Joe Matera, the music maestro, rocks

LIVE AND LOCAL... Joe Matero was born and bred in Kyabram and made his start in live music playing with On the Prowl in Shepparton and surrounds during the 90s. The author will visit Shepparton Library Thursday, September 29 for a book discussion, reading, Q&A, and live acoustic music performance. Photo: Supplied.

THE lifestyle of the rich and famous has entertained, shocked and fascinated audiences for decades.

Kyabram born and bred music journalist and musician, Joe Matera, invites you behind the scenes in his new book, Backstage Pass: The Grit and The Glamour, to see beyond the façade of some of the biggest names in rock and pop music.

“This isn’t a book about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll,” says Joe. “I want people to see that their musical heroes are people just like us.”

“Take just a 24-hour window. If you are performing on stage for two hours, the remaining 22 hours of the day are spent travelling, rehearsing, meeting with press, sometimes you sleep,” says Joe.

“The shows make it all worthwhile, otherwise you wouldn’t go through everything else. There’s a lot people don’t see.”

Joe’s first taste of rock fame was as the guitarist for local band, On the Prowl, who played gigs in Shepparton and along the Murray River during the 90s. He moved to Melbourne in the 2000s to follow his passion for writing and music.

In 2020 when the pandemic put live music on hold, Joe took to writing about his experiences, meeting and writing about some of the biggest names in the industry. Sir George Martin from The Beatles; The Doors; The Smashing Pumpkin’s Billy Corgen; My Chemical Romance; Bay City Rollers; and more.

Backstage Pass: The Grit and The Glamour was published overseas by Empire Publications. Having received rave reviews and holding the number one bestseller on the Amazon Music Book Charts in Sweden for two weeks, Backstage Pass has been made available in Australia.

Pick up your copy from Collins Booksellers Shepparton at 262 Maude Street, Shepparton, online from Amazon, or from any good bookstore.

The author will visit Shepparton Library for an event Thursday, September 29 at 8pm. It will feature a discussion of the book, book reading, Q&A, and a live acoustic music performance.

LIVE AND LOCAL… Joe Matera was born and bred in Kyabram and made his start in live music playing with On the Prowl in Shepparton and surrounds during the 90s. The author will visit Shepparton Library Thursday, September 29 for a book discussion, reading, Q&A, and live acoustic music performance. Photo: Supplied.