Joe Paolo started as a drummer before stepping out front as a solo songwriter — his bandmates' lack of commitment turned out to be the creative push he needed. He co-writes with his childhood best friend, the two of them split between instinct and theory, emotion and structure. His song "Vertigo" captures that dizzying moment of truly finding yourself, and his guiding principle for any track is simple: if it sounds good acoustic, it works. Joe writes in the pop idiom because pop is the most direct line to a listener's heart.