Jimmy Joe Natoli

I should be playing island music. My grandparents came from small islands -Mom's folks from Brava in the Cape Verde Islands, Pop's mama from Ginostra on the Island of Stromboli off Sicily. Then I was born on the island of Manhattan in NYC and raised on Long Island right next door. Frequent vacations from an early age at a friend's private island in Maine. Now I reside in the Isle of Austin. OK, so Austin is not an island but it sure feels like one sometimes. Go over the bridge and you end up in Texas! ***I was probably most inspired to do the singer songwriter thing after seeing Johnny Cash and family in Champaign, IL in '97. Before that I was a guitar player since age 12 - mainly electric. Several years ago My friend Laura Thomas took me to the Westlake Farmers Market because they had no music. I started setting up out of the back of my van with a little miniature amp. I would play 1 set about three times to fill the 3 hour gig because I had ony written so many songs. Eventually I upgraded the sound system and wrote a bunch more songs - many of which are fruit/food/market related. ***About 4 years ago I met bassist Carl LoSchiavo through local studio owner Tom Johnson. LoSchiavo was also my grandmother's maiden name. Carl's family also came from the tiny village of Ginostra which boasts a population of 27 people and 7 donkeys. So we discovered we're related and we've become good friends over the past few years. Carl started joining me at the Westlake market and is now an integral part of the Jimmy Joe music experience since the market moved to Sunset Valley. We now have Jimmy Joe's Cafe - a covered seating area in the middle of the Sunset Valley Farmers Market - where people can sit and enjoy a pastry and a coffee in the shade while listening to a live band. The market has been expanded to 4 hours (9am-1pm) every saturday and I've added the 11:11 hour for musical guests. Carl and I are often joined by drummer Paul "Buddha" Mills and other random guests. *** I recently recorded a six song cd titled Torque Deluxe with Carl LoSchiavo on bass, DB Martin on drums, Sick on Fiddle and Mandolin, and Chrissie Engle (of Avenue Elle) singing harmonies. I sing and play guitar and banjo. All songs are car/driving related. The concept was inspired by my Uncle Joe Anahory when he was inducted into the Hot Rod Hall of Fame June 17, 2005. I wrote the song Uncle Joe a week before as a gift and at a moment's notice my good friend Jason James at Spin Studios recorded the song with Carl and DB helping me out. I drove up to Kentucky for the ceremony and a day at the race track with my brother Mike, cousin Lydia, and some other family. That Sunday we were getting ready to go to Uncle Joe's house when he collapsed. The day after that, June 20, Uncle Joe died with Uncle Butch, Aunt Marie and me by his side. He got to hear the song before he left us. He said with a big smile, "That's a great song! I need another copy because I sat on it and broke it!" I never got to give him another copy but I eventually changed the last verse of the song. You'll know what I mean when you hear it. You wouldn't want to write a verse like that for someone you care about if he/she is still alive. ***And that's my story. You can catch me at the market most every saturday and at other random gigs in random places.