, with maybe no reconciliation except in dreams. Therefore trying to explain to the love of their life, that they did a stupid thing, it’s in the past and the sunrise is hopefully a new beginning.
FOLLOWING MY BLISS
Rockin’, Country influenced Rockabilly! Definitely a bit of an 80’s vibe to this superbly catchy, happy-about-just-about-everything song. And it’s also about not giving a toss, just get on and enjoy life! The slide guitar also adds a lovely extra happy feel-good factor!
I AM HANGING ON
Starting like a classic rockabilly track, you’re sat there wondering ‘where have I heard this before?’, well you haven’t! It’s brand new here! Because of that, it’s set to become a fresh classic and should be picked up by any Rockin’ DJs, that want to fill the floor with boppers! Moving from a slow tempo, to a sudden faster pace throughout the track, there’s also a rowdy, wild, full-on rockabilly break in the middle for those bopping on the dance floor to freak out to! Awesome! If this had been released in the 80s it would be a classic and loved track today.
‘TIL MAÑANA
A lovely, mellow instrumental, evoking sunset images across the desert, dreaming of cowboys trekking along, soaking in the peace and quiet and natural beauty.
LOVE ME
Ok! This is an Elvis cover! But it’s not trying to be like Elvis! The arrangement is very similar, with great backing vocals, but this is raw and heartfelt, slightly kitsch, dramatic, passionate and cool! See Dean’s comments about this track above!
THE PHANTOM BRIDE OF 13 CURVES
This a very fast, raw rocker! Pure rock n roll, bordering on Psychobilly! Imagine the Guana Batz, Demented Are Go!, Motorhead and The Charlie Daniels Band (The Devil Went Down To Georgia) collaborating on a song!
This is a stunning debut mini album/ EP, only 8 tracks, but every one is a killer! A great variety of styles within, absolutely showcasing what talents this young 3 piece have between them. Go buy it, give it a few plays and I guarantee you’ll be hooked, singin’ along, tappin’ your foot, swaying your arms, swingin’ and drinkin’ your beer! Spread the word (and the music) of The Joeys!
"Love Me" was released digitally last year as a single and "Phantom Bride of 13 Curves" is exclusive to the vinyl/cd releases.
The EP/mini album will be released on all streaming services January 31. They're working on getting a retail partner to carry physical copies but until then, people can message them on the website at https://joeys.band/contact and request to purchase a copy.
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