Joe Romersa is an American musician, composer, voice actor, and music producer. Romersa started his career career as a drummer, but early on he branched out into sound engineering. As Romersa tells it, "After a tragic early tour I did at age 19 which left me homeless sleeping on a park bench in New Jersey, I had to find a way to make money and still be close to what I love; music." Romersa later studied sound engineering. Combining his fledgling career as a professional musician with the more stable income of sound engineering allowed Romersa to hone his craft as both a drummer/percussionist and as a sound engineer.

Career

Early career

Romersa started touring as the drummer for the Marc Tanner Band. On April 19, 1979, they would open for Firefall, at the Palace Theater in Cleveland Ohio. The

Marc Tanner Band The Marc Tanner Band was a west coast rock band fronted by Marc Tanner, that released two albums on the Elektra label. They had a small hit with the song "Elena" in 1979. Background During their time the band released two albums, '' No Escape'' i ...

also opened for Jefferson Starship. Romersa was a drummer, percussionist, and composer on Tanner's second album, ''Temptation,'' along with guitarist Ritchie Zito and bassist Ron Edwards.

Soy Cowboy

While working in the studio, a chance meeting with keyboardist and songwriter Vincent Nicoletti would result in the band Soy Cowboy with its "Thai Western" sound. Romersa was brought in as a drummer and sound engineer, and eventually became lead vocalist. After their first recordings received airplay by Los Angeles radio personality Tom Schnabel of KCRW-FM (89.9), the band caught the attention of then-art student

Tarsem Singh Tarsem Singh Dhandwar (born 26 May 1961), known professionally as Tarsem, is an Indian director who has worked on films, music videos, and commercials. He directed ''The Cell'' (2000), '' The Fall'' (2006, also screenwriter and producer), '' I ...

. In 1990, Singh would produce Soy Cowboy's only music video for their song "Lily Pads and Rock Cod". Soy Cowboy's first album, ''First Time Again'', was produced in 1991 but it was not released to the public. The album would later be released in 2009, by Shadow Box Studio. Their second album, ''2012'', was produced and released in 2012. As noted by Schnabel, "The band got moderate airplay on U.S. radio, but in England briefly jumped to the top of the charts."

Sound engineering

Romersa was both a drummer and engineer on

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...

's 1991 album '' The Missing Years''. He would go on to work with

Carlene Carter Carlene Carter (born Rebecca Carlene Smith; September 26, 1955) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is the daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith. As of 2020, since 1978, Carter has recorded 12 alb ...

on her 1993

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

album '' Little Love Letters'' as the drummer, percussionist, engineer and backup vocalist, along with bassist

Howie Epstein Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003) was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early life Epstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in a musical household. His ...

and keyboardist

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. ''Little Love Letters'' would rise to No. 35 on the

Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales ...

chart and included the No. 3 hit "Every Little Thing" and two top 100 songs; "I Love You 'Cause I Want To" (#50) and "Unbreakable Heart" (#51). Romersa's daughter, Reyna, would make her video debut in "I Love You 'Cause I Want To". In the late 1980s, Romersa began working with

eden ahbez George Alexander Aberle (April 15, 1908 – March 4, 1995), known as eden ahbez, was an American songwriter and recording artist of the 1940s to 1960s, whose lifestyle in California was influential in the hippie movement. He was known to frien ...

. Romersa and ahbez worked together until the latter's death in 1995.

Voice Acting

In 1994, Romersa started engineering, voice acting, and ADR directing on anime and video game projects, which led to his work on ''Silent Hill''. Romersa would go on to work as music supervisor on ''

Silent Hill 3 ''Silent Hill 3'' is a 2003 survival horror game developed by Team Silent, a group in Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo, and published by Konami. The game was released from May to August, originally for the PlayStation 2. The third installme ...

'', '' 4: The Room'', and ''

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

''. He also wrote the lyrics, and contributed vocals to "Hometown" and "Cradle of Forest".

Return to music

One of Romersa's projects as a producer was singer Alana Sweetwater's 2004 self-titled debut album. Her single from that album, "Song of Love", was featured on the original Showtime series ''

The Real L Word ''The Real L Word'' is an American reality television series aired on the cable station Showtime, where it premiered on June 20, 2010. The show was created by executive producer Ilene Chaiken and Magical Elves Productions, following the succes ...

''. Romersa was also a musician on the album and sound engineer. Romersa released his first album as a solo artist in 2017, ''Enough''. Written and composed by Romersa, ''Enough'' includes tracks by fellow musicians including Laurence Juber ("Love, and You"), Prescott Niles ("Enough," "Humans Doing Angels Work," "Soldier of Love"), and Jeff Jourard ("Give Our Money Back"). Romersa's musical inspirations include

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, John Cage, Jimi Hendrix,

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and trumpeter. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he forme ...

