Today we’d like to introduce you to Joey Nowd.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Well, my story is has a lot of twists and turns, so I will try to summarize as efficiently as possible. I was born on April 30th, 1985, at Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital, in Brighton, Massachusetts to my mother Noreen (an RN at Brighton Marine currently; going on 40+ years) and Peter K. Nowd (a dentist in Brighton, now retired and fishing. A lot.).
I have three older brothers, and one younger; A Boston Police Officer, An Engineer at a major Biotech Company a Correctional Officer for the State of Massachusetts a newly graduated Medical Doctor.) I am the fourth of five sons, and we are all very much “momma’s boys.” My mother swears she wouldn’t have had it any other way, although there are times we question that. We grew up on Dunklee Street, right off of Fanieul Street, in Brighton, and all of us attended Saint Columbkille’s Elementary School as children. I grew up dressing my younger brother in goalie equipment and playing street hockey every summer with my friends or going down the Cape to go clamming with my father, but mainly, playing hockey.
Hockey would probably be the name of the first chapter of my story if there were ever a biography. We moved to Needham, Massachusetts (15 Minutes Southeast of Brighton) when I was about 12 years old, which was a difficult transition for me because by then, everyone had sort of formed their “heading into high school soon” cliques. I was also right smack in the middle of my awkward pre-pubescent chubby, bowl cut, still into pro-wrestling phase of my life as well, so I wasn’t exactly Cassanova.
However, as I grew into myself, I became quite good at hockey, and the Needham High School team was very, very good during these years. This kind of became my identity in high school, the captain of the hockey team. Although I always hung out with everyone, the theater kids, the video game kids; I think that acceptance of everyone was built into me because of the difficulty I had when I first moved to try to make new friends. Either way, High school ended and I went up to Burlington, Vermont for one year to Saint Michael’s College, which was my father’s alma mater. I was way out of my element in Burlington, so I transferred to Stonehill College, sophomore year, to be closer to Boston, and because it had a better academic reputation.
I wasn’t playing hockey anymore by sophomore year, and quickly discovered what anxiety, and I mean crippling anxiety was. Something was missing, and suddenly I wasn’t “the hockey player” anymore. I had no idea what my next step was until I stumbled upon it. I was late registering for 2nd-semester classes sophomore year (of course) and I had to choose between chemistry or musical theater. I couldn’t believe it, but musical theater beats chemistry any day of the week in my book. So, I embarrassed myself for a while in class, until one day the vocal coach, Professor Goldberg, made me stay after. She gave me a song and forced me to learn it, and I mean ACTUALLY learn it.
So every singing class, I stayed after and worked on it with her. She can be credited for any vocal ability I have today, for sure, because if it wasn’t for her forcing me out of my comfort zone and kind of “letting go” in order to sing, I never would have been performing with my band at Brighton Common in October (this year) for a benefit concert. Okay, I’m not sure where you’d like me to focus, so I’m going to speed it up from here.
Once I discovered I could sing, and act, I fell in love with it, and it kind of become my “hockey.” By the end of Stonehill is was either Law School or Acting, and I have never been the type of person to take the more conventional route, so I followed my heart and auditioned for the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. I got in, and decided to move to Los Angeles, and attend the school. It was a great experience, and I met so many amazing people there. I would say that was when my life really kind of started to take shape. I was completely alone, on the other side of the country from anyone I knew, and I had to figure out what I was made of.
I had a pretty successful acting career after graduating from AMDA. I started an improv troupe named “Lobster Office” that sold out black box theaters around Hollywood. I booked a small gig on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where I played “Spock” in a Star Trek spoof with William Shatner, as well as some commercial work and a couple guest spots on shows such as “Plain Jane” on the CW Network.
I desperately missed the live audience though. So I decided to try to Stand Up Comedy, as all of my roles were comedic for the most part, and it seemed to come naturally to me.
This part of my life I would call Chapter 2. I obviously sucked for about three months, until I began to remember the jokes that worked, and started putting together a set that grew longer and longer. I started booking more shows until I was playing places like The Comedy Store on Sunset, The Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, Flappers in Burbank, and the HaHa Cafe in North Hollywood, almost every night. I was good, and for me to say that, takes a lot. I am my own harshest critic.
However, by the end of my time in LA, I was a very solid comic, opening for anyone you can think of; Dane Cook, Sarah Silverman, Bill Burr, Damon Wayans, you name it, I shared the stage with them. The only issue was that at this point, I had given myself 5 years to be at a certain place, financially, and I was at eight years, and not even close. I was 29, and I had a burning feeling that I had something else to give, and then if I didn’t change career paths quickly, I would miss my opportunity. It was a devastating decision, to say the least, but I had four beautiful nieces and wonderful nephew at home who barely knew who I was, and my folks weren’t getting younger, so I decided it was time to figure out what this other calling could be.
