Joel O'Keeffe
| Joel O'Keeffe | |
|---|---|
|
Joel O'Keeffe live with Airbourne in Elbriot 2014. | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
25 May 1985 Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | Hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Lead guitar |
| Years active | 2003-present |
| Labels | EMI, Capitol, Roadrunner, Spinefarm |
| Associated acts | Airbourne |
Joel O'Keeffe (born 25 May 1985 in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian musician. He is the vocalist, lead guitarist and one of the founding members of the Australian hard rock band Airbourne, together with his brother, Ryan. During concerts, he opens beer cans by repeatedly hitting them with his head and is known for climbing the structure of the stage to play the guitar at the highest possible height.
Early life
He was born on 25 May 1985 in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia and has one brother called Ryan, born in 1986. He started playing guitar when he has 11 years old, the same age when Ryan started playing the drums.[1]
Career
Airbourne
In 2003, after meeting David Roads (Joel was working in the Criterion Hotel, where David was also working at the time) and Adam Jacobson, the O'Keeffe brothers founded Airbourne.[1] In 2004, the band released their first EP, called Ready to Rock. Shortly afterwards, Adam left the band and Justin Street replaced him as a bass guitarist. In 2007, the band released their first studio album, Runnin' Wild, in collaboration with Lemmy Kilmister, who starred in the music video for the album-titled track. In 2010, the band released their second studio album, called No Guts. No Glory. In 2013, they released their third studio album, called Black Dog Barking. Since 2014, the band has been working on their fourth studio album.
Discography
- Ready to Rock (2004)
- Live at the Playroom (2007)
- Runnin' Wild (2007)
- No Guts. No Glory. (2010)
- Black Dog Barking (2013)
- Breakin' Outta Hell (2016)
Equipment
Like his band mate David Roads, Joel primarily plays Gibson guitars live and in the studio. His main live guitar is a white Gibson Explorer but he also uses different Gibson SG guitars on stage as well. One of his SGs is a black limited edition 61' reissue SG with gold hardware (clearly seen on the single cover art for Runnin' Wild). Also like Roads, Joel uses the Marshall JCM800 Kerry King with the beast section disabled, as well as the JCM2000 and JMPs models of Marshall amplifiers.