Analysis: The Jericho Road Crew

The air conditioner hummed softly in the background on the hot summer night. The top of his head shone in the bright chandelier light. He sat thoughtfully with his elbows resting on the handmade wooden dining room table. The gears in his brain turned as he recalled his past experiences that were so life changing for him. The hair that he had was long and tied back in a pony tail. He had a classic short trimmed beard with traces of gray distributed without. He recalled a time almost four decades earlier when his first inspiration came.
After watching his dad play the guitar with so much skill, one night 1978, the time came for Joe Casilli to try it himself. The inspiration that his father supplied was enough to keep him playing for hours

on end with just four chords. The first song he learned how to play was Blue Moon, not an easy beginner song. His endurance through the song however would prove his ability to learn the important life skill of self education. Joe continued to practice and learn the electric guitar by himself. While most high schoolers may have been fooling around in study hall, Joe would rub his fingers against a rough metal spiral notebook. The calluses that he developed on his fingers were vastly important for him to be able to play for such extended periods of time. His determination to become legendary at the guitar continued to lead him on much further.
Hour upon hour, Joe continued to learn everything he could possibly teach himself to play on the guitar.

He memorized every scale on the guitar, all of the notes, and most importantly, mastered improvisation. He learned this way for 19 years of dedicated work. Joe did not read music, he felt music in his veins. Joe’s talent that progressed so far through those years was finally recognized. The Jericho Road Crew was a band that was around for about eight years before Joe. It started out as a string band and has since developed to incorporate many other types of music as well. The Jericho Road Crew is a band that plays both cover tunes and original music. They have performed in many concerts before and have enough original material for two full CD's. The band has changed significantly over the years, starting with about seven members to now where they have three and are looking to add two

more.
Four years into the band, Joe hit another milestone. Their young bass guitar player left to go to school. Joe played the electric, which was much less important than the bass guitar in what was a part string, bluegrass, country, and folk band. He made the move and pick up what turned out to be a great bass guitar. Even though the bass guitar was indeed a different instrument, its notes and scales are the same as the bottom four strings on a six string guitar. It took just a few weeks before Joe started to be able to feel the music, just like the electric. With the bass guitar he could now make his own style changes on the music that he was playing and he loved it. Soon enough, Joe felt just as comfortable with both guitars and played them equally.
Joe recognized his ability to play the guitar as a gift from God that he could share with others.

His talent was amazing and he loved to use it. Joe says, “One of my favorite songs to play would be In Christ Alone. . . for me it really tells the story that Christ is everything and in Him alone is our joy found.” Joe also loves every other song that he plays at church too. He treats both the guitars as equally challenging, or easy. The technique is definitely different between the two, but Joe can’t decide which is easier or better than the other. The bass guitar requires tempo and a good player like Joe who can feel the song. The six-string guitar includes lead as well as solos that can also prove challenging and

fun.
Joe’s passion for the guitar radiates from him and his guitar as he plays. He loves to share his passion with other people. His piece of advice for anyone starting out playing the guitar is “don’t play by yourself all the time; play with music, play with a metronome, play with your friends.” Through encouraging others, to playing in his band, to playing at church, to his guitar collection, to his ability to feel songs, to his 37 years of experience, Joe Casilli plays both the six string and bass guitar with awe-striking talent.