Joe Cool Releases “Company Man” As Toronto Folk Rocker Previews New EP, Blood Sweat and Beers
Toronto folk-rocker Joe Cool is back, calloused hands and all, with the lead single from his third EP, Blood, Sweat & Beers. The track, “Company Man,” is a blue-collar anthem for anyone who’s ever punched a clock, buried their dreams for a steady paycheque, and tried to keep their head above water in a world that doesn’t always make room for poets and pick-up trucks. Written by Joe Cool (aka Joseph D Coulas) and produced by longtime collaborator Jack Wiktor, “Company Man” is out now, offering the first sip of a record that goes down like a cold beer after a long shift.
Built on ringing acoustic chords and the kind of worn-in vocals that only come from life experience, “Company Man” captures the quiet resignation of working-class life, laced with just enough hope to keep going. Think Jason Isbell if he clocked in at a factory. Think Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska if it were written with a Canadian postal code. It’s a song that doesn’t flinch—it tells the truth, straight-up, no chaser.
Blood, Sweat & Beers was recorded in late summer 2024 at Toronto’s beloved Cadence House—a studio that’s been the beating heart of the city’s Bloorcourt scene for over a decade. With the studio closing its doors shortly after the sessions wrapped, the EP took on added emotional weight.
“It felt like one last shift before clocking out,” says Joe. “We weren’t just making a record—we were closing a chapter.”
Wiktor, who also engineered and produced, steered the sessions with the ease of someone who knew both the artist and the space like the back of his hand.
Alongside Joe and Jack, the EP features a trusted crew: Dan Wiktor on drums,, Jason Wolowicz on electric guitar, and Jack on bass. It’s a lineup that brings just the right mix of sweat and sweetness—tight where it needs to be, and ragged in all the right spots.
Joe Cool’s songwriting has always leaned into the everyday—the busted pickups, the backyard beers, the silent goodbyes—but “Company Man” takes that ethos and distills it to its purest form. It’s not just a song for the working man. It’s a song for anyone who’s ever felt stuck, unseen, or underappreciated. Fans of John Prine, The War on Drugs, Steve Earle, and even The Hold Steady will find themselves in good company here.
The lyrics to “Company Man” read like pages torn from a hard-luck diary:
Too much, too late
I’m gonna stick to the plan
Out of touch and out of date
But I’m just a company man
It’s honest, unvarnished, and aching in that way only truth can be.
Catch Joe Cool on the road this spring and summer as he brings Blood, Sweat & Beers to audiences across Ontario and beyond:
May 17, 2025 – Palmerfest, Palmer Rapids, ON
June 28, 2025 – Cottagefest, Combermere, ON
August 30, 2025 – Freakfest, Bells Rapids, ON
Hi Joe! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers for those not familiar with your music?
Hi there, I’m Joe Cool and I’m new on the scene! Have been writing songs since I had nothing to write about, and singing songs since before I could sing! I like to think that my songs capture real-life emotion and intensity and will connect with the listeners in different ways.
“Company Man” feels like it was written from deep personal experience. Was there a specific moment or job that inspired the song?
Not a specific moment but more like a career-long learning lesson about responsibility and leaning into versus pushing back against it, something that I still struggle with…
You’ve said this record felt like “one last shift before clocking out.” How did recording at Cadence House, especially knowing it was closing, shape the emotional tone of the EP?
It definitely added to the emotional weight of releasing the music. Some of my best memories (over many years) are from making music with my main man Jack at Cadence House, and it was sad to say goodbye, but we sent it out with a bang!
You’ve built a trusted crew around you for this EP. What does it mean to make music with people who know you so well, both as a person and an artist?
It means the world! Making music is one of the joys of my life, and being able to share that with my best pals is something I wouldn’t trade for anything. I’m very grateful!
The EP is called Blood, Sweat & Beers. What does that title mean to you—and what kind of stories should listeners expect from the rest of the record?
I hope that listeners will like the title as much as I do, haha. Humour is a big part of my life and goes hand in hand with my songwriting, which will let the reader use their imagination!
Connect with Joe Cool:
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