The Joe Levy Band is a testament to grit and dedication. Their music is energetic, distinctive and delivered passionately. Their songs are original and the content can be quite deep.
When The Blue Rail Band called it quits, Joe Levy (vocals/guitar) and Greg Stadler (drums) didn’t mourn—they reloaded. They brought in the incendiary lead guitar of Kevin Foster and the rock-solid groove of Brian Lubell on bass, and pushed everything they thought they knew to a whole new level.
This is gut-punch music. Soulful ballads that can turn a rowdy bar dead quiet. Tortured blues that make the devil reach for a handkerchief. Explosive rockabilly and roadhouse stompers that grab you by the collar and put your feet in motion. Every original carries the scars of real nights, real fights, and hard-won redemption.
And the covers? They don’t just play them; they make 'em their own. Hendrix, Stapleton, Petty, Van Morrison—they get played like they were born at 2 a.m. in rehearsal, with a bottle of bourbon and a bad attitude.
Four guys. Zero polish. A lifetime of stage miles between them. One mission: a gritty, grooving performance that hits you like a freight train and gets you moving before you know what happened.
The Joe Levy Band isn’t here to impress you.
They’re here to remind you what live music is supposed to feel like.
Grab a drink. Lose your voice.
These are the good times.
Joe Levy was born to sing. At three he grabbed the mic at Pipe Organ Pizza, delivered an a cappella “Elvira” to 200 strangers and watched as the room exploded. That was the moment he knew.
Powerful. Moving . Soulful. A tortured blues song, a rockabilly barn-burner, a country weeper, or a confessional ballad; people lean in and say the same thing they’ve said for decades: “That man’s got a great voice.” What they feel is something deeper: inspired, cracked open, and unstoppable.
The songs Joe writes are deep, crafted and playful; raw introspection, the thrill of victories, the lessons of failures, the playfulness of love, and the weight of loss. He sings them all like he’s lived every line twice.
Right now he’s chasing three things: getting Orbital Groove Studios up and running, cutting The Joe Levy Band’s debut album, and rocking a gig a week until the wheels fall off.
(Pro tip for creators from the man himself: “Record every idea, melody or impression the second it hits you.” And yes, he still performs commando. Some things never change.)
Greg Stadler has been the heartbeat behind more bands than most people have T-shirts. Born in Aurora, Colorado and raised across the pond, he started pounding drums at fifteen in Leeds, England, and never looked back.
He’s powered prog-rock epics, metal outfits, worship teams, and theater pits, but the highest praise he ever got was a stranger after a battle-of-the-bands saying, “Man, you remind me of Mike Portnoy.” Still his favorite moment.
Now he’s the rock-steady, always-tasteful engine of The Joe Levy Band. His favorite moment in the set is “Win,” where the groove builds, drops, and breathes exactly the way he loves it.
Greg plays like water: fluid and adaptable, yet capable of real power when the song calls for it. His only goal every night is to make people move, whether it’s a toe tap, a head nod, or full-on dancing.
You might notice the shoes come off the second he sits down. Socks only. Always has been, always will be. Calm, cool, and absolutely locked in. That’s Greg.
Kevin Foster was born with a guitar in his hands and Kentucky red-dirt in his veins. Raised in Mt Vernon, Ohio, he started picking at eight and never put it down.
From 1969 through 1990 he tore up stages with The Mt Vernon Players and The Dixie Corporation, sang harmony in the Apple Valley Singers and church choir, then cranked the gain with Mike and Chris Petee in the killer regional band Elixir. For over 50 years Kevin’s been the guy other guitarists watch: lightning-fast fingers, soul-deep bends, and a tone that can go from honey-sweet country licks to face-melting blues in the space of one heartbeat.
By day he’s been a fixture at Kroger in Centerburg for 44 years; by night he’s the incendiary spark that sets every Joe Levy Band show on fire. When Kevin steps up for a solo, the room holds its breath, then loses its mind.
Kentucky soul, Ohio work ethic, and a lifetime of six-string worship.
Kevin doesn’t play the guitar; he speaks through it, and every note lands like truth.
Brian Lubell doesn’t just play the bass; he locks the entire room into one unstoppable groove.
Columbus, Ohio-based and Marine Corps-tough, Brian started on upright bass violin in grade-school orchestra, then flipped the switch to electric and never looked back. High-school stage band, local rock dens, and a long trail of killer projects (The Pneumatics, Jimmy Droz Project, Planet Texxxas, Za and the Angry Men, Athena, Only on Thursday, Tower Defender, and more) all got the same treatment: rock-solid pocket, melodic instinct, and a low-end that can swing from funk to experimental to straight-up roadhouse thunder.
Semper Fi discipline meets street-level feel. Whether he’s walking a blues in E, slapping a funk line, or laying down the heartbeat for a slow-burn ballad, Brian makes five strings feel like solid ground.
In The Joe Levy Band he’s the glue and the glide; every kick drum hits harder and every vocal rides sweeter because Brian’s down there doing exactly what needs to be done, and then some.
Steady. Deadly. Always in the pocket.