Moving back to Boston sucked. I won’t sugar coat it for you. It sucked. It was a different city. Everyone who made fun of Boston out in California was right; everyone was an asshole for no reason, hahaha. Most importantly, for the first time in my life, I truly felt like a failure. I had no idea what I was going to do, I had no friends left here, and I was throwing myself one hell of a pity party. This would be the beginning of Chapter 3; which is by far the most meaningful, painful, humbling, beautiful and life-altering chapter of my story so far, for sure.
For a solid year, I truly struggled. It was the first time I had “failed” (in my opinion) and I had no direction. I was back bartending where I had been 8 years prior, drinking too much, and going nowhere fast. I found myself blaming everyone else rather than reflecting and seeing any positives. I can speak this in more depth if you’d like, as it was a good year until I finally, after being so miserable and pushing so many people away, that I gave up. I remember distinctly the day I just said: “please, whatever is out there, if there is anything out there, just put me out of my misery or help me.”
In the coming weeks, it was like someone woke me up. It wasn’t as if the world had changed, but I no longer worried about asking for help. I had an amazing support system of family and friends that pointed me toward people who had been in similar situations, and instead of knowing it all, I realized I knew nothing, and it was amazing. I looked at each day differently, stopped blaming others, reflected rather than reacted to others, and most of all I found what I was looking for. That I’m here to help others, and the way I like to most accurately put it, is “the be the change you want to see in the world.”
It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But I was determined. I quit drinking. I stopped smoking cigarettes (never was a big smoker) and I realized that my job wasn’t to judge other people or what they were doing, but to worry about myself, and how I was treating other people. This type of living isn’t just a month and you’re done, either. Every day, I meditate and reflect on personal wrongdoings, to whom I owe an apology, where I can improve today, I ask (Insert your favorite term for Higher Power here) to forgive me and I trust that no matter how down things get; If you truly maintain faith that it gets better, it WILL get better. Some people call things like this a “spiritual awakening” or whatever you’d like to call it. Maybe it was, I don’t know, I just know that I am grateful and thankful every day for what I have.
Since then, I have worked for Abbott as a Therapeutic Nutrition Specialist in NH/Maine, I then took a job as the sole Patient Care Coordinator & Marketing Liaison for Great Lakes Caring (which is in the middle of a merger and changing names) for the state of Maine, which has been so fulfilling. And then there is “Bending Branches.” What started out as two old high school hockey friends getting together to play some music last fall turned into a couple youtube videos, which turned into booking two sold-out shows on the Devlin’s patio in the summer of 2017, and countless venues since. We just breached 1,000 followers on Facebook, and are wrapping up our 2018 summer/fall campaign with what looks to be an AMAZING benefit show that I’ve coordinated in Brighton Common this October.
I have been collaborating with Boston Parks and Rec, Brighton Main Streets, Massachusetts Military Heroes Foundation, Brighton Marine and possibly BPD to put together an afternoon concert for US veterans, of all ages, who have come home from overseas with psychological issues that they cannot get help for, due to lack of VA funding or a shortage of social workers. This became a mission for me this summer while working for GLC Homecare/Hospice. It was during this time, that I worked with Lea Witten (The main contact for VA discharges in Maine), and visited the Togus Medical Center in Augusta. This is precisely what has moved me to coordinate this benefit concert/fundraiser for veterans of all ages.
Working with, and speaking with veterans in Maine, some even younger than me (33), brought tears to my eyes… I have an acute anxiety disorder, which is extremely manageable with exercise and a proper diet, but before I knew what it was and could manage it, it could be crippling at times… When dealing with dozens of these young veterans, I could empathize with their constant state of uncontrollable anxiety, and depression, due to their experiences overseas. The issue with many of them was not that they didn’t WANT treatment or help, but that they had absolutely no resources. The funding is beyond inadequate, and the number of clinicians willing to help, just cannot keep up with the need, which is exponentially increasing every day.
I reached out to multiple veterans that I went to high school and elementary school (at Saint Columbkille’s) with, to see how much of an epidemic this really was, and it was staggering. The stories I have heard of young vets taking their own lives because of the untreated psychological torture they go through on a daily basis, to me, is simply and unequivocally UNACCEPTABLE! These are our heroes. They are proud and brave soldiers. Some too proud to ask for help, and even worse, those brave enough to ask, cannot receive it! I can only imagine what this feels like. Being in marketing now, I create all of the artwork for the flyers/posters/shirts we sell at our shows. As well as the promotion.
So, alas, I thought it would be a great idea to have a Benefit Concert in Brighton Common, with every single cent of our merchandise sales, vendor sales, donations, ANYTHING monetarily collected at the show, going directly to MMHF and Brighton Marine, in order to, even in a small way, help these veterans not only enjoy a great afternoon of celebration, unity, and music but get the HELP they need so that the tragedies don’t continue. I just feel it is the very very least I can do to give back the community that raised me, to our heroes, and to help, even just ONE veteran struggling get better, and to see that we, as a community CARE.
