How We Got Loud
How We Got Loud
Chris Leonard
Jim Yakabuski, From Bar Band to Van Halen
1 hour 16 minutes Posted May 22, 2026 at 7:00 am.
0:00
1:16:46
Download MP3
Show notes
Jim Yakabuski’s career started in Vancouver bar bands, learning live sound the hard way: small rooms, limited gear, feedback problems, and a lot of figuring it out as he went. In this episode, Jim walks through the path that took him from those early club gigs to DB Sound, Summerfest in Milwaukee, monitor gigs with Aerosmith and Poison, and eventually front of house for Van Halen. Along the way, he shares stories about learning before the internet, working with massive proprietary PA systems,...