Biography

Producer, Sideman, Recording Engineer and more. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Jimi's cross-cultural influences from teriyaki to tortillas gave him a broader perspective & appreciation for the world around him. Rapping trip-hop to a thousand seat theater or sharing an intimate moment with acoustic guitar in hand, he's known to try something new almost every time he plays. As the current director of the SongNet, Jimi brings over two decades of life in this industry to the table, helping other songwriters make those crucial connections with organizations like JPfolks, LAWIM, Songsalive! Circle of songs, and many others. You'll also find him actively playing the circuit to keep current, and releasing his own material across several other labels he helped create to provide access to other artists as well. A veteran session musician with a wide variety of genres in his pockets, his solo material features lyrical wit similar to Michael Franks, smooth James Taylor-esqe guitar lines, with a lil' spiritual sauce on the side. He wants to getcha grinnin'! A super 8 & some friends in highschool started him on a parallel path to visual production, with both award winning photographs & some typical slapstick shorts. A call to be an extra in Rob Reiner's "North" in 1994 rekindled his interest in film, & he soon started putting together music videos, including a jab at "Vista 64" posted to Youtube during that operating system's ill fated attempt to capture Apple's market. He has made dozens of appearances & cameos in other productions, & videos of his own music performances.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jimi Yamagishi