Meet Mijomario

We were lucky to catch up with Mijomario recently and have shared our conversation below.

MijoMario, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I spoke to the desert, and it told me “Sing, and sing, and sing, and sing…. And talk, and talk, and talk and talk” over and over until the blackbird flew off, and the wind cooked away. Haha I promise that’s not fake news. Can I prove it in a court of law? I don’t know… I probably could these days. It seems like the better the story teller, the more revered in today’s game of life. But I have no one I need to prove it to at this time, so yeah… A Blackbird and the wind (=God). Other than that and a dozen or so Ride or Dies (family & friends), I suppose if there were any particular person with specific words attached to influence my recent endeavor / return to the live music scene, it would be the words of The Lobster (Jordan Peterson). You see, I was on a TikTok binge on a lovely November day in Phoenix circa 2023, and scrolled upon an edit of a video of Dr. Peterson talking about many of the patients he treated, as well as data collected from decades of psychological studies. He spoke of how often people will quit trying to make life changes, start businesses, etc. after a few failed attempts, and proposed that data supported a good percentage of them might very well have succeeded had they only given it one more shot. He went on to explain it, I thought, as a sort of pyramid scheme of life… like he was giving a game hack or something. Like, you have to fail over and over before you can get to the top level. Now, I’ve been a fan of Dr. Peterson’s for years. Sometimes his words are hard to hear, but sometimes, they hit me like a fight ring bell going off in my head. This was one of those times. I had already lived through the pink cloud of recording in a studio & having my music distributed worldwide, and had achieved a modest following on social media, but a devastating life change & the Lockdowns led me to a brick wall, and all hopes of performing live fizzled out. Eventually, I lost my mojo completely, gave all my guitars & equipment to my son Anthony (mini me, musically), and got back to nature as my thing. But after I heard Dr. Peterson drop the mic with “What have you got to lose? Give it 5 years. You might get what you need this time! And if you don’t… Look what you will have done in 5 years!” I was PUMPED. Now, if someone fact checks me, I’m sure that won’t be his exact quote, but it’s what I heard. And the next day I began. If you look at my Instagram page @mijomariophx you’ll find the first post from November 30, 2023 quoting the White snake song “Here I go again”. That’s the purpose I found! So to God, my Ride or Dies, and Dr. Peterson… Thank you.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My name’s MijoMario. I entertain (play guitar & sing) at a quaint Italian restaurant in Phoenix called Adela’s. I play a variety of songs from the classic rock genre, to pop, to even a few country music classics. My vocals are soulful. My guitar playing is percussive. I do both with passion & intensity. What songs can you expect to hear? Well, I was shuffling through my book of songs Saturday night, mumbling to myself about what I should play next, and Bethany (Adela’s server) hollered out “Play what you feel, Mijo!” I loved that, so I think I’m gonna go with that moving forward. I play what I feel! I think if I keep it like that for the most part, people will get the best of me whaling on Taka (my guitar) and sailing in the sea of notes with my voice. When I feel “it”… that’s when the magic happens. When I close my eyes and leave the room ‘cuz I’m one hundred percent inside the song… That’s when I feel like I have enough mojo to take the ones in the room along with me. That’s when I feel like people “get it”. The MijoMario experience. Haha, it sounds narcissistic, but it is what it is. I think it’s like they say, “If you don’t know, you better ask someone.”. The many patrons who have shared their deep appreciation for what I shared with them musically is all the validation I need. So find one and ask… or come on over to Adela’s to experience it for yourself. We’re super excited to announce ‘Adela’s Happy Hour With MijoMario’ beginning in late October / early November! Call now to see when you might be able to visit us and be a part of the dining & entertainment experience we’re working so hard to provide.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Critical thinking, resilience, and crafting your art. Not necessarily in that order. Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize information. Do it for as long as it takes for you to have been Prosecutor, Defense, Judge & Jury in your mind, in every important situation or unsure moment of your life. Just you, God, and an outcome you can live with… even if temporary, until you collect more data. Then live it while apologizing to nothing or no one but God when you err. Spend more time alone, in your thoughts. Learn yourself. Push the envelope. Fall down. Get up. Be an advocate for yourself. Experience life on life’s terms. Go outside. Do what God gave you the ability to do. Be competitive in regards to that ability. And never… ever quit trying to find who the universe needs you to be, and who you need to be for yourself.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

“You’re too old.” That’s the one on the radar right now. Although I’ve been playing music since I was a kid, I only recently got back into playing in front of people regularly. It’s been a good 20 years since I’ve had to perform gig sets while attempting to be at all entertaining. And, what I’m doing now is different than playing in bars or at parties like I used to. So it’s a bit more daunting to try to do what I’m doing now, with a white goatee and lines all over my forehead. I’ve done some damage to my body over the years, and my lungs have taken some herbal shading, but hiking seems to keep my lungs strong, and my core is pretty solid, although my general appearance might offer conflicting evidence. But seriously, I hope that people can see past the years on my face, and understand how crucial those years are to my performance. The things I had to live through to achieve the tones in my music were epic. At least in my mind. That transfers to my heart, runs through my soul, and BANG… there it is. So, the “old” thing is a thing and it’s relevant in many ways, but I’m just gonna keep on keepin’ on. I’m gonna strive to be a healthier man in every aspect, and the good Lord willing… I’m gonna be able to share my entertainment experience with anyone who wants to be a part of it for a long time to come.
Maybe it’s like Sambora & Bongiovi wrote… “I like the bed I’m sleepin’ in. It’s just like me, it’s broken in. It’s not old… Just older”. Thanks, everyone! Be well.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Ride or Dies: Henry & Gloria Dominguez, Miranda Dominguez & Isla Rose Coin, MariSol Dominguez & David Frazier, Anthony Dominguez & Grafton Oleson, Mariah Dominguez & Nick DeCarlo, Shay & Andrew “HERM” Dominguez with Jana Pueker & Daniel Dominguez, Mia Sirimarco, The Delgado family Pedro, Ximena, Adela, Pedro Sr., Jaime, and Antonella, Nels Dixon & Sonya Dominguez, Sophia Rose & Jon Ashton Razo, Aryanna Lundgren, and Chris & Joy Zilar

Other photos: MijoMario and Taka (before I rescued her)

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