Meet Jai Kaminoff | Guitar Tech

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jai Kaminoff and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jai, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Looking back I really didn’t give myself any options. My focus in grade school was exclusively music and theatre. Everything else I got by on minimal effort and charm (still pretty solid grades though considering I spent most of my science classes playing Slayer pinball and listening to Static-X). I literally only applied to one college I was so single minded. Luckily I got in. I went to Musicians institute and got my AA in guitar performance and luthiery. Every job I’ve had since then, has somehow been related to guitars or the music industry. It was kind of an insane thing to have zero back up plan (still don’t), but I was young and just went for it. I learned most of what I use now touring doing those jobs. Working weekly at the Whisky A Go Go, or fixing guitars under Eric Chaz at Erics Guitar Shop in the Sound City complex. As amazing as a lot of those jobs were, I always found myself getting restless with the nine to five format. The first time I was offered a touring gig I immediately jumped on it. At first it was just flying out on weekends with Dee Snyders solo outfit. I kept getting offers and opportunities to tour though. So I eventually decided to do it full time. There were bumps along the road of course. 2020 was particularly slow. No one was touring, it was weird. During that time I worked for a boutique amplifier company. Most of my job was testing the amps, playing guitar. It was the first time I was ever payed to play guitar. It was a great job with great people. Even then I was still getting restless. My brain doesn’t do well with structure and normality. One day I got an offer from the band Gojira (shout out Taylor Bingley their tour manager for giving me the opportunity, and Greg Kubacki from Car Bomb for suggesting me to him). So I dropped everything and went back on the road. Touring is such a different kind of gig. Every day is different. You literally wake up in a new city or country every day. A different venue, new people, new problems to solve. It keeps your grey matter working. Plus everyone who does the job has to have a similar kind of mind for them to even consider that kind of insanity as an occupation. So being surrounded by like minded people, learning new things at a sometimes absolutely mind destroying pace, and working with bands that I’ve loved since high school. It’s a sick gig.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I believe that there are very few completely self made people out there. Most everybody owes some part of their success to someone (even if it’s the haters). I take very little credit for where I am today. It’s all about the connections you make with people. I’m also lucky enough to be passionate about what I do. So I’m always ready to learn and improve. No habit is set so deep that it can’t be broken or improved. I’ve also been very lucky in my career. Through the connections and friendships that I’ve made, I’ve been able to work with some of my absolute favorite bands in the world. Better than that I’ve been able to learn and befriend the crews that got them there. None of it was particularly easy, but again I’m lucky. I enjoy the hard stuff because the end result is something I can enjoy immensely. We were just in South America, statistically not the easiest set of shows. At the end of the day though, the band played incredibly to crowds that could not have been happier to see them. In one instance over 100,000 people at Rock in Rio. A place I never dreamed I’d be. All because I like to learn, and people generally don’t hate me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Historically I’m real simple. So my tours usually are as well. Until recently my usual drink order was a double Jameson neat. So I have a special place in my heart for Boondocks and Lola’s. Simple makes me happy. However recently an incredibly talented local bartender Dominique Vicedomine has shown me that drinks don’t just have to come straight out of the bottle. Places like Julep, Anvil, and Refuge are amazing spots for cocktails (catch Dom behind the bar at Refuge). As far as food goes I was born in Manhattan so Katz’s Deli is special to me. Kata Robata has some of the best sushi I’ve ever had outside of Japan. Cantina Barba is also a great spot for food and drinks, the Al Pastor is a particular highlight for me. Ra Sushi also has an incredible happy hour for food and drinks. I’m also really competitive so Top Golf followed by aggressive go karts, laser tag, and mini golf at Track 21 are a must for me. I also spend an absurd amount of time at Slick Willie’s pool hall, high jacking the juke box and shooting pool. I don’t go to many concerts considering my job but the staff at White Oak music hall are great friends. So if there’s a good show I’d head over there. Afterwards of course, you can’t skip the after party at Raven Tower.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
So many people. My philosophy with work has always been to hang around people that are better than you, and learn. Because I started so young, literally everyone knew more than me. So I just learned everyone’s tricks. Due to the sheer volume of people that have contributed to me being somewhat competent. I’ll just get down to the roots, the people that taught me that philosophy. I owe everything to my parents. They gave me all the tools and support I needed to get out into the world and do whatever I wanted to do. They rule.

Instagram: @JaiKaminoff

Image Credits
Bryce Hall @wheresbryce Ekaterina Gorbacheva @ekaterinagorbacheva.art Markus Lempsch @mahkooz