Joe Robinson, The Rad Trads

Twenty-one year old Joe Robinson is considered uniquely gifted as a virtuoso guitarist and singer/songwriter. Hailing from backwoods Temagog, on the mid north coast of NSW, Australia his six-string ability and compositional insight have already earned him a worldwide following.

"Since day one, I found it easier and more intriguing to create songs rather than learn existing ones, so the compositional element of my music is somewhat deep rooted" says Joe. During his teenage years he went on to win the 2008 'Australia's Got Talent' television series and the Australian National Songwriting Competition (aged 13), releasing his first album of original material, Birdseed at age 15.

While traveling to the US in 2009, Joe recorded and released his second instrumental CD, Time Jumpin. In a quest to push himself to expand musically, Joe relocated to the United States in 2010 and began to work on his first vocal album, shortly thereafter releasing Let Me Introduce You.

Joe's latest EP, Toe Jam, features a more creative production style and a departure to which he describes as his true identity as an artist. Rather than worry about the repercussions of the EP and following pure instinct, Joe deeply involved himself in the production and writing of Toe Jam, as well as playing almost all the instruments.

Robinson has toured extensively throughout the world: Europe, Asia,Canada, US and Australia. In recent years Joe has toured predominantly with his own trio building a solid base from which to grow and continuing to push the envelope musically. "My most absolute thrill is to share my music with an audience, I live for it. I love that my music is difficult to categorize and I don't intend on sacrificing my musical personality for anything."

"The musical stratosphere has an incredibly rich and vast library of music," Robinson explains, "and my highest goal as an artist and performer is to make some kind of significant contribution to it."


The Rad Trads were formed in New York City in the spring of 2012 while the boys were attending New York University. Active members of the jazz community in New York, The Rad Trads came together with the intention of fusing their diverse interests in jazz, blues, and soul music into a sound that would reflect the unique journey of American music from its roots in New Orleans and various folk traditions up through the present day. Simultaneously, The Rad Trads felt that this music could and should be presented to a wider audience in a contemporary context, while not sacrificing tradition. The result is the eight piece brass band soul explosion that defies genre descriptions. The band has performed at legendary New York venues like The Bowery Electric, Arlene's Grocery and Webster Hall, as well as venues up and down the east coast. Current and former members of The Rad Trads have toured, performed, and recorded with a wide range of artists including Saturday Night Live's Lenny Pickett, Kenny Werner, afrobeat stalwarts EMEFE, and their own solo projects which have toured the U.S. and Europe. Members of The Rad Trads horn section are featured in support of Truth and Soul Record's Lady.

The Rad Trads from T.E.H.O. on Vimeo.