We recently connected with Mijo Mario and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mijo, thanks for joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
WOW… What a question for a 53 year old man embarking on yet another attempt to make music his living! Well, seeing as I began my musical adventure when I was 11 touring the country with a local Phoenix balladeer troupe, and subsequently continued in that general path throughout High School and into the 90’s, it would be odd for me to say I wish I started earlier. But I suppose in terms of making music my career, I do wish I would’ve been able to avoid the many self inflicted downfalls I endured that caused my career trajectory to plummet over & over throughout the years. So, although it would be interesting to see what might have been, the fact is I, or any one of us humans roaming the earth wouldn’t be who we are today without the lessons learned & data collected throughout all of our most challenging adventures. That being said, I like where I’m at right now, For some reason, this time feels different. Like… organic maybe? I don’t know, but it feels right.
Mijo, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Hi. My name is Mario, aka Mijo Mario. I began playing & performing music when I was 11 years old in the early 80’s as a working & touring Performer in the official balladeers of Arizona (at the time). I was trained to sing, dance, play instruments & SMILE which was the most important thing to remember as an 11 year old trying to avoid demerits (you were allowed 3 before you were kicked out). Every day tour life involved long rides on a stinky old refurbished school bus, classes on the bus, setting up stages, speakers and sets, erecting tents for wardrobe changes… then the unraveling of chords. Gazillions of chords, and then finally the performance. Quick changing, singing, dancing, SMILING balladeers from ages 10 to 20 appeared and blew the audience away with songs & dances themed by the changing of decades from the 1920’s to the 80’s. Then… tear it all down, load up the bus, and on to the next town / fair / benefit / etc. That was my introduction to being a working musician. I continued my musical journey playing in various bands and projects in & out of school, at bars & clubs around Phoenix, and even played in a country band in a small Eastern AZ town for a year. Eventually life took me in another direction and although I continued to play for the love of music… my career as a musician fell by the wayside. Years flashed by, life situations changed, and I eventually got the yen to do it again, so in 2018 I rehearsed like a mad man and took a few songs into the studio with Producer / Engineer / Musician James Linton in Gilbert AZ. He guided me through the recording process and we churned out the 7 tracks now available on Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, etc. The songs are varied in styles, but most feature a modernized classic rock feel with powerful, soulful vocals and incredible dynamics. I am SO proud of the work we did in the studio! I played most of the instruments (acoustic & electric guitars, piano, synth, bass, etc) & sang all the songs. James added his talents not only Producing & Engineering, but playing bass on a few songs too. ‘In Your Eyes’, ‘Landslide’ and ‘Y Volvere’ are the singles I am currently promoting and featuring in my upcoming Live performances at Adela’s Italian Restaurant in Phoenix, where a ticket will get you a delectable Italian dinner AND a MIjo Mario performance at restaurant closing time (bar will remain open). I am SUPER EXCITED for this upcoming partnership with Adela’s & Head Chef Pedro Delgado who has over 40 years of experience in the culinary arts! Please… come and be a part of the little project we’ve started. I hope it will become something special… and regular. LET”S GO!
Email [email protected] for ticket info.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My entire life has been a series of epic endeavors resulting in me lying alone in an abyss of darkness (LMAO). I joke, but it’s true. Or maybe the endeavors weren’t as epic as I thought them to be, I don’t know. Through all of them, I think the years of 2020 to now were the most crucial in getting me to who & where I am today, being so excited to play music again. What can I say about what we all went through beginning in January of 2020? It flipped everything and everyone upside-down… and opened my eyes to a whole new world. We lost jobs, homes, friends, family & freedoms. The Great Reset had begun. We all wondered when it would go back to how it was. We’re now all beginning to understand the answer is… never. I’ve come to accept that it’s a new world. The order of society has been unraveled, and it seems we’ve divided into tribes again like when mankind began and civility wasn’t even a thing. The term “One Nation Under God” is all but a memory, and our National Anthem has become a symbol of controversy. For me, and many like me, it’s as The Great Vizzini said… ‘INCONCIEVABLE”. I have seen many of us who’ve thrown up a white flag & let apathy engulf them, and I know many of us who HAVE NOT. Prior to 2020, I was lost, but now am found. I was blind, but now I see. And I’m making the effort to combine my love for music with my patriotism to create an entertaining & inspiring performance. My hope is that eventually, my performances will become something people will look forward to being a part of. Thanks everyone, for giving me a chance to entertain you for a while!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Based on evidence more than personal opinion, I feel like most people, including my family, struggle to understand me or my journey. I’ve come to accept that I’m “The Black Sheep of the family” and as such, am generally categorized as “crazy”, so they might avoid trying to make sense of some of the things I say or do. It’s frustrating… for all, but I believe one chooses who they will accept unconditionally, including and especially the deep penetrating wounds to the heart, and those are the ones we take into the future… RIDE or DIE. Those are your people. I used to think having more of them meant fulfillment. I’ve since changed my beliefs. I have a small circle… so explaining myself to everyone else at this point seems uninteresting. I can say this… I’ve been a young man with dreams. I performed for Royalty in The UK. I’ve been married with kids, a house & swimming pool in Scottsdale. I’ve raised kids, 2 of mine and 2 of another man’s. I’ve coached H.S. athletes. I’ve battled addiction. I’ve lost love, money, jobs & possessions because of addiction & zero self awareness. I’ve been divorced. I almost died… a few times. I’ve been burned by people. I’ve burned people. I’ve been to jail. I’ve been to rehab. I’ve benefited from therapy. I’ve saved a few lives, and I have been saved by others. Now… I don’t know how much longer I have left, but I’m praying God gives me the strength and fortitude to finally build a humble life for myself and my little circle. And yes… I’m a little crazy.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mijomariophx?igsh=MWd3MXpjdG45N2Zlag==
- Twitter: https://x.com/MarioAquaVelva?t=NdeTAGCRy27eW4H4V8hpxQ&s=09
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mijomario6468?si=TFYiezOyUHZ-xDOK
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mijomario?_t=8lt1KTepRCF&_r=1 Apple Music: https://www.tiktok.com/@mijomario?_t=8lt1KTepRCF&_r=1 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B07GDYMYP9/mijo-mario Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4v1auvMFsG0aQhi9IgzoHv?si=hLzd8W-aRXeidqQ4d0jCTA Adela’s Italian Restaurant: https://www.adelasitalian.com/ Tickets to Mijo Mario Performance & Dinner: [email protected]
Image Credits
Age 11 performing with the Strumming Amigos 1982 Age 17 performing ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ at Scottsdale Papago / Rotary Talent Showcase 1987 First Album Cover ‘Phoenix Son’ 2018 Various photos from Papago photo shoot with KM Photos 2024