He is known professionally as the bassist and songwriter for the punk rock band The Vandals, and creator and episodic director of the paranormal travel series Monsters Across America on Fox Nation.

and designing several iconic atomic age flashing signs that have dotted prominent American city skylines.

Escalante received his Bachelor degree from UCLA studying Viking civilization under Professor Jesse Byock[citation needed] and his Juris Doctor from Loyola Law School.

[citation needed] In 1981, at age 18, Escalante joined the punk rock band The Vandals, becoming their first permanent drummer, and would remain the sole constant member throughout the rest of their career.

During his time with the network, he negotiated actor, writer, and director deals on programs like Everybody Loves Raymond, Rescue 911, and Walker, Texas Ranger, for which he co-produced the theme song “Eyes of a Ranger” after convincing Chuck Norris to sing the theme song to his own series.

In 1999, one of the first streaming TV series, Fear of A Punk Planet, was ordered by the Digital Entertainment Network (DEN),[citation needed] and was later released as a comic book in 2017.

Eventually, Escalante left CBS Television and took over operations of the label, signing acts such as The Ataris, Ozma, Tsunami Bomb, Kenneth Keith Kallenbach, Longmont Potion Castle, and The Vandals.

Escalante ran the U.S. and European operations for 20 years, then sold the label to Cleopatra Records, who continue to maintain it as a separate imprint.

The show also featured a weekly wine tasting and education hour called "Wino Wednesday", and hosted a number of celebrity guests including Crispin Glover, Christina Ricci, Pat Buchanan, Will Ferrell, Maynard James Keenan, Werner Herzog, Phil Donahue, Kristen Stewart, Harry Shearer, Dennis Hopper, and Andy Dick.

[20] Joe's call-in entertainment law show stayed on the web version on Indie 1031 until it finally landed on Clear Channel/Iheart Media's KEIB AM 1150 in 2009, where it can still be heard today live on Sundays at 5pm to 7pm, PST.

Escalante teaches Catechism at St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church in Hawaiian Gardens where he is a daily communicant.

[27] From 2008 to 2012, Escalante worked as a volunteer temporary judge for the Los Angeles superior court, and later placed himself on the ballot for a paid position in a non-partisan race.