Joey DeMaio

Joey DeMaio is an American musician who is the bass player and main songwriter for the heavy metal band Manowar which he founded in 1980. He is also the founder and owner of Magic Circle Music.

Biography

He is a childhood friend of Manowar singer Eric [Adams (singer)|Eric Adams]. DeMaio played bass in several school bands. In the 1970s, he toured with the musical Godspell, taking musical lessons with the conductor.
He worked as a pyro-tech for Black Sabbath during their "Heaven and [Hell (Black Sabbath album)|Heaven and Hell]" tour.
In 2006, shortly after creating the record label Magic Circle Music, DeMaio became a manager of the Italian metal band Rhapsody of Fire. He is also a producer for the band HolyHell.

Equipment

DeMaio mostly plays in piccolo tuning, which is the same as standard bass tuning, but tuned up an octave. He primarily uses custom Rickenbacker 4003 basses with EMG pickups and guitar-style string spacing, inspired off of a Rickenbacker he played that was modified by John "Dawk" Stillwell.