Joe Pessia

Instructor

Hailing from Boston, MA, Joe started playing guitar in his early teens inspired by The Beatles, AC/DC, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and Queen.

Playing in bands throughout high school led him to attending Berklee College of Music in Boston where he graduated with a degree in Professional Music. As a member of the bands Dramagods (with Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme / Rihanna), Tantric (the platinum selling band with albums produced by Toby Wright of Alice In Chains fame), Hurtsmile (featuring Gary Cherone of Extreme and formerly of Van Halen), and currently Steelheart, Joe has toured the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia and performed on national television programs like The Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Joe has shared stages with the likes of Perry Farrell of Janes Addiction, Mike Mangini of Dream Theater, George Lynch of Dokken, Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Warren DeMartini of Ratt, Robby Krieger of The Doors and has opened for artists such as Alice in Chains, Sammy Hagar, Bret Michaels, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, YES, and Judas Priest. In addition to Steelheart, he is currently performing with the Eagles tribute ‘Dark Desert Eagles’ featuring Pat Badger from Extreme.

Joe has also collaborated on various albums as a guitarist, bassist, co-writer, co-producer, and engineer. His music has been used by ESPN, the NHL, MLB, and as the walk-up music for Tampa Bay Ray’s former third baseman, Evan Longoria on the video game ‘MLB-2K10’. He recently acted in the movie, “Trust in Love”, which has already won significant accolades at numerous film festivals around the world.