Joe Gittleman (born April 6, 1968, in
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...
) is an American musician, best known as the
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
player for
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
. His proficiency on bass earned him the nickname "the Bass Fiddleman."
Career
Gittleman originally played guitar in The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, but he switched roles with former member
Nate Albert
Nathan Robert Albert (born November 26, 1970) is an American music executive, songwriter, producer and guitar player. He is currently the President oGiant Music a division of The Azoff Company. He was previously the Executive Vice President of A ...
when he realized he had a better bass than guitar. He has also played bass in
Gang Green
Gang Green is an American punk rock band originally from Braintree, Massachusetts. Chris Doherty (guitar), Bill Manley (bass) and Mike Dean (drums) started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1983. Doherty reformed Gang Green the following year, ...
and sang in and produced records for his band
Avoid One Thing
Avoid One Thing is a punk band that started as a side project by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones' bassist Joe Gittleman. The Boston, Massachusetts, Boston-based group's first album, titled ''Avoid One Thing (album), Avoid One Thing'', was released ...
.
He provided background vocals for the
Street Dogs
Street Dogs is an American punk rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2002 by former Dropkick Murphys singer Mike McColgan. The band disbanded in early 2020 after 17 years together but reunited again in 2024.
History
In 1997, McC ...
' 2005 album ''
Back to the World'' as well as the more recent ''
Fading American Dream
''Fading American Dream'' is the third album by Street Dogs. It was released on October 24, 2006 by Brass Tacks Records, a division of DRT Entertainment.
The album was released both with and without a bonus DVD.
Track listing
All songs by Stree ...
''. In addition, Gittleman produced
The Briggs
The Briggs are a punk rock band based out of Los Angeles, California. The band formed in 1999 under the name "I Decline" by brothers Joey and Jason LaRocca and bassist Matthew Stolarz (a.k.a. Duck). In 2001, with the addition of drummer Chris A ...
' new album ''
Back to Higher Ground'' as well as the
Flogging Molly
Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records.
Histor ...
album ''
Whiskey on a Sunday'',
Big D and the Kids Table
Big D and the Kids Table is a ska punk band formed in October 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, when its members converged in college. Their first release was on their own Fork in Hand Records label, but have since teamed with Springman Records a ...
's albums ''
Strictly Rude'' and ''
Fluent In Stroll'' and Chuck Ragan's CD "Los Feliz". Gittleman has also written songs for bands such as
MxPx
MxPx () is an American punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington, formed in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera (bass guitar, lead vocals), Yuri Ruley (drums, percussion), Tom Wisniewski (lead guitar, backi ...
("Heard That Sound") and has seen Avoid One Thing covered by
The Bouncing Souls
The Bouncing Souls are an American punk rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 1989. By the time of their acknowledgment by the national punk rock scene, they had reignited a "pogo" element to New Jersey punk rock by playing fast li ...
("Lean on Sheena").
Since 2005, Gittleman has been a full-time staff producer and A+R for the Los-Angeles-based independent label
Side One Dummy Records
SideOneDummy Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1995 by Bill Armstrong and Joe Sib. The label began as a way for them to release music for their friends' bands. Thereafter SideOneDummy launched the care ...
. While in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
in 1993 with
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (informally referred to as The Bosstones and often stylized as The Mighty Mighty BossToneS) were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky ...
, Gittleman was stabbed in the chest by an Albanian
bootlegger. This was documented in the song "The Pirate Ship" on the vinyl release of ''
Question the Answers''.
Gittleman began working as an instructor at
Northern Vermont University
Northern Vermont University (NVU) was a public university in Johnson, Vermont, Johnson and Lyndon, Vermont. It was established in 2018 by the unification of the former Johnson State College and Lyndon State College. The university offered over ...
in
Lyndonville, Vermont
Lyndonville is a Village (Vermont), village in the New England town, town of Lyndon, Vermont, Lyndon, in Caledonia County, Vermont, Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. Lyndonville's population was 1,136 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...
