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| joel cotton |
| Joel was born June 1st, 1977 in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the tender age of 3 he began performing recitals on the piano as part of a Suzuki music class offered at the lauded Musical Arts Center of O’Bryonville. At such a young age music is taught by emulation with the large emphasis on classical technique. By 8 he added flute to bridge the gap in music literacy and received many awards in various J.M.E. Contests on both instruments. Meeting drummer Josiah Wolf in 87 changed his life's direction by giving him a desire to play drums. Finances however dictated otherwise and he did not receive his first drum set until a year later. Joel Christopher Cotton (a.k.a. CHANGE, crankj, Brotha Numbsy) exploded on the scene in 1990 drumming with the Green Light Band and has long been a fixture due largely to his versatility musically and his ability to finesse individual musicians into powerful, dynamic ensembles, often at only a moment’s notice. In a struggle to maintain street cred many gigs were booked under the pseudonym “Police Officers of Ohio Retired”, or held late at night, in basement after-hour gatherings of intimate friends. In early ‘92 Crank became reacquainted with childhood inspiration Josiah Wolf and was once again inspired to change directions, this time to stop playing drums completely. With the addition of bassist Beau Easton and guitar legend Shawn P the group became the "chill metal" sensation Easy Axess featuring Joel on lead guitar. more |