Making Music For Money
"Jambo" Joe Yira - www.jamboacousticmusic.com
joe@jamboacousticmusic.com
As told to the Old Parrothead - Billy Peoples


Q. Where is your home port?
A. I live in Hudson, Wisconsin... a small town on the banks of the St. Croix River. I love it here. Hudson has a nautical feel, great shops and restaurants and a rich history. Yet it's close enough to Minneapolis/St. Paul for those times I want to catch a ballgame or a concert, which is often.

Q. How did you get started in your musical career?
A. I've played guitar and drums since I was a kid. Luckily my family is very musical and always encouraged music in the house while my brother and I were growing up. About a year ago, I thought... why not plug this acoustic guitar into a PA and see what I can do out there? It's been great fun.

Q. How long have you been in this business?
A. Gigging for about a year. Playing music all my life.

Q. Who or what influenced your music the most?
A. Probably my Dad. He's the most naturally gifted musician I've ever seen and heard. He put a guitar in my hands early on, and I would play along with him at the kitchen table after dinner. He and my Mom also had a great collection of albums in the 70s... so the soundtrack of my youth was music from James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, Cat Stevens, the Eagles, America and other great bands from that "singer/songwriter" era. Then I got into Buffett in the mid-80s and I've never been the same since.

Q. What type venue do you prefer?
A. I love playing on patios... there are funky little joints around here that have great patios in the summer. Especially on the river. People dock their boats and stop in at these river joints for some food and drinks. That vibe is really fun. I also like playing bars that have that "worn in" feel... places that have been around awhile and have their own history. Dick's Bar in Hudson and the Willow River Saloon in Burkhardt are two favorites.

Q. What are your goals for the future?
A. I just want to be able to keep playing gigs around here. Maybe expand my radius a little, but I just want to be the "local guy" that people can kick back with their beers and sing along with.

Q. How many CDs do you have to your credit?
A. It's currently in the works. ;-)

Q. Is there anything you would like people to know about you?
A. Yes, that I'm very lucky to have a wife and children who support my musical soul and let me take off and play gigs on the weekends. My wife thinks I'm a little crazy (which may be true), my son thinks I'm a "rock star" and my daughter doesn't know what to think yet. But the support of my family and several close friends that encouraged me from the start have made all the difference in this crazy fun voyage.

P.S. I'd also like to thank Billy Peoples and Tropicaldreams.net for finding me and welcoming me into their corner of the Parrot Head family! I've enjoyed getting to know you. Thank you.