, Pink Floyd,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

Karlheinz Stockhausen Karlheinz Stockhausen (; 22 August 1928 – 5 December 2007) was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th and early 21st-century ...

, Emerson, Lake, and Palmer,

The Move The Move were a British rock band of the late 1960s and the early 1970s. They scored nine top 20 UK singles in five years, but were among the most popular British bands not to find any real success in the United States. For most of their car ...

, and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Discography

Mainstream albums

Indie albums

Acting

Anime voice-over

*'' Akira'' as Joker *''

Armitage III is a 1995 cyberpunk original video animation series. It centers on Naomi Armitage, a highly advanced "Type-III" android. In 1996, the series was edited into a film called . The series was followed up in 2002 with a sequel, set some years ...

'' as Big Thug *''

Bastard!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazushi Hagiwara. It began its serialization in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1988, and has continued irregularly in ''Ultra Jump'' since 2000, with its latest chapter released i ...

'' as Priest C *'' Battle Athletes'' as Claus (Ep. 4); Hans (Ep. 4) *''

Battle Athletes Victory is a Japanese franchise which includes an OVA series animated by AIC, a manga by Yūki Nakano, and a 26-episode anime television series that aired on TV Tokyo from October 1997 to March 1998. A reboot manga, ''Pale Blue Dot: Battle Ath ...

'' as Additional Voices *'' Black Jack'' as Mob Boss *''

Black Magic M-66 is a cyberpunk manga written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. It was first published as a ''dōjinshi'' in 1983, and was later reprinted in ''tankōbon'' format by Seishinsha in 1985. The series was later adapted into an OVA in 1987 whi ...

'' as Additional Voices *'' Blood: The Last Vampire'' as David *'' Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' as Ryouga Senba *'' Cowboy Bebop'' as Abdul Hakim *''

Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure is a Japanese anime series animated by AIC and created by Masaki Kajishima, best known for the '' Tenchi Muyo!'' franchise. It was originally broadcast on Wowow from April to July 1999 and was licensed in the US by Pioneer LDC, later know ...

'' *'' El Hazard: The Magnificent World'' as Driver (Ep. 3) *''El Hazard 2 – The Magnificent World'' as Additional Voices *'' El Hazard: The Alternative World'' as Additional Voices *'' El Hazard: The Wanderers'' as Additional Voices *''

Gate Keepers is a Tactical role-playing game developed by Entertainment Software Publishing and published by Kadokawa Shoten for the PlayStation. The game was then adapted into a manga series written by Hiroshi Yamaguchi and drawn by Keiji Gotoh and ...

'' as Hippie *''

Ghost in the Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the seinen manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized in 1989 under the subtitle of ''The Ghost in the Shell'' ...

'' as Truck Driver (as Joe Michaels) *'' Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence'' as Crab Man, Undersea Cyborg Escort (Animaze Dub) *'' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd Gig'' as Coil Krasnov, Kitora Masoki *'' Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society'' as Colonel Ka Gael, Security Cyborg *'' Hand Maid May'' as Additional Voices *'' Hyper Doll'' as Additional Voices *'' Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro'' as Gustav (Animaze Dub) *''

Macross Plus is a four-episode anime OVA and theatrical movie in the ''Macross'' series. It was the first sequel to the original ''Macross'' television series that took place in the official timeline ('' Macross II'' was quickly retconned by series creato ...

'' as Additional Voices *'' Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie Trilogy'' as Gaia *'' Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team'' as Hige, Doctor *''Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team – Miller's Report'' as Agent Jacob *''

Moldiver is a 6-episode 1993 OVA anime series. It is a parody of magical girl and superhero anime series. Plot The plot focuses on a young girl by the name of Mirai Ozora, living in Tokyo in the year 2045. Being obsessed with her hobbies of shopping ...

'' as Additional Voices *''

Ninja Scroll is a 1993 Japanese animated ''jidaigeki''- ''chanbara'' film written and directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, starring the voices of Kōichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Takeshi Aono, Daisuke Gōri, Toshihiko Seki and Shūichirō Moriyama. The film was a ...

'' as Additional Voices *'' Ninku the Movie'' as Additional Voices *'' Orguss 02'' as Additional Voices *''

Outlaw Star is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise and ''seinen'' manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō. The series takes place in the "Toward Stars Era" universe in which spacecraft are capable of traveling faste ...

'' as Fake Shimi; Kyokan *''

Phantom Quest Corp is a comedy/horror anime produced by Madhouse and Pioneer LDC. It was originally released as a four-episode original video animation (OVA) in Japan between August 25, 1994 and February 25, 1995. An English-dubbed version was released in N ...

