by Sean Dettman Photos courtesy of Jake La Botz
From the October 2006 issue of PRICK Magazine.
Take one blues musician from L.A., throw in a handful of tattoo shops from across the country, book yourself a tour and, on top of everything else, set out to film a documentary about the whole project. This is the vision that Jake La Botz's Tattoo Across America Tour is aiming to make a reality.
La Botz learned to play the blues at a young age while in Chicago. "I listened to old blues records, and growing up in Chicago there was a real interesting blues scene going on," Jake recalls. After dropping out of high school, stealing a few cars, and finding himself in one compromising situation after another, he wound up acting in a few films (most notably Animal Factory and Ghost World). Between working in the indie music scene and playing guitar for several Gospel churches, Jake has also made a few appearances at tattoo shops in the L.A. area (Gill Montie's Tattoomania and Mark Mahoney's Shamrock Social Club).
This tour was born out of a necessity to please his fans. "Aside from playing in L.A., I have a small following of fans in various places that write and ask me to come to their towns to play," says Jake. Over time, he began to notice that, like himself, a large portion of his fans tended to be of the heavily tattooed variety. This made the tour something that he felt just simply needed to be done. It kicks off on October 2nd at Mahoney's shop in Hollywood and will continue through November.
His documentary-in-progress will focus upon tattoos and music, their cultural connection, and how they both relate to his life as an artist and as an individual. Jake's national tour is something unprecedented in the music world and will attempt to transform what we traditionally consider shop territory into a more untraditional venue for musicians and artists alike.
With this endeavor, La Botz hopes to find an accepting niche both in the music and tattoo communities while also proving that grassroots projects can exist and be successful at the same time. If his tour isn't coming within driving distance, there's always next year. "I'm considering making this tour an annual event and playing at some different shops each time. I'm also planning on doing a Tattoo Across Europe tour," he says. Without a doubt, this will be one of the most unique tours to roll across the country this year.
This tour was born out of a necessity to please his fans. "Aside from playing in L.A., I have a small following of fans in various places that write and ask me to come to their towns to play," says Jake. Over time, he began to notice that, like himself, a large portion of his fans tended to be of the heavily tattooed variety. This made the tour something that he felt just simply needed to be done. It kicks off on October 2nd at Mahoney's shop in Hollywood and will continue through November.