Album Notes

www.joceifusrifle.com
www.jrifle.com
www.myspace.com/joceifusrifle

The Band:

Joceifus Rifle's song-driven rock was first introduced to an eager Raleigh crowd in December 2003. From that first show, the band has continued to tour building a strong fan base in their home state of North Carolina. Fronted by former Athens, GA music veteran Matty Russo (Mishap, Zuko), the quartet mixes acoustic and electric guitars, piano, and mandolin along with a tight rhythm section to deliver meaningful, concise rock songs. The soulful vocal harmonies created by Russo and Matthew Bergenn (lead guitar, piano, mandolin) give their songs an upbeat vibe and accent melodies that you'll find yourself singing along to for days after a show.
Along with an already busy tour schedule, Joceifus Rifle currently resides as the "House Band" for Raleigh Radio Station "100.7 The River."
Also, Joceifus Rifle just finished recording their first full length CD at Tom Lewis Recording in Athens, GA. The new 16 Track CD was released in January 2007!

The Name:

Back in 2003, while searching for a name, a very close friend of the band suggested “Josephus Rifle” in reference to the story of Seaman Josephus Willis, a distant relative. Josephus Willis, nicknamed Captain Seef, and his "Red Oar" crew of Shackleford Banks, NC were responsible for killing NC's most famous whale, “The Mayflower” in 1874. The whale’s skeleton hangs in the NC Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh, NC and Josephus’ whale gun has been passed down through generations of the Willis family and currently rests at the family’s house in Morehead City, NC.
The band liked the idea of the name since it portrayed a “David vs. Goliath” message and tied the band to its North Carolina roots. After a little spelling edit, Joceifus Rifle was officially born in October 2003. The band, from the small town of Rocky Mount, hopes to conquer “the beast”, or today’s music industry, the same way Josephus took down the fifty foot whale.