Bio

Joey Arcuri is a professional musician from Ithaca, NY. A performer and teacher, his musical background spans broadly from classical, jazz, musical theater, singer-songwriter genres, and pop music. Often recognized as the bassist of the band, Driftwood, Joey also maintains an active freelance career. Driftwood is a folk rock band from Binghamton, NY that has toured nationally and shared stages with Old Crow Medicine Show, Rusted Root, Greensky Bluegrass, Marty Stewart, Leon Russell, and Donna The Buffalo. Joey’s freelance career has placed him on stages with Clay Aiken, Melinda Doolittle, Jane Monheit, Cheryl Bentyne, and Hank Roberts.

Joey completed his undergrad at two colleges - SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Music and Ithaca College School of Music. At Purchase, Joey studied with Tim Cobb, the principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic. At Ithaca, Joey studied with Dr. Nicholas Walker, Professor of Music at Ithaca College. Joey’s Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Bass Performance was completed in 2009 at Ithaca College. With 14 years of performing and teaching after undergrad, Joey decided to go back to school to pursue a Master’s in Music Education degree at Syracuse University. Joey graduated from Syracuse University in 2023.

In the Fall of 2023 Joey started working in the Ithaca City School District as an elementary orchestra teacher. Joey splits his work week between two schools - Cayuga Heights Elementary and Caroline Elementary Schools. Joey teaches the violin, viola, cello, and double bass to students in grades 3, 4, and 5. The work is fun and fulfilling for him, and the Ithaca community is grateful to have him teaching the next generation of musicians.

Having a classical and jazz background mixed with years of popular music experience has allowed Joey Arcuri to diversify his music portfolio. Working intimately with Driftwood for 13 years has exposed him to the music industry and has nurtured his singing, songwriting, and collaborative abilities. Driftwood has been on dozens of cross-country tours. They have also released 5 studio albums and 2 live albums. Driftwood is always creating new music, videos, and content to feed their fan base at live shows and on social media platforms. Additionally, Joey is currently working on his debut solo album as a singer-songwriter.