Check Out Jonah Wisneski’s Story

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Jonah Wisneski.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My music career started during my year off in between graduating high school and starting college. I had asked for an electric guitar for the holidays because I had recently reconnected with a childhood friend who wanted to start a band together when we both got to college in Boulder, Colorado.

Prior to that, I was seeing a lot of live music, so the idea of playing in a band seemed like a lot of fun, and when I started really focusing on playing guitar, I fell in love with it. I was practicing daily, taking lessons, and trying to meet more musicians in college. I remember playing my first gig, and I just knew immediately that this was the thing for me. From then on, I vowed to make a career out of playing guitar.

After I graduated from college, two close musician friends encouraged me to move to Denver with them if I “wanted to pursue music full time”. I immediately followed, started playing a few gigs around town, and began trying to formulate how I could make a career from playing guitar. In the subsequent years, I took any chance I could to perform, as well as investing myself into being a part of the local music community, and eventually landed an opportunity to work and teach at a local music studio.

During that time, I learned how to sing and book shows myself so I could perform solo acoustic shows and gain more control over my gigging schedule. I was simultaneously learning a variety of music across many genres in hopes I might have more opportunities to play with multiple bands.

As my ability grew, so did the number of shows I played a year, growing from 35 to 100 and soon reaching 150 shows annually. I also began receiving offers to play guitar for other artists in the Colorado music scene. This work expanded to recording in the studio, producing music, and becoming a musical director for larger-scale shows.

Today, my career is an amalgamation of different musical facets: performing live (both on my own and as a session player/sideman), recording on albums, producing, musical directing, and teaching guitar lessons.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, though I have been fortunate to solely focus on playing guitar for a full-time living for the last sixteen years.

There have been plenty of letdowns, wrong notes, setbacks, and failures. I’ve been replaced by other musicians, have had constant show cancellations, played in extreme weather, had equipment malfunctions mid-song, and, at times, struggled to make enough money to cover my rent.

Aside from the reality of a music career when you aren’t a superstar, the hardest challenge has been the toll on my mental and emotional health. It can feel so discouraging when your band breaks up, the gig goes poorly, or no one shows up to see you. Even if everything is going smoothly, it can be especially disheartening when you aren’t advancing in your career or playing at the level you hoped to reach.

Through all the ups and downs, I feel fortunate to have worked alongside some of my musical heroes and played some incredible stages with enthusiastic crowds.

On the highest and lowest days, and everything in between, I try to remind myself of how grateful I am to have a career playing guitar amongst close friends. During shows, I try to make a concerted effort to take a moment, look around at my bandmates and the crowd in front of me, be present, and enjoy the moment.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

I have a couple new albums already out this year that feature me on guitar: “Land Lines” by King Cardinal, “La Mano Pt. II” by Brianna Straut, and “Portraits of the New/Old West, Vol. 2” by Hunter Stone.

Recording has been a big focus of mine for 2024, and I’ve been growing my home studio, Flying Point Sound, and taking on more projects, so there is new music on the way!

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Perseverance, dedication, and a growth mindset. I made the choice a long time ago to dedicate myself to making a career in music, no matter what. It required a considerable amount of sacrifice, but I’ve always kept at it, even when things weren’t working as I hoped or planned.

Accepting the reality of these challenges and continuing to push myself despite them has been important for me moving forward. Today, I still try to keep a focus on growing and staying motivated to improve every aspect of what I am doing, both on and off stage.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jonahwisneski.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonah_wisneski/
• Other: https://soundbetter.com/profiles/595415-jonah-wisneski

Image Credits
Jackson Davis, Kirsten Cohen, Sam Silkworth, Anni Subar, and Kenzie Everitt