Hello Steemit!
So , today I wanted to get away a little from my usual ''serious posts'' and just share some more of my personal side in the form of a freewrite , as some may or may not know , I'm a supporter of free writing.. (have you heard about the Week of Thoughts? ) So I thought I would tackle one today .. expect some rambling, going off-topic, contradicting myself maybe... who knows hahaha.. If you are with me until the end I'll give you a cookie :) .
- Being a forever sideman.
For as long as I can remember I have always been a project sideman , I always have avoided the ''main light'' but have aggressively pushed to make the things I'm interested in happen , this has kicked quite and interesting career for me since I have been involved in so many projects but somehow stayed quite unknown ( apart from my brief moment with a TV career that @meno spoiled on one of his MSP shows and now I am a meme hahaha ) or as my brother would say : ''anonymously famous''
I have been lucky enough to work , play , tour and produce for some of the big names back in my country , make music for TV shows , produced albums that made it to the radio ,been featured in quite a few music videos (one became viral even :P ) have a partnership with an independent label , my guitars and arrangements are in quite a big number of records .. so .. yes.. I've been one of the lucky ones . Just the fact that I can somehow make a living just from music is a win , I do struggle with bills as the music business is getting tougher but as with everything , we adapt , we keep going.
It's funny how this whole adventure that started when I was 11 years old when I picked a guitar is still going.. almost 19 years later .. yup.. birthday is close :P .. hitting the 30's soon. It all got started by a music teacher that ''found me out'' at high school , I have always been of a reserved nature but on High School i was extremely shy .. so I only played my guitar in my room and in school recess for myself ( and on presentations that I had to do in the conservatory.. boy how I shaked on those.. they were torture ). But after I was pushed to play Live with my electric guitar for the first time I kind of took over the challenge .. I would shake , miss notes, lower the volume , stop playing. And Omar (my teacher) was quite mean, in a good way though, to pushing me to gain confidence and ''earn'' the stage , I played my first professional gig at age 17 and apart from certain stages in my life where I quit to focus on other parts of my life , I have been pushing my journey through music.
After many spins of life I found myself involved with many of the most important artist in the country like Daniel Betancourth, Maykel, Los Intrepidos and then becoming a quite prolific session musician.. Since I kinda grew up fed up of living ''in the noise'' I invested money in recording gear and started shifting to production .. kicking another whole area of work for me .. I was mostly directing behind the scenes than actually performing.
It's ironic that I am a professional musician that dislikes city life and crowds hahaha... that's why I find myself investing time an energy towards my own studio and of course over here in this platform... it's all about networking in the end.. If it becomes sustainable then I could move away to a more simple and peaceful place and make my income from my own desk ..working on that! As a little achievement I did cover my bills this month from online studio work :D .. I'm not touching my STEEM earnings yet.. I only cashed out for the recording of my album.. we'll keep saving.. this is my bet after all..
I've been appearing in quite a few music videos.. unnamed though.. hehehehe.. but It's kinda fun to know ''you were there'' .. on a viral video , on a music video that made it to an MTV playlist and such... it's fun in the end :P
Here is a live capture video from those days , fun moments indeed:
I also produced the music presentation for the Ecuadorian X-Factor to be premiered nationally a couple years ago , I ended up directing that session with three of the most important artists in the country: Pamela Cortes, Maykel and Jorge Luis del Hierro.
Then the actual TV release happened , with my pre recorded guitars , again , no one knew I produced the thing hehehe:
After a few years of producing and working regularly in pop and commercial records I shifted into another direction and started to produce and promote music that was closer to my soul as an artist , hence why along Sergio Vivar and Gabriel Garcia we joined forces to push an Independent label called : La Real Sociedad from where we are actually pushing independent artists that have a more original sound to them. I was then involved in co-producing Stanley Parker's first album:
Stanley Parker - Bajo La Piel (Official video)
The whole thing is on spotify :
I've been jumping around so many projects I don't know how to compile them together in a way it makes sense hahaha.. I'm a mess.. I know...
Chela Kills
La Chicha Power
Pablo Tevez and Anfibios
Pili Kay
JJazz
The list goes on... different projects.. different styles.. it's just kept going over the years :P... Oh.. I also got a song of mine played on a brazilian TV show :D .. yep.. I went with a pseudonym for it though hehehe:
- Being a beginner again.
So , one of the reasons I never shared much of these around here it's because I am still of shy nature , even if you go to my Instagram account there is nothing there more than guitar noodling hahaha .. and I also wanted to have a fresh start here .. I'm quite simple and for the ones that know me I'm very approachable , I'm always up for an informal chat and joke a bit , if I can help in any way I'm always around.. it's just my nature.
From my previous experience , when someone creates an image around you.. some sort of barrier appears and I've always been against that .. I like informalities .. I'm the guy that can't find a matching pair of socks and not the rockstar hahahaha . Even with some of the important artists that I've worked with I have treated them like normal people.. some like it.. some don't... I don't care. I'm not changing my ways hahahaha.. Even after 10 years of knowing Daniel Beta he still doesn't get my humor completely hehehe... we are buddies though but I do ''bring him down'' of his cloud often... sowwy.
After many years of being a sideman, director and right hand of so many projects I am finally starting to push my own project .. crazy that it took me almost 19 years to gather the courage to get my own name on a small promotion flyer , and boy it was nerve wrecking... irony.
I sincerely have no idea of what is the next step here as this is complete new grounds for me , at least I was able to get the recording of my album on the way.. at least that part is clear .. I have to finish putting the record together.. but what comes after? .. Also .. I never put a portfolio myself.. and I have little to now idea on how to compile all the work I've done over the years... so.. yes.... a noob again.. I'm fine with it tough , we are always learning and I guess at some point I need to put ''the two worlds'' together , of course here I like to be the geeky piggy that posts his songs but at the same time all of that comes with all the experience I have carried from the years before .. all of that part of me I should stop hiding I guess... ( one step at a time.. putting myself out like this is reaaaally out of my comfort zone but I guess I have to accept it all at some point hahaha ) Time to step out! hahaha
I'm still playing and doing work as a sideman , I enjoy it .. that part of me will always be active but I am setting my own personal goal of actually pushing my own personal life project and come up to the front with it , it's part of growing up I guess.
Even here I have followed that pattern , a lot of people don't know I am one of @helpie's co-founders , of course it works because of all it's members but it originally started with just @meno , @ankapolo and myself .. crazy how it has grown so much.. I can't believe it still !
I just put myself as a @helpie co-founder in my profile description... as silly as that may sound.. it's a little big step for me...
So .. yes... it's some rambling at this point from me.. but that's the beauty of free writing... it's releasing! Phew.. i feel lighter now hahaha!
Oh.. I did say I appear in a viral video right? ... ok .. here it is .. just to give a nice smile to @paintingangels for sharing it hehehehe ( love ya Serena) , get some popcorn and prepare to laugh
