The Ember Jar

Formed in the fall of 2011 by singer-songwriters Abigail and Kevin Scott Joiner, The Ember Jar has sought to find and refine their sound through the untethered exploration and fusion of diverse genres. With the addition of drummer Vincenzo Carrasco, they continue to streamline a style presented through dynamic arrangements supporting rich, emotional vocals — a blend they refer to as “Soulful Jangle Rock”. Currently based in South Bend, IN, The Ember Jar travels often to share their music on a national level, including recent tours throughout the South and Midwest. Abby's Bio: Abigail Joiner was born into a musically gifted family, and was encouraged to sing from a very young age. This upbringing provided her with a strong foundation in proper vocal technique and a thorough appreciation of music across a broad spectrum of genres. As a young girl, Abby began exploring these genres more deeply and eventually found her first true love in soul music. In 2011, after years of studying many of the icons of female music, she decided to share her voice in a public forum. Reeling from a painful breakup, Abby moved back to her hometown of South Bend, IN, bought a ukulele she didn't know how to play, and wrote her first song, expecting songwriting to be nothing more than a hobby and creative outlet. She met Kevin Joiner at an open mic a few days later, and the rest is history. Abby has been songwriting and performing for the last 4 years, and while her current artistic direction has evolved towards jangle pop and rock, Abby still takes a soulful approach to singing, resulting in songs that are catchy and accessible yet emotionally rich. Kevin's Bio: Like his band mate and songwriting partner Abby Joiner, Kevin Scott Joiner was born into a musical family. Though his mother and sisters could all sing and encouraged his creativity in music and beyond, it was his semi-professional singer-guitarist father who had Kevin performing on stage when he was barely out of kindergarten. His earliest musical sustenance consisted of a steady diet of country and western, southern gospel, and 50s rock-and-roll, but it was the afternoon hours of his early childhood, when he'd sneak into his sister's bedroom while she was still at school and listen to her classic rock albums, that led him to seeking out his own inspirations. From b-boy hip-hop to skate punk, classic R&B to modern prog rock, or synth pop to traditional Irish folk, Kevin has always been one to follow his muse wherever it leads. And after over 20 years of professional performing and songwriting, the intersection of these various styles and many others, heightened by Kevin's deep exploration of them all, has resulted in an approach to both song and stagecraft that, while falling generally under the umbrella of popular music, is hard to pin down beyond words like "soulful", "complex", and "compelling". Vinny's Bio: Growing up immersed in the classical tunes of his professional oboist mother and the Latin rhythms accompanying his Colombian father’s enthusiastic dancing, percussionist Vincenzo “Vinny” Carrasco was destined to find a place in the world of music. Born in the multicultural forge of Tampa, FL, as a child, he lived simultaneously in the same small Florida town as his Ember Jar band mate Kevin, though they would not meet until many years later and a thousand miles away in South Bend, IN. It was here, while attending the University of Notre Dame, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science,that Vinny first took up the drums. Though only 19 and untrained, he quickly prolonged stints in several acts, such as jam bands Driftwood and Fillmore’s Ladder, the Bob Seger tribute band Night Moves, and regional blues favorite Kalamazoo Kenny and the Rhythm Rats. The lessons in professionalism he learned from the latter, and the tutoring he received from Motown Legend Billy “Stix” Nicks, led him to seek training in another passion: West African percussion—most notably from master Mamady Kieta. In addition to lending his complex but controlled rhythmic sensibilities and harmonies to The Ember Jar, Vinny can also be seen backing the progressive jam band Anarchist Funk Brothers, as well as City in Fog, the “hard soul” duo he co-founded with Kevin Joiner.

South Bend, IN