396 - Mona Tavakoli: Playing with Jason Mraz, Centralizing the Cajon in Her Setup and Voice, Inspiring the Next Generation of Girls

Mona Tavakoli is a Los Angeles-based drummer, singer and performer bets known for recording and touring with Jason Mraz. While Mona is equally comfortable performing as a drummer and a percussionist, she is especially known for adapting the cajón to unexpected genres such as rock and pop.

Mona and Mraz have been collaborating for nearly a decade. She toured worldwide on Mraz’s 2012 album, Love is a Four Letter Word, and they performed together as a duo on programs such as The Today Show, The David Letterman Show, Ellen, Dancing with the Stars, and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

She is a co-founder and co-director of the Rock n’ Roll Camp For Girls Los Angeles, a nonprofit that encourages girls to find their voices through music during an intensive, weeklong summer day camp. Mona also promotes music education by hosting rhythm workshops at elementary schools and colleges around the country.

Mona has been featured in DRUM!, Tom Tom Magazine, judged and hosted the Hit Like A Girl drum contest and awards show and is the recipient of the 2016 She Rocks awards “Inspire Award” for her work with the Rock n’ Roll Camp for Girls.

In this episode, Mona talks about:

• The new album she recently tracked with Jason and Raining Jane
• Her hybrid setup and her history with the Cajon
• Her unlikely combination of influences from Neil Peart to Jay Belerose
• Her background in economics and how that informs her music career
• Her #1 piece of financial advice for musicians
• Her role with the Rock n' Roll Camp for Girls