. On May 16, 2012, he was promoted to assistant professor. On July 1, 2023, Northern Vermont University became
Vermont State University, for which Gittleman teaches seven different classes, primarily about the music industry.
Artistry
Composing
Gittleman has been credited as the composer for at least 122 songs/albums. The list is as follows:
Undated
Most undated credits involve a song being repurposed for another piece of work.
* Snow Day, music from the motion picture, Various Artists
* Rrrrrock, ???
* Right Here Where You Left Me, Avoid One Thing
* Rascal King, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
* Drew's Famous Instrumental Modern Rock Collection Vol. 6, Various Artists
* Digimon: The Movie, Original Soundtrack
* CAPS: Campus and Pub Songs, Various artists
1989-1999
* Older..., Gang Green, 1989
* More Noise and Other Disturbances, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1992
* Simmer Down, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1993
* Alternation, Various Artists, 1994
* Ska-Core, The Devil and More, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1994
* Safe and Sound: A Benefit in Response to the Brookline Clinic Violence,Various Artists, 1996
* Let's Face It, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1997
* Pop Hits Vol. 63, Various Artists, 1997
* Pop/Rock Picks Oct. 1997 Vol. 1, Various Artists, 1997
* 100% Hits Vol. 26, Various Artists, 1998
* A Compilation of Warped Music, Various Artists, 1998
* Live From the Middle East, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 1998
* Meet the Deedles, Original Soundtrack, 1998
* Next Generation of Swing, Various Artists, 1998
* Shine Vol. 10, Various Artists, 1998
* Ska Trax: New Generation, Various Artists, 1998
* X-Games Vol. 3, Various Artists, 1998
* Ka-Boom!, Various Artists, 1999
* Ska Party '99, Various Artists, 1999
* Total Hits Vol. 2, Various Artists, 1999
2000-2010
* City Rocks: Boston, Various Artists, 2000
* Digimon
arner Bros. Original Soundtrack, 2000
* Naked-4-Play, Various Artists, 2000
* Pay Attention, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2000
* Royal, The Amazing Crowns, 2000
* Snow Day, Original Soundtrack, 2000
* Stop Handgun Violence, Various Artists, 2000
* World Warped Vol. 3: Live, Various Artists, 2000
* Awfully Quiet, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2001
* Warped Tour: 2001 Compilation, Various Artistis, 2001
* A Jackknife to a Swan, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2002
* Atticus: Dragging the Lake, Various Artists, 2002
* Avoid One Thing, Avoid One Thing, 2002
* Mighty Mighty Bosstones/Madcap
plit CD The Mighty Mighty Bosstones/Madcap, 2002
* Total Rock, Various Artists, 2002
* Atticus: Dragging the Lake Vol. 2, Various Artists, 2003
* Balls, Various Artists, 2003
* Outlaw Volleyball:Xbox, Original Soundtrack, 2003
* Warped Tour 2003, Various Artists, 2003
* You Got It/Older... (Budweiser), Gang Green, 2003
* Chopstick Bridge, Avoid One Thing, 2004
* Warped Tour 2004, Various Artists, 2004
* Panic, MxPx, 2005
* The Gold Record, The Bouncing Souls, 2006
* 90's Rock Number 1's, Various Artists, 2007
* Country-Rebel, Dave Smith, 2007
2011-Current
* Don't Forget Your Roots, H20/H20, 2011
* The Magic of Youth, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2011
* 100 Hits: Driving Rock
013
013 is a music venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The venue opened in 1998 and replaced the ''Noorderligt'', the ''Bat Cave'' and the ''MuziekKantenWinkel''. 013 is the largest popular music venue in the southern Netherlands.
There are two concer ...
Various Artists, 2013
* Icon, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 2014
* 20 No. 1's: Alternative Rock, 2015
* Hold Up, Joe Gittleman, 2024
References
* https://www.angelfire.com/wi/kkimska2/joegbio.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gittleman, Joe
1968 births
Living people
Guitarists from Massachusetts
American male bass guitarists
20th-century American bass guitarists
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones members
20th-century American male musicians