Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jesus Axolotl. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jesus, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

The origin of my musical/artistic journey begins since I was a young little boy. In elementary I had convinced myself that I was going to make a living as a famous painter. I really enjoyed coloring and making my own books anytime I got the chance. Even with the little time we got in school I had to make sure it was perfect. As time went on and I entered middle school/adolescence I began to give an interest to music a lot more. Listening to The Strokes, Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, The Runaways, The Beatles, and pretty much any other kinds of bands that my older sister had playing growing up really shaped my liking of the kind of music I would be playing in the near future. I was either 11 or 12 years old when at my uncles wedding I experienced what I call The Big Bang of my musical journey. I was sitting at the dinner table and when I turn to take a look at the Norteno band that was playing I was immediately struck by the amazing presence of the bands guitar player. That was the moment when I decided that I wanted to play guitar. It was goodbye to the days of playing air guitar on top of my bed and hello to a lifelong of musical creation.

Jesus, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a musician from Boyle Heights who comes from a low income Mexican-American family I live with the mantra of ‘work with what you have’. I started creating music because I enjoyed being on stage playing my favorite guitar covers and feeling like my favorite musicians. When I began writing/recording music I immediately realized my incapability of not being able to sound like my favorite musicians. This really made me feel insecure, but my drive and love for the guitar kept me pushing to uncover my own potential. I wrote/recorded many terrible songs with out of tune vocals at first, but my skills in producing/songwriting gradually improved over the years. I played in many different bands in school like Marching band, Latin Jazz band, Jazz combo, and my church’s choir. Right after that I decided to create the Jesus Axolotl project which led to releasing music and playing it live for people with the help of my great friend Michael who plays bass in my project and constant rotating drummer friends. My biggest accomplishments have definitely been performing on Jam In The Van, being interviewed by my local radio station, and having many people reach out personally to let me know that they like my music. My mission with this project is to keep reaching newer audiences and become know in the musical collective of musicians around the world. The goal is to perform at music festivals like Tropicalia and LA venues that I grew up going to like The Fonda.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The driving force behind my musical creations is really about leaving my footprint before I’m gone. The mission is to create a space where people can enter and leave everything at the door to enjoy/be present in the moment with each other. I want to take care of my audience by making them forget about their problems and ignite positive emotions in them. The moment is about music and nothing else when they come to see each other while my band is on stage playing my music. In a world that’s so confusing to live and understand nothing else will matters but us.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Meeting and having the support of people that I would have never met if it wasn’t for music. When people come up to you at shows to congratulate you on a performance is one of the most humbling experiences. The fact that people drive and sometimes pay to see you is one of the best things an artist can ever ask for. People reaching out via social media and sharing their experiences on how they discovered your music is another rewarding part of being a musician. At first you start making music for yourself but as you go on and share it to the world it isn’t really yours anymore. The music will touch people’s souls and the impact will be forever. The power of music, truly something indescribable.

Jesus Axolotl’s brand new 3rd album titled “1998” is now available on all streaming platforms. This album is dedicated to all who have shown genuine interest/support to his music. This project concludes the trilogy of albums and marks the closure of a musical chapter in his life. It is not over but more will continue into a new direction. Thank you and enjoy the album.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/JesusAxolotl
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesusaxolotl/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JesusAxolotl
• Other: Jam In The Van: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvzjfoRQ640 Jesus Axolotl Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miQ37mAVkpQ Recording With Brian Wilson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JkhcP-fDfE

Image Credits
– Crystal Perez – Alan Arvizu