Originally entering Indiana University to become a research scientist, Ron "Rojo" Jones emerged a teacher who's only stint was as a biology teacher on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. A call to help in the family business brought him back to Wisconsin, where his love of guitars and music eventually led him into an apprenticeship with a local luthier, producing an ever growing business as a guitar builder and repairer. Rojo is of Hochungara descent, and the meeting of a kindred spirit in the Milwaukee Indian community led to the formation of the Acoustic Warriors, a contemporary American Indian folk rock duo. The Acoustic Warriors debuted at the 1995 Indian Summer Festival and have been together ever since. Rojo has become known for his virtuosity on many types of stringed instruments, which is exhibited on a wide range of them every time he performs onstage. An Acoustic Warriors performance at the Coffee House in Milwaukee was witnessed by Saji Villoth, another musician searching for his muse. He found it with Rojo. Rojo wanted to play more often and "surf" different styles than what he was doing with Acoustic Warriors. Similar musical sensibilities drew Rojo and Saji together like a moth to the flame and the Mambo Surfers were born.
Originally from southern India, Saji Thomas Villoth made his way to the U.S. via a youth spent in Kuwait. He speaks 5 languages and one of his ambitions is to write at least one song in each of the 20 major languages. We offer here the words of his biographer....
"Saji Thomas Villoth swims a murky sea from beacon to beacon, soaking in
the light from such illuminati as Gandi, Malcolm, Idries Shah, Mirabai,
and the such; gathering strength and sense of purpose from women and men
of conscience. He taps into a stream of being peopled by the visions, hopes and ideas of all races down through the long ages. Stored in his fertile brain are pictures, sounds and rhythms of the Middle East, the Mediterranean, India, East Asia, Eastern Europe, Anglo Europe, and North America.
This humble and shy specimen may be found at dusk, seeking for particles
of truth, and may be identified by the dull knock of his head beating
against walls. He reproduces apomictically once every 603 years, dropping
his buds where they may, and then only if the conjunctions of Mars and the
Scarab in the Third House are auspicious. He is 26,789.6 years old and aspires to be a regular on Sesame Street."
Having searched for a percussionist for some time, the Mambo Surfers made the usual inquiry after appearing as musical guests with the Dead Alewives comedy troupe -- "Hey! Anybody know an available percussionist?" Bo Johnson of the Alewives turned out to be that percussionist, and was soon swept into the Surfers' deep sea of musical mystery. Bo has been in bands and swing choirs since 4th grade. He started in theater musicals as a freshman in high school, going on to major in theater at UW-Eau Claire. He used to play trombone, but abandoned it for the intimate rhythm of the skins. He is also an actor and can often be seen in plays and theater groups around Wisconsin. Bo currently performs weekly with the Dead Alewives improve comedy troupe and plays in another band, Random Maxx, a pop rock quartet. He lives in Milwaukee with his two beloved dogs, Rex and Angel. The addition of this skins-and-comedy-man-in-demand brought the Mambo Surfers music to the intricate rhythmic level they'd been seeking . . . and beyond.
To book or contact Mambo Surfers, please visit Native Voices website or E-MAIL.
