Remember when TV wasn’t so glossy? Remember when men could say it like it was. I’m thinking about the golden era of the Howard Stern, when he got his TV show around the time of the Gulf War. That’s the promise of Spencer Gonzalez. A music that is raw and rough, but a tad chivalrous, too. I’m saying this definitely needs to be the theme song for a nostalgic cable access show.
We’re not worried about the concerns of the world, but rather the task at hand. It’s kind of like the way you feel when you leave the hipster nexus of Silverlake where cappuccinos cost an arm and a leg and head to some East LA haunt like Highland Park. They’re you’ll find beers for three bucks and enough room to breathe — if you aren’t swallowed by urban decay. And you’ll find this kind of music blaring from the "alternador shop. Spencer Gonzalez is a man who appreciates a good wailing guitar solo. And he’s about to reveal his unspoken word, aka The Untold Truth, his album dropping Feb. 23. This is the stuff of Guitar World tablature mags and dusty garage jam sessions.
At a time when rap music is claiming the top spots at the Grammys and on music charts worldwide, Gonzalez is reaching back to a more familiar, rockin’ time. You can’t knock hard work. And you gotta love a guy that isn’t about the autotune or the mumbling — just clear-cut, well-executed rock n’ roll.
"The Untold Truth" drops Feb.23rd, preorder it here, in the meantime though, learn more about Spencer in our interview below!
Were are you from Spencer?
I am from Alliance Nebraska, a small town in the Midwest
How did you learn how to play guitar? How did you go from chords to intense solos etc.?
I learned how to play guitar from listening and playing along with my favorite songs growing up. My father was a touring and session sax player that worked with and opened for many well known artists , it was a feather in my cap to learn music theory from him and site reading. He was fantastic a real showman. I learned all I could from him he is the inspiration and spirit that guides me to my successes. I started with instructional books from Mel Bay when I was seven years of age and when I got to my early teens I started trying to emulate my favorite players and spent hours on end perfecting solos scales rhythm patterns with a metronome and phrasing. I would shred to anything in jazz, metal, Rock or country but understanding when to come in and when to hold back, working at it till it was perfection.
Who are some of your music influences?
Influences, I would have to say my Father he was everything, not only a great sax player but a writer and arranger. I am very blessed to be following in his footsteps in music. When it comes to guitar players that were my idols growing up, it was a wide range from Santana to Benson to Frank Gambalie to Greg Howe, and Chet Atkins, Howard Roberts to Vai. So many guitar players that shaped my sound and made an impact on my style of playing.
Given that you’re releasing this album under your name, I was wondering if you’re planning on proceeding more as a solo artist, or if you are thinking about becoming more of a “band” down the line?
This album is very much a guitar album and is some music I had written in the past few years as well as one composition that was co written with my drummer and good friend Roger Rojas Jr. I got to really cut loose on this album and although the music is very much guitar based, there is hooks and different styles of music there on each cut off the album that people can relate to. Even though its only 6 songs the EP it will be very power packed with a lot of cool stuff going on with each track. I have a great band that is fantastic with Roger Rojas Jr. on Drums and Sam Landers on Bass. On this album I am playing everything except the drum work which Roger is playing on almost all of them and co wrote the song Aint No Blue Day on the Album With me.
How does a typical Spencer Gonzalez song come together?
The songs came together over 2018 and early 2019. I had written some guitar based music on electric guitars that was all set to go and needed a drummer to come step in to handle those tracks. That's when I contacted my drummer that I use to work with years back doing hired gun work backing up different artists and asked him to play on the album. This lead to us writing the song Aint No Blue Day together. He had some lyrics a melody and a drum track and asked if I could make something with it to add to the album. That lead to me composing the music around it along with the keys, guitars bass ect. All the tunes on this album deliver in my opinion. After I finished Producing this album I was very pleased with the finished product. It really lead to a lot of great things including the Record/Production company S&R Records which is ran by Roger and myself which we will be recording and working with many different artists. We will be hitting the Road here in the Spring in support of the new album and will be on tour this Summer Backing Up Randy Burghardt on his summer tour. its been a fantastic year so far, I am truly Blessed.
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