Performance Reviews
“Brushes and hi-hat? There’s no drum kit up there. Are they using a sampling drum machine? Not a chance. To the surprise and delight of the audience, today’s trap effects are being produced by… multi-instrumentalist Joe Craven, a man of many hats… a man of many strange sounds.”
- Drums and Drumming Magazine
“Few musicians are as adept at as many different instruments as Craven… adventurous, sometimes humorous, sometimes strikingly beautiful arrangements… an extremely versatile band….”
- Dirty Linen
“A seriously talented multi-instrumentalist.”
- Fiddle On Magazine
“Joe is a treasure in the worlds of string jazz and roots music.”
- Reno Gazette
“…Craven is a monster percussionist, [and] that’s only half of the story. He’s also a fine fiddler and confident mandolinist.”
- Albany Times Union, Albany, NY
“Craven, the extraordinary percussionist, has come up with a way to really use his head… rapping his skull, tapping his jaw, slapping his cheeks and pounding various other body parts in a percussive display that’s both humorous and remarkably musical, Craven creates a whole host of rhythmic effects, including imitating percussion instruments from tablas and snare drums to hi-hats and shakers, plus a few things that can’t really be described.”
- Santa Barbara News
“When he’s in front of his own trio, playing the mandolin, fiddle and hand drums among more exotic axes, the audience gets 200-proof Craven.”
- Arizona Daily Star
“It’s amazing the sound you can get from bronze strings and a pair of very hot hands. It is Joe Craven, trusty fiddle or mandolin at the ready, working magic. His melodic delicacy is reminiscent of David Grisman’s, and his percussive power echoes the cafe jazz of Django Reinhardt.”
- Sacramento News and Review
“With David Grisman leading the way, it would be easy to overlook any percussionist, but that’s not the case with Craven. Even when he’s providing solid rhythmic backing to Grisman’s creative soloing, you notice him. [Craven's] grooves are as steady and fluid as a rainforest waterfall and his tones are warm, rich and comforting. And just when you think you got him nailed as a percussionist, he walks out front and wrenches out a tearful solo on the violin or races for the finish line in a mandolin duet with Grisman. Then to top it off, maybe just to tease the audience a little, he’ll sing to close the show.” Joe Craven may not be a marquee attraction, but he is respected as a creative genius by those who do know his work.”
- Santa Cruz Sentinel
“Be careful what you hand Joe Craven. On second thought, hand him everything you can reach from the dining room and kitchen—and watch him turn the stuff into musical instruments. Craven plucks his mandolin till it talks; he has his fiddle singing, and then he layers on noises from a mouth hat, Mason jar, violin case, mixing bowls, a silverware tray, and doors slamming.”
- New Times
“Everything Joe touches turns to music,’ says David Grisman. No one who saw Joe wring a percussion concerto from his garbage-bag raincoat during a downpour at the Strawberry Music Festival could disagree.”
- San Jose Mercury News
“The most outstanding thing though, besides Grisman of course, was multi instrumentalist Joe Craven. Craven played rhythm mandolin and an assortment of percussion instruments. He was just incredible.
“I caught the tail end of a solo performance by Joe Craven. I was only able to catch two songs, but those two songs were a life changing experience. I have met the Master. Joe Craven got up and played “John Henry”on just his mandolin. I have no idea where some of those chords he played came from. They aren’t on my mandolin. At times it was almost as if he was attacking the mandolin instead of playing it. He had this Delta Blues thing going on as well. It was mesmerizing. I wanted him to keep playing for the rest of the afternoon. His last song was In the Pines where he accompanied himself on some weird little drum thing. Drums are evil, except when played by Kenny Malone or Larry Atamanuik… Now I have to add Craven on to that list.
If you had asked me if you could play “In the Pines” on a drum, I would have laughed at you. That is before seeing Joe do it. After his set, I sat down and interviewed him for the Twangzine. Joe was an interesting fellow. He made me re-think my definition of Folk Music. It doesn’t all have to be dreadfully earnest songs about dead baby whales and stuff. Folk Music is just what it sounds like. Music made by folks. He told me about a solo record he has out where he performed a bunch of traditional tunes in different World Music Styles, and about a record he will soon be releasing which is more like what his solo act was. I’ve got to investigate this stuff further.”
–Jeff Wall, Editor, Twangzine,
from his review of Merlefest, 2001
“I knew that Joe Craven could do most anything in the world, and everyone knows what Grisman can do. They dance through the Grisman penned “Pneumonia” and the bluegrass tinted “Cedar Hill” which highlight the seemingly endless talent of Joe Craven. I have always been a sucker for multi-instrumentalists, but I have never seen a player who is so adept on such disparate instruments. His conga work is both smooth and driving, both rhythmic and musical. His mandolin work, even next to the master, is impressive, but, of course, he is really a fiddle player. His fiddle work on “Cedar Hill” leaves me slack-jawed. I find myself, at various times throughout the show, looking for the high-hat. It is nowhere on stage, but it is most certainly in the air. It isn’t until Craven steps away from his instruments and begins his convulsive body slapping and countrified scat/beatbox antics that the riddle reveals itself. The man recognizes no boundaries. He just won’t accept that no one is supposed to be that good at everything.”
- Jambands.com