Recently I interviewed Brandon Giannasi, a solo artist from Dallas, TX, who goes by the name "Gringo Soul." Brandon finds a great deal of musical inspiration in acts such as Nirvana, Sublime, Elvis, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, and also finds a great deal of inspiration from art itself, like from the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh for example. Theses artists and more inspire Brandon during his process of writing his songs, which he describes as "funky" and "soulful." Brandon's stage name, Gringo Soul, comes from a time is his past when we was working with a group of Hispanic people who referred to him and other Caucasians as "Gringos." The word rand with him and he decided to, as he puts it, "roll with it."
In keeping with his performing name, Brandon tells me that he writes his songs about "being an average gringo" - the celebrations, the life lessons, hardships, and his growth as a musician. "Most of my creative thinking and lyrics writing come while I'm driving," says Brandon. "There's just something about it that gets me thinking and really gets my creative juices flowing." At 4 independent album releases and 34 songs to his credit, Brandon must do his fair share of driving. "On stage, I use my guitar, Korg Keyboard, loop pedal, K oscillator, and octopad. The crowd watching me perform get to see me set up each song using these components, and then I go into the song itself."
At this time of this interview, Brandon's been gearing up for The Trash Bash Music Stash - an event he's hosting on June 28th in Dallas. "It's a volunteer event where people will do a trash pick up on 3 streets here in Dallas," he says. "Once the pick up ends, there'll be a free concert with free drinks and food. And for anyone who doesn't feel like picking up garbage, tickets are also available for the concert for only $15."
I then asked Brandon if he could open for any band or artist, past or present, who would he want to play with. "Stone Temple Pilots," he says, "I have so much respect for the music they make. It would an honor for me to be able to play a show with them." Since Brandon has not had such an opportunity as of yet, he tells me that his favorite show he's played so far was at The Woodshed in nearby Fort Worth, TX. He tells me that at this show, he performed in front of around 500 attendees, all of whom seemed to respond well to and enjoy his music.
As a final thought, I asked Brandon what advice he might have for his fellow independent musicians. "If you're in a band and struggling to find an audience, or if you're interested in starting a band - if or when you get denied to play a venue or bar, you just need to stay strong. Get back up, and get on with your day."
In keeping with his performing name, Brandon tells me that he writes his songs about "being an average gringo" - the celebrations, the life lessons, hardships, and his growth as a musician. "Most of my creative thinking and lyrics writing come while I'm driving," says Brandon. "There's just something about it that gets me thinking and really gets my creative juices flowing." At 4 independent album releases and 34 songs to his credit, Brandon must do his fair share of driving. "On stage, I use my guitar, Korg Keyboard, loop pedal, K oscillator, and octopad. The crowd watching me perform get to see me set up each song using these components, and then I go into the song itself."
At this time of this interview, Brandon's been gearing up for The Trash Bash Music Stash - an event he's hosting on June 28th in Dallas. "It's a volunteer event where people will do a trash pick up on 3 streets here in Dallas," he says. "Once the pick up ends, there'll be a free concert with free drinks and food. And for anyone who doesn't feel like picking up garbage, tickets are also available for the concert for only $15."
I then asked Brandon if he could open for any band or artist, past or present, who would he want to play with. "Stone Temple Pilots," he says, "I have so much respect for the music they make. It would an honor for me to be able to play a show with them." Since Brandon has not had such an opportunity as of yet, he tells me that his favorite show he's played so far was at The Woodshed in nearby Fort Worth, TX. He tells me that at this show, he performed in front of around 500 attendees, all of whom seemed to respond well to and enjoy his music.
As a final thought, I asked Brandon what advice he might have for his fellow independent musicians. "If you're in a band and struggling to find an audience, or if you're interested in starting a band - if or when you get denied to play a venue or bar, you just need to stay strong. Get back up, and get on with your day."
About the Author:
At the time of this interview, Gringo Soul was scheduled to perform on this year's Dallas Music Festival, presented by EagleOne Entertainment and Gorilla Music . Stop by Gorilla Music for more information on this and other events.
No comments:
Post a Comment