Finding Jimmy Hoffa

Finding Jimmy Hoffa, from Arkansas, played a blend of hard rock and rap that was well received by the crowd. The lead singer reminded me of Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, with his flannel shirt, backwards ballcap and swinging wallet chain. He even rapped a bit. Thankfully, when he sang, like during a surprisingly servicable cover of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” he was much better than Durst. - NWAonline.com

Finding Jimmy Hoffa and their band of misfits, The MissCo Mafia, are working hard and celebrating a long time coming.

Finding Jimmy Hoffa is finally getting their break. Recently opening for such bands as Seasons After, 10 Years, and Muck

Sticky, Finding Jimmy Hoffa are finding something alright, their long overdue respect in the Arkansas music scene. I sat

down with Jason, the lead singer, after a charity show in Jacksonville to talk about the MissCo Mafia, the highs and lows

of being a local musician, and what inspires him to do what he does.

Jason, Joey, Shawn, Chet, and James, all "Hoffa's", aren't mafia members really. Actually, the name Finding Jimmy Hoffa

has no great gangster inspired meaning, but the way they took the name may be. "We stole it," says Jason. He explains

that even that wasn't criminal, "but, we asked permission first." Finding Jimmy Hoffa was the name of another band that

had broken up and was no longer using the name. Jason says that hopefully the Jimmy Hoffa foundation won't come after them

for the name one day,but if they do Jason has a backup. "If we for some reason stop using Finding Jimmy Hoffa as our name,

we could use MissCo Mafia and it wouldn't throw anyone off," he says. The MissCo Mafia sounds hardcore, but it isn't. It

is really about family and friendship. What I gathered from talking to Jason and to some of the other band members at a

previous show, was that it isn't that they want to take anyone else out, they just want to provide strength for one another

from within the band and provide you with proof in their performance.

"We are a family, we take care of our own, and we do run things like the mafia. What happens in the family stays in the

family. If you mess with one of us, you are f**king with all of us," Jason explains. Ok, maybe it is a little sinister

sounding after all. Jason is the proclaimed godfather of the MissCo Mafia and says that he is looked to for making things

happen. "It's pretty cool when the guys in the band call me boss man," he says with a grin.

Jason and the rest of the Hoffas spent quite a chunk of dough on their "Southern Hospitality" album. I described it to him

this way, "you can hear the expensiveness." Jason replies, "Yeah, thanks. We are proud of it, but the bill showed it for

sure. Thank God they (the record company) fell under." He continues, "We owed them like $35,000, but not anymore." The

recording time was lengthy just like the bill. "It took us like three months to make it. We went in somewhere in October

and in December, I was still tracking vocals," Jason tells me. It wasn't a party for the band either. Jason says, "I hate

going to the studio. It's the worst. It is so, so boring. Everyone thinks it's so fun, but it is really, really boring."

Then why does Jason do what he does, if parts of it are so challenging? "When I was born I knew I was going to play rock

music," Jason says. "If my passion for doing this ever goes away, you might as well send me to the house," he says. So, it

is an undeniable love for Jason, something that he was born to do. And you can feel that watching Finding Jimmy Hoffa

live. It isn't just the amazing sound the band produces, or the ever present talent of Jason's vocal ability, which is

slightly reminiscent of some of the greats like Eddie Vedder and Layne Staley, it is the feeling of awe you get while just

experiencing the show as a whole. They leave it all out on the stage and you witness that from the first note to the last.

Finding Jimmy Hoffa has recently received some major love from local venues and some bigger Arkansas shows. They will be

opening for Seven Mary Three and they just announced that they will be opening up for the one and only Bret Michaels in

Fayetteville on September 16. "After the 10 Years show, it has kinda snowballed," Jason says. Finding Jimmy Hoffa earned

their snowball. The road has been long and hard for these Mississippi County boys. "There were times when we played for

the bartender and a waitress," Jason says. "Just like the last 3 months we have actually played to crowds," he says. Why

should you be part of that crowd they are playing to now? "We are real. We don't just get up there and go through the

motions. We mean it," Jason says. "We are passionate about every word and every note. We are intense from beginning to

end," he says.

The worst show by far for Finding Jimmy Hoffa was not in Arkansas. It was in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. "It was a small,

little venue and the sound was so crappy, the worst sound I have ever had," Jason says. There is more to the story

however. He says, "We had drove all night after 3 nights of gigs. This was the last one," he continues, "We slept on some

couch. We were miserable. And then the sound was so bad. I couldn't hear anything." Jason tells me his reaction was

"wanting to start kicking what few people were there in the face." But instead the band opted to 'go to the bar across the

street and drown their sorrows.'" And coming from this writer, sometimes that is the best solution. Finding Jimmy Hoffa

is grateful for the MissCo Mafia and the fans that have been there from the beginning. The fans of Finding Jimmy Hoffa

have taken it upon themselves to join in the MissCo Mafia. "It is so cool that they have embraced that," Jason says.

"Lamb of God has their Congregation, Black Label Society has their Brotherhood, and we got the MissCo Mafia," he says.

Jason wanted to say thank you to a few people who have been very instrumental in getting Finding Jimmy Hoffa to where they

are today. "I want to thank Sydney, stephanie and Aaron from Arkansas Rocks, Mike Woodall from Leg Up Promotions, Mike Z.

from Juanita's, Blake from Big Rock (and he thanked me, but really? Jason, thank you) and the Edge.

They won me over. I am now a Finding Jimmy Hoffa fan for life. Please check them out on the usuals: Myspace -

www.myspace.com/findingjimmyhoffaband, Facebook, and on reverbnation.com. You can also download "Southern Hospitality" on

iTunes. I suggest you get the album and then get out to the Seven Mary Three show or the Bret Michaels show or Maxine's

show in Hot Springs. All of these are September shows.

Thank you Sydney Frames from visible Sin Photography for the amazing photos. You can check out Visible Sin on Facebook and

Myspace.

Written by: Lindsey Piker

Arkansas Rockstar Magazine
September 2010
Volume 1, Issue 9
arkansasrockstarmag.com - Arkansas Rockstar Magazine - Sept 2010