The Mill Restaurant in Iowa City, IA has been an icon and landmark of the UofI night scene since before I attended school in the early 70’s. It began conducting open mic evenings in 1981. It’s been a goal of mine to play there since moving to the Iowa City area in 2010. I finally got up the courage to contact J. Knight in 2013 and was booked to play on May 6th. I gathered up a few friends and neighbors, so I’d be sure to have someone to see and hear me (moral support), packed up my Gibson 12-string and Alvarez Yairi, and went to play. But to my surprise, and just a little disappointment, the play bill listed me as Keith Javia instead of my real name. And so, the moniker “Javia” was born.
What? Javia? Yes, that’s how it came about. I officially coined this handle during a jam session with my friend Richard who also shared The Mill experience.
In 2018 I purchased a new travel guitar from Klos Guitars. One option I purchased was engraving. Now I have a guitar named Wut Javia. Later that year I took it to the Weminuche Wilderness in Southern Colorado.
So Wut Javia has become my sharing moniker since.