Late Atlanta drummer Joseph Dingle’s blindness didn’t define him

Dingle, who died due to surgical complications in October, was both ferociously skilled and “the nicest guy you’d ever meet.”

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Cyberpunk visionary William Gibson’s 1996 novel Idoru has been feeling a little too real lately. The story, which tells of a rock musician who intends to marry an AI-generated pop star against a dystopian backdrop of perpetually-online youth culture, barely qualifies as science fiction at this point. 

But one real world connection I always enjoyed was being reminded of one of the novel’s minor characters, a blind drummer. That image would always come to mind whenever I had the privilege of listening to Joseph Dingle, the Atlanta drumming phenom known across the local metal community for his ability to deliver virtuosic performances while being almost completely sightless.

Dingle, who died on October 7 due to complications from emergency surgery, might not have had a slick infra-red visor to help him navigate the drum kit like the character from Idoru, but he hardly needed it. Whether with Geohominid or Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf — his two main gigs — he dished out such precise and effortless metal drumming that the first time I saw him play live I assumed the blind mobility stick sitting next to the kit belonged to someone else. 

According to his bandmates, his handicap was an afterthought at best. “I would have never known,” says Geohominid vocalist/guitarist Mike Arfa. “He never used it as a crutch; he never mentioned it. He was like ‘I want to be a great drummer. I don’t want to be the great blind drummer.’” 

Thus, other than a considerable amount of attention to detail in the placement of his drums, the handicap quickly vanished into the background. What remained was a highly adept drummer who could quickly find the pocket in any group he worked with. “He showed up and was like ‘I haven’t really heard the stuff, but I’d love to sit down with you guys,” says Arfa of Dingle’s audition for Geohominid (previously Stoneman). “He only kind of heard the stuff a little bit and played it instantly better than anybody we’d had.”

That versatility served Dingle well in his alternate project, the two-piece duo project Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf. The brainchild of Black Doomba Records founder Tommy Stewart, the band maintains the label’s focus on doom metal in all its thundering, ominous grandeur. Stewart, like the members of Geohominid, is quick to point out that despite all his ferocious skills behind the kit, Dingle’s most significant and enduring contribution to the metal world he occupied was a generous, outgoing personality that thrived on human connection.

“He had exactly the right chops, but, more than that, he was such a great guy,” explains Stewart. You could see him walk around a room, and everywhere he went there was this wake of people smiling and laughing behind him as he stopped and spoke to people. Wherever he went, he just seemed to spread this.” 

Stewart recalls that gregarious nature following Dingle as they toured together. At one point, the pair were having breakfast at their hotel when Dingle became aware of an elderly veteran eating nearby. “He said ‘Thank you for your service!’ and he just made friends with this guy.” That kindness left such an imprint on the world around Dingle, Stewart explains, that in the wake of his passing, memorials and tributes quickly began popping up far and wide from more than just the local Atlanta metal scene. 

“He should be a role model for everybody,” beams Stewart. “He was as valuable in that way as much as his drum playing.” 

While touring with Stewart in Ohio, Dingle began experiencing headaches during the long drive home. Thinking little of it at the time, they stopped to eat at a Kentucky Fried Chicken. “I think that was probably his last meal,” remarks Stewart somberly.

The headaches continued after Dingle returned home, and the members of Geohominid encouraged him to seek medical attention. Dingle went to the hospital where, as Arfa explains, a scan revealed a mass in his brain along with a brain tumor. Realizing the mass had become infected, doctors induced a coma to perform emergency surgery. Dingle experienced a stroke during the process and could not be revived. 

“They said his reaction to the surgery was about a one-in-a-million,” laments Arfa. Dingle was 39 years old. 

At the time of his passing, Dingle and Stewart had commenced work on the third Tommy Stewart’s Dyerwulf album, the drummer’s first project with the band. A single from the upcoming release, “My Politics Are My Own,” showcases Dingle’s pummeling technique and his considerable dynamic range. Stewart is in the process of seeing which of Dingle’s additional recordings will be used on the completed album. 

Like the unfinished album, much is still up in the air in the wake of Dingle’s passing. To that end, a two-night tribute concert featuring numerous prominent Atlanta bands will take place at Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Duluth on December 4 and December 5. 

“Joe was a great friend to us,” says Jerimy McNeil, bassist and vocalist for Dayglo Mourning. His band will join Heretical Rites, Noize Voidz, StrikeFirst and others in celebrating Dingle’s memory. Like Dingle’s bandmates, McNeil shares in the warm memories of his kind nature. “It’s very seldom you meet people with his level of talent as a musician that are as humble. Just the nicest guy you’d ever meet.” 

Proceeds from the event will go to his family to cover funeral expenses. 

As a musician, my professional connections to the Atlanta music scene frequently force me to abandon objectivity and write in the first person. Joe’s story is no exception, but, as I sat to compose this article, the personal connection became unexpectedly profound: One of his bandmates in Geohominid sent me a photo of Dingle’s bedroom where, among other memorabilia, one of my band’s concert posters hung over his bed. 

A solemn and sincere salute to you in return, good sir. Godspeed you onward.

Atlanta metal drummer Joseph Dingle passed away on October 7 from unexpected medical issues. His life and legacy will be celebrated in a series of concerts on December 4 and December 5 at the Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Duluth.

Jordan Owen began writing about music professionally at the age of 16 in Oxford, Mississippi. A 2006 graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he is a professional guitarist, bandleader and composer. He is currently the lead guitarist for the jazz group Other Strangers, the power metal band Axis of Empires and the melodic death/thrash metal band Century Spawn.