I apologize for the length of this, sometimes I get carried away with my writing, but whatever details you need or things you’d like to hone in on, by all means, ask away.
That’s quite the story, lots of twists and turns, but overall, looking back do you think it was relatively smooth?
Smooth? Honestly – for the most part, generally speaking, perhaps. Because I’ve been fortunate enough to have the built-in support system that I do in my family. There have definitely been some serious potholes, though… it also has everything to do with your mentality and how you take “needing to ask for help” or rejection as far as constantly at auditions, a certain crowd on a show night or a layoff from work goes. I have had all of these events happen to me.
Obviously, audition rejection constantly in LA for almost a decade, the occasional difficult crowd or heckler at The Comedy Store on Sunset in LA – some people really get beaten down to nothing… When Abbott restructured and made hundreds of layoffs, I felt that for the first time in the winter (2018). Especially for someone with acute anxiety, this can be catastrophic.
However, it can also be an amazing lesson along with your journey and a healthy test of your “faith” in things getting better, as long as you do the right thing… “Asking for help” is totally frowned upon in our society, especially for men, and when I was struggling with drinking in early 2015 and decided I needed “help,” it was devastating at first, and then totally enlightening and wonderful.
We’d love to hear more about the work and career side of things.
Well, for Greg and I, the success of the band has been a total surprise… we just decided to play together because he has become adept at the guitar and I knew how to sing (a little bit.) It was just a hobby until the gigs began… luckily, we both agree or at least come to a solid compromise on almost every major decision; So, we have been able to turn its success into an opportunity to help others in need. Which is exactly the goal with the Benefit show in October; And if this becomes the end-goal for this band moving forward, I know I can speak for both of us when I say that we would be more than ecstatic about it’s “success” or “legacy.”
I specialize in creating a rock-solid relationship with very important or “key decision makers,” not only in the realm of healthcare and hospitals, but with promoters, managers of establishments that we play at, and venue management. I’ve found through this long journey a real natural love for marketing or branding a product I truly believe in. The graphic design part came out of thin air for me, absolutely. I didn’t even know it was a skill, but it has since become quite an obsession, really. I take huge pride in my artwork and the brand that we are continuously creating as a band. Then it’s exciting to create a solid marketing strategy campaign (social media or otherwise) and watch it bloom, or go static for a bit, depending on the material and audience I decide to market towards. Then making adjustments accordingly.
This wasn’t always the case, but I’ve taken huge stock in the saying “you need to be the change you want to be in the world.” So, I think it depends on who you talk to, but ultimately I’d like people to say “Joey was a rigorously honest guy, who genuinely cared about the importance of selflessness and helping others, even those who had perhaps done him wrong in the past. He could always make a room laugh or lighten up a tense situation, and he genuinely continuously tried, at least, to better himself day by day.” – That would make me a happy dead guy.
What were you like growing up?
Oh wow. My younger brother and I were always very well behaved like children, because of proper parenting and three older brothers that made sure we were doing the right thing, and when we didn’t, let us know about it, in their own personal and meaningful way, haha.
I was very outgoing at times and reserved in others. Similar to today, I suppose. Two of my favorite stories about my childhood was that apparently, I would always serenade a certain server at an Italian restaurant near Brighton that we went to frequently. I would sing some sort of “I love you” song to “Jackie” the server, and the shamelessness in that, even as a toddler, it doesn’t surprise me at all, haha…
Apparently, I liked to ask abrupt and extraordinarily inappropriate questions to adults (not knowing that they were inappropriate at the time, obviously) as well. Which I kind of love. My interests were all over the place growing up, but the center of my galaxy was always hockey. Ice Hockey was the anchor in my life for a very, very long time. I really got into music right around 13, and I fell in love with it right away. You can escape in it, emote with it, get pumped up by it or just not think. I remember the Marshall Mathers LP and the first Third Eye Blind albums being favorites.
My very first CD was “The Cranberries” album “To the Faithful Departed” which had that song “salvation” on it. It was released on April 30th (my birthday), 1996, so I think I treated myself, which became a birthday ritual for me when CD’s still existed. I loved that album. Then, my first favorite bands were BUSH, and No Doubt followed a few years later by Dave Matthews Band, who Greg (guitarist) actually introduced me to.
Other than hockey and music, I was always fascinated by the weather. Tornadoes in particular. I honestly couldn’t tell you why. The movie “Twister,” maybe?? Haha!
Contact Info:
- Address: 737 Cambridge Street
- Phone: Personal: (617)519-9633 or Business (BB): (857) 770 -1090
- Email: joeynowd@gmail.com or bendingbranches@musician.org
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bendingbranchesmusic
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bendingbranchesmusic
- Twitter: @joeynowd
- For Support: (Amazing Veteran Services are at) www.massachusettsmilitaryheroesfoundation.com
Image Credit:
Abby Schneller
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
