Jacob Miranda, the nine-band man

It’s hard to imagine that there is a busier musician on the San Diego pop music scene than bassist Jacob Miranda. He plays in nine bands; two of them, Sister Speak and the Lyrical Groove, recently won San Diego Music Awards for Best Pop and Best Hip-Hop, respectively.

Miranda divides his time between groups that specialize in original music, recording sessions, and more corporate-type gigs. “My problem is I like to work,” laughs Miranda following a full day’s shift and a three-hour rehearsal. “And I like to network and meet as many people as I can. I don’t like to let anything slip through my fingers.”

Miranda has also been employed as a practical nurse for seven years. “I work about three to four 12-hour shifts per week,” he said. “Right now, my schedule is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Usually, I’m getting out of work, changing in my car, and heading to a gig or rehearsal. I kind of make my own schedule....

“Sometimes I can get burned out playing music and I’ll concentrate on the nursing. I’m really good at that job — I’ve won a few awards there, too — for bedside manner and just taking good care of people.... Being a nurse keeps me grounded because I’m needed there. As I get older, I’m starting to realize that I can’t go meet friends for drinks or pull these late-night shenanigans because I have to get up early.”

Last year, Miranda released his first solo album — Enlightened Intentions. “It started out as just beats — more in the R&B realm — because I was working in that field a lot. It’s kind of like a mix tape: it represents all the genres I’ve been working in that I wanted to crush together.”

Jacob Miranda plays every week at Neo Soul Tuesday at the Onyx Room (852 Fifth Avenue). He also performs every Sunday in the Extreme Gospel Worship Center (880 Kuhn Drive, Chula Vista).