A barista at Winning Coffee Co. in Albuquerque, Joe Annabi spends his days slinging joe and splits his free time between a blossoming band and a bevy of visual arts that simply dazzle the eyes. This is what happens when a talented guy gets a vision, and then gets busy.
I do mean busy. Like, 'Somebody bake this guy a pie and volunteer to clean his bathroom,'-busy. He's so busy, just skimming a list of his artistic pursuits sends me into alternating fits of admiration and, dare I say, envy. Here, give it a try:
-Co-founder of the band Yoda's House, wherein Joe plays harmonica, accordion and violin in addition to providing vocals. Of course, in truly brilliant fashion, Joe is self taught and has become quite proficient; Yoda's House has grown from a two-man operation to a bustling band of up to 8 "kids" who create gorgeous, melodic music that is seriously addictive. A recent gig poster describes their sound as "Folk Drone Psychadelia", but I'd throw in adjectives like beautiful, haunting, trance-inducing and hypnotic.
-Graphic artist who, with the help of his best friend and Yoda's House co-founder Nick Sedillos, has created a self-described "universe that we intend to unleash on the world in the form of comics."
-Painter who utilizes a variety of different mediums, including "Oil, acryilc, spray...Canvas, paper sacks [and] woodblocks" to create some seriously delightful peices.
-Wonderful, engaging blogger with a site full of fun visuals. This picture is my new favorite thing:
Don't let his modesty fool you. "I'm...trying to take part in way too many forms of art to get very far in any one of them at any given time," says Joe. The going has occasionally been tough, as in the case of the comics. "Comics are a slow and hard medium," he says. "We had our first issue of short vignettes come out in October of 2006, and Issue 2 has yet to see the light of day...Now it's just a matter of finding the time for physical production."
Lest you think that he's in over his head, know that this busy man is working some serious Jedi mind tricks to make it all come together. Joe has taken admirable advantage of his day job, and this year will mark some exciting coffeehouse opportunites. In December, the shop will feature a hanging of his paintings and artwork. On October 3rd, Winning Coffee Co. will showcase Yoda's House in concert with LA rock band Gowns, and they'll do the same again on December 4th with Krista Muir. "So it's not all bad, slinging coffee to the masses," surmises Joe. "This shop helps me, both as a venue to deliver my arts, and a great place to network with other artists."
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