Interview With Jake La Botz

As a blues musician from Chicago, Jake La Botz came to Los Angeles in 1996 hoping to kick heroin. When he moved into the American Hotel, he found “the dope spot was just down the street,” and many of the resident artists faced similar challenges. In exchange for a room, La Botz performed downstairs at Al’s Bar for the weekly Unhappy Hour. Eventually, he sought help, and after a few tries at rehab - with an assist from Buddhist meditation - he got clean and got busy.
Since then, the singer-songwriter has become a favorite of blues and rockabilly fans throughout the U.S. and Europe, producing several albums. La Botz has acted in movies such as “Rambo” and “DOA,” with John Doe, as well as starring in the indie feature “The Grace of Jake.” He and his wife, Annika Gunderson, live in St. Paul, Minn. La Botz was interviewed at the American Hotel on March 11, 2014, for “Tales of the American,” a documentary feature about the Downtown L.A. Arts District, Al’s Bar and the American Hotel.
Filmmakers Pamela Wilson and Stephen Seemayer interviewed more than a hundred artists, musicians, writers and others who lived, worked and partied in and around the American. They are periodically releasing (in alphabetical order) edited versions of these interviews on this channel.
To watch "Tales of the American" on Amazon Prime, go to amzn.to/2MyARcA.
For links to other streaming services and a message from “Bosch” creator Michael Connelly (executive producer of “Tales of the American”), go to www.talesofthe....