Meet Joe Paz | Saxophonist & Lead Arranger

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joe Paz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joe, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
At first the idea of playing Video Game and Anime music honestly came from a simple love of that type of music. Problem is while you are in school you typically learn the classics and rarely anything outside of that. As musicians, we are taught to play what is on the sheet music we read most of the time, but nobody had Video Game and Anime music written out for Saxophone, Flute, or Clarinet. Even if it was, it was just a solo piece and not something you could play with a group and perform live in a concert. So that’s what led us to start writing our own arrangements of the music we heard in these games and shows growing up and decided to make a group that can tackle many different styles of music to fit the eclectic sounds you often hear in the soundtracks to these wonderful franchises.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
8 Bit Wave is a group that is dedicated to arranging the music from various Video Game and Anime franchises in a new and interesting way. Our shows not only include live musicians, but a screen that showcases your favorite moments from the game or show in real-time perfectly synced to the music being performed. We also have recently had a renaissance of our YouTube channel where we are producing various series there from a behind the scenes look at how our music is written, to just sitting and hanging with us while we try out new games and anime. Has it been easy? No! Our production requires an insane amount of technology and precision to be able to pull off. The musicians need to be borderline perfect to remain synced to the visuals we use during our performance. Our group of musicians are also very versatile and will pick up different instruments throughout the show to suit the needs of the song. As an example, our Flautist Luciano may start off a song in flute, but end on Alto Saxophone if the mood of the song changes and requires it. Nonetheless, we have been blessed with some amazing fans along the way that have helped us gain more popularity. We had our second album, An anime music album entitled “2nd Gear” be successfully funded on Kickstarter and is definitely one of our proudest moments. Of course performing on the main stage at Florida Supercon in front of thousands of fans with tears in their eyes as we play the theme to the death of their favorite characters, or shouting in anger as they see the villain coming up on screen is an experience like no other. It’s those moments where the visuals and the music combine to create something more than just the two separately that makes the whole production and the hours of work worth while.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to Doce Provisions, a cuban-asian fusion restaurant in Downtown off of Calle Ocho. I would also take them to Frankie’s Pizza on Bird Road. Both are smaller restaurants that pack a ton of flavor into their food. After some food we would definitely hit Arcade Odyssey in Kendall for some fun games. Probably for dinner, some sushi from Shima Japanese Restaurant in Miami gardens. Rey de las Fritas is also a very unique stop. La Moon to also get a Super Moon Perro. We could probably go on forever about food!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
We wouldn’t be anywhere without the dedicated musicians involved in the entire group: Jackie Paz our Clarinetist and Video Editor, Luciano D’Amico our Co-Arranger on Flute, Piccolo, and Alto Sax, Nicole Chui on French Horn and Trumpet, Nick Mastrovito on Bass, David Castro on Drums and Percussion, and Jose Veliz on Keyboard. All of the musicians would not be where they are without the wonderful teachers we’ve had over the years from the Public School System here in Miami-Dade County. So to all of the faculty and staff that has helped nourish our curiosity and creativity, this shoutout goes to all of you! You know who you are! We would also like to extend a shout out to previous members of the group that helped us get to this point, Julio Licona, Pierina Hidalgo, and Julian Bermudez. Thank you for your time and effort in the group! Another special shoutout to Family and friends of the group who support us throughout this process as well as the fans that make this project worthwhile!

Website: https://www.8bitwave.com/
Instagram: instagram.com/8_bit_wave
Twitter: twitter.com/8bitwavemusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/8bitWave/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/8bitWavemusic

Image Credits
Justmomo.studio Brian Arango MDCTV