'' as Additional Voices *''Red Hawk – Weapon of Death'' as Additional Voices *''

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins during the 11th year of the Meiji period in Japan (1878) and follows a former assassin from the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his wor ...

'' as Merchant (Ep. 15); Politician (Ep. 15); Raiko *'' Sol Bianca: The Legacy'' as Additional Voices *'' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie'' as

Balrog A Balrog () is a powerful demonic monster in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. One first appeared in print in his high-fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings'', where the Fellowship of the Ring encounter a Balrog known as Durin's Bane in the Mi ...

(as Joe Michaels) *''

Street Fighter II V is an anime series produced by Group TAC, loosely based on the 1994 fighting game ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo''. Directed by Gisaburo Sugii (who also directed the earlier '' Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie''), the series first ai ...

'' as Balrog (Animaze Dub) *'' Street Fighter Alpha'' as

Zangief , based on Russian Зангиев, often called the , is a fictional character in Capcom's ''Street Fighter'' series. Considered to be the first controllable fighting game character whose moveset is centered on grappling, he made his first appeara ...

*''

The Big O ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' as Nightingale Club Bouncer (Ep. 2), Repairman (Ep. 25) *''

The Legend of Black Heaven , also referred to as ''The Legend of Black Heaven'' and ''Kacho-Ōji'', is a Japanese anime television series conceptualized by Hiroki Hayashi and produced by Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer LDC Inc., AIC and A.P.P.P. It is directed by Yasuhi ...

'' as Luke Yamada *''

The Wings of Honneamise ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' as Air Force Member 4 *'' They Were 11'' as Knu *''

Trigun is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow. ''Trigun'' was first serialized in Tokuma Shoten's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Shōnen Captain'' from April 1995 to January 1997, when the magazine ceased ...

'' as Descartes

Video game roles

*''

Brave Fencer Musashi is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1998 for the PlayStation home console. The game involves real-time sword-based combat in a 3D environment; it also features segments of voiced over dialogue and role-p ...

'' as Ben *'' NeverDead'' as Astaroth *''

Seven Samurai 20XX is a PlayStation 2 game released by Sammy Studios in 2004. Its story and concept are based upon Akira Kurosawa's 1954 movie '' Seven Samurai''. Rights for the production of the game were given by the Kurosawa production, with character designs b ...

'' - Zex

Non-anime voice-over

*Big Rig Buddies as Smokey the Fire Truck (formerly)

Staff work

as ADR Engineer *

as Voice Director *

Bushido Blade 2 is a fighting video game published by Square, released in Japan and North America in 1998. It is the sequel to '' Bushido Blade'', which had been released the previous year. The game was re-released in 2008 for PlayStation Network. Gameplay '' ...

as Digital Tracker (English voices) *

The Castle of Cagliostro is a 1979 Japanese animated action-adventure comedy film co-written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, with animation produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS). It is the second feature film featuring Monkey Punch's master thief Arsène Lupin III, ...

as Digital Tracker, English Adapter, Director (Manga Entertainment dub) * Dual! Paralle lunlun monogatari as Final Mixer, director *

as Digital Tracker (English voices) * Firefighter F.D.18 as English Dialogue Director * Front Mission 4 as Voice Director *Invisible Mom II as Music Supervisor * Lurking Fear as Dialogue Editor * Nano Breaker as ADR Director *

The New Adventures of Captain Planet ''Captain Planet and the Planeteers'' is an American animated environmentalist superhero television series created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner and developed by Pyle, Nicholas Boxer, Thom Beers, Andy Heyward, Robby London, Bob Forward and Ca ...

as Sound Designer *Reaper Tales as Sound Recordist *

Resident Evil 5 ''Resident Evil 5'' is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. It is a major installment in the ''Resident Evil'' series, and was announced in 2005—the same year its predecessor ''Resident Evil 4'' was released. ' ...

as Sound Designer, Video Storyboard Artist *Shadow Warriors as Dialogue Editor * Silent Hill: Homecoming as Lyricist * Street Fighter Alpha as Writer, director *

Suikoden IV is a role-playing video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami exclusively for the PlayStation 2 video game console and is the fourth installment of the '' Suikoden'' video game series. It was released in ...

as ADR Director *Timberwood Tales as Editor *Tollbooth as Dialogue Editor, ADR recordist *

Wings of Honneamise A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is express ...

as Dialogue Sound Engineer

References

External links

Official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Romersa, Joe Living people American audio engineers American male drummers American male singer-songwriters American male video game actors American male voice actors American multi-instrumentalists American rock singers American rock songwriters American singer-songwriters American voice directors Grammy Award winners Silent Hill American sound designers Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American drummers 20th-century American male musicians