Meet Paul Rogalski | Bass player, band manager and Instructor as well and business owner

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

Hi Paul, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
We are fortunate to have two businesses both with a theme of music. We decided to first start our own band MOJOMAMA with a desire to create our own music and not just copy other famous musicians to simply make money.

We also created Mojo’s Music Academy with feeling a need to educate and share our passions for music.
Wanting to make music education the only focus and not secondary as you see often in music retail stores.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Jessica wrote our first song together. I introduced her to a bass line I had written and she had lyrics before we met about some imaginary person she met from Boston, who ends up being myself.
We put the two together and created our first song called DRIVIN’.
We continued the process of writing together and had enough material to record our first album titled Drivin

These songs felt so true to being ourselves and that we stumbled upon something special.
Being original and making ourselves very proud to be performing them live.

Then Mojo’s Music Academy came along and we started small with 4 teachers and a Garage for those young rock n roll kids to practice and perform. Also hosting music clinics bringing famous bass players from around the country to our new business. My proudest moment was bringing bassist Chuck Rainey to Mojo’s for a clinic and lessons. He is the encyclopedia of bass players. He recorded with everyone from Aretha Franklin , The Jackson 5 , Steely Dan and numerous bands. As well as tv show theme songs such as Sanford and Son and the Archies cartoons. He is one of my bass idols since high school and it was an honor to say he was coming to Longmont CO because of me.

Music is never an easy career and there isn’t any template to follow to reach success.
For both the business and the band I feel as though it was a lot of word of mouth around town, especially for the lessons.
A parent tells another parent that their child is taking music lessons at this new cool place being run by real musicians from the band members from Mojomama.

Mojomama would book shows at clubs and had friends that booked music festivals and we were always well received.
Again once the word gets out, people became interested and wanted to be involved.

I wouldn’t say it was easy but tenacity is the key.

A lesson we learned was don’t try to grow your business too fast. The academy moved from a 1000 sq ft space to 3500 sq ft.
The facility had 7 teaching rooms, a large space with a 15 foot stage, a large room for band classes and a band rehearsal
space along with a violin and guitar repair shop. We did some minor retail such a guitar strings and straps and high end bass brand the retailed for $5000.00.

We later down sized and are settled in the perfect sized space. We are able to do everything we need for just teaching private lessons with 12 teachers and hosting band camps and clinics.

We are also proud to say we’ve inspired our students enough to pursuit their own music professions.
Some receiving full scholarships to Music Colleges to performing and touring in Norway and performing in the Denver Symphony Orchestra.

We would want the world to know we are musicians first and business second.
The business came out of a need to earn an income in the music industry and being able to contribute to our community.
Our goal is to help make a positive impact on people’s lives of all ages through our passion for music.

Mojomama is still writing our own music and have 7 albums in our catalogue so far.
We have been in the top 10 for Colorado Radio play according to www.rootsmusicreport.com/Colorado for over a year now.
We’re not done yet and the tenacity continues… Just one show at Red Rocks please…….

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Red Rocks to see a show and a drive up into the town of Nederland for a day.
Sit by the reservoir and cast a fishing line a just chill.
Also go into Rocky Mtn National Park to see the amazing Elk herds and the continental divide on Trail Ridge Road..

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give my Shoutout to my wife Jessica Rogalski. She is our lead singer and business partner for the academy.

We started this together back in 2002 with the band MOJOMAMA and recorded our first album by 2003.

Website: https://mojomama.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mojomamaband/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Mojomama/100059695071866/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF6phzwIJGizSptXRJM_lQA