On this John Avila interview: a dusty relic in the attic that changed his life, quitting high school, great stories about working with Oingo Boingo, El Chicano, Richie Havens, Stuart Copeland, Neil Young, Food For Feet… awesome story how he got into production, playing backyard BBQ gigs with Van Halen, barely escaping a gig in a foreign country, biggest mistake he’s made in music, worst gigs he’s ever had, why you have to always keep stretching… running, baseball, Jaime Jarrin, a new health routine & loads more. This one is chock full of stories, good vibes & enthusiasm

John’s been in the music business for over 40 years as a well-respected bassist, producer, composer, arranger, recording/mixing engineer, session musician & vocalist. As a bassist he played with Oingo Boingo for 11 years (84-95). As a sideman he’s toured or recorded with Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Steven Tyler, Richie Havens, Stuart Copeland, Nels Cline, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann from the Grateful Dead, Steve Vai & Eric Johnson, and dozens of others. He’s also performed on & composed tracks for major motion picture soundtracks, national commercials and major network television shows. While John was in the band, he co-produced Oingo Boingo along with Danny Elfman, and has since produced hundreds of other LPs. Since 2003, he’s also taught performance, production, mixing, arranging & composing at a variety of schools, currently at LA College of Music