Joe VanDyke

Joe VanDyke was born and raised in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. The only boy of four children, he spent his early life outdoors at the beach and in the woods, or playing sports and skateboarding. Joe got his performance start by playing guitar and starting his first band, Five Cents Short, with former Yellowcard guitarist Todd Cleary, from 1996-1998. His next band was Lurch, a no-excuses punk band that pushed the limits and built quite a name for themselves, playing and traveling the southeast from 1998-2003. During this time Joe and some of the members started a side party band called The Surfin' Urchins, playing traditional 60's surf guitar music at parties and the like, with all the look, sounds, and gimmicks of the 60's era. He then went on to form Shadow Agency, a hard rock band that blended different sounds and created a style of their own, with powerful vocal harmonies, huge choruses, and crushing guitar riffs. Shadow Agency traveled the east half of the US in a shuttle bus from 2003-2008, playing many festivals and rock tours, including the Warped Tour, The Taste of Chaos, and House of Blues shows, where Joe and the guys got to play with most of their heroes. In 2008, some of the band members formed a new, more pop influenced band called Hello Danger. They recorded a full length album, and an EP that were both sold on Itunes and in physical form. Hello Danger was the most polished and accessible of Joe's bands, with great musicianship and vocals. He continued to play packed local and regional shows, and built his stage presence as a performer with Hello Danger, from 2008-2011. While pursuing music, Joe also organized very large art events in Jacksonville, Daytona, and Orlando from 2006-2011. These shows were the first of their kind in north-east Florida, where Joe would organize large groups of artists to display and sell their art, with all different types of live music and Djs at each event. Some of these events had over 2,000 people attend, and were a huge step forward for the local arts scene. Joe curated over 30 of these events in this five year period. In early 2011, he decided to make the move to Los Angeles, and pursue his dream of acting and creating in films and television. With Joe's strong background in music and art, this was the next step in his performance goals. Joe has been taking classes, auditioning and landing speaking roles, as well as shooting and creating videos and his first feature-length film.