Joey Armstrong was born into rock royalty as the son of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. According to Joey Armstrong’s official website, the film School of Rock inspired his entry into music. This inspiration led to a career with multiple projects.
Joey Armstrong’s Early Life and Family Background
Joey Armstrong was born on February 28, 1995, to Billie Joe Armstrong and Adrienne Nesser. His parents discovered they were expecting the day after their July 2, 1994 wedding. Joey has a brother named Jakob. He had a connection to music from birth as the son of Green Day frontman Billie Joe. He later forged his own path in the industry.
Joey Armstrong’s Musical Career
Joey’s career started when he formed The Raining Souls with Cole Becker. The band evolved into Emily’s Army. They collaborated with Billie Joe Armstrong for their debut album ‘Don’t Be a Dick’ in 2010. The group rebranded as SWMRS in 2015.
Joey expanded his musical career beyond SWMRS. He collaborated with Waterloo Teeth and appeared on projects like The LongShot’s Love is for Losers and Destroy Boys’ Make Room in 2018.
According to Modern Drummer, Armstrong’s drumming style drew inspiration from Fabrizio Moretti, Chris Mars, and Ringo Starr. He went beyond traditional drumming by using drum machines and programming. Producers like RZA and J Dilla influenced his style.
Armstrong’s Controversy and Departure From SWMRS
As reported by Consequence, Armstrong’s career had a serious setback in July 2020. Lydia Night of the Regrettes accused him of sexual assault and predatory behavior. Their relationship began in 2017 when she was 16 and he was 22.
Night claims, “Because of our age difference, Joey would continually ask me to keep our relationship as hidden as possible and I did. We had multiple conversations where he would say something along the lines of ‘I want to move at your pace’ and ‘I don’t want to have sex until you’re 18,’ but then would act in completely contradicting ways, pressuring me into sexual situations.”
Armstrong Didn’t Really Deny The Accusations
Armstrong responded through SWMRS’ social media. He disagreed with some of Night’s statements but apologized to her. “While I don’t agree with some of the things she said about me, it’s important that she be allowed to say them and that she be supported for speaking out. I respect her immensely and fully accept that I failed her as a partner,” he stated.
The controversy led to changes within SWMRS. The band announced Armstrong’s departure in October 2022. The remaining members stated, “Joey and Seb have both stepped away from the band to grow their personal lives. Max and I are going to keep the band going.”
As for now, the band’s most recent release is 2024’s ‘Becker.‘ You can get the latest news about the band’s tour schedule on Instagram.
