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."
Brandon performs with his Korg Keyboard, guitar, loop pedal, K oscillator, and octopad. During a performance, the crowd gets to see him set up each and every component that goes into a Gringo Soul song, one piece at a time. At the time of this interview, Gringo Soul is at a whopping 4 album releases and 34 songs. I asked Brandon what songs ultimately are about. "As an average Gringo," Giannasi says he writes his songs about life lessons, celebrations, hardships, and his growth as a musician. When I asked him about his writing process, he tells me that "there's just something about driving that really gets me thinking, gets my creative juices flowing." He tells me that most of his lyrics writing and creative thinking comes to him while driving.
This year, Gringo Soul is hosting an event on June 28th called "The Trash Bash Music Stash." The event is a concert held after a volunteer trash pickup along three streets in Dallas, and includes free food and drinks for all of those participating. For the less socially motivated concert-goer, tickets are also available for the concert alone for only $15.
Aside from this event, Brandon has played many shows in Dallas and the surrounding area. "I'd have to say that one of my favorite shows I've played so far was in Forth Worth at The Woodshed. I ended up performing for about five hundred people who all seemed to respond well both to me and to my music." Brandon also tells me that if he could open for any one band, it would be Stone Temple Pilots. "I have a lot of respect for their music, and that would really be an honor if I ever get to play s show with them."
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."
Brandon performs with his Korg Keyboard, guitar, loop pedal, K oscillator, and octopad. During a performance, the crowd gets to see him set up each and every component that goes into a Gringo Soul song, one piece at a time. At the time of this interview, Gringo Soul is at a whopping 4 album releases and 34 songs. I asked Brandon what songs ultimately are about. "As an average Gringo," Giannasi says he writes his songs about life lessons, celebrations, hardships, and his growth as a musician. When I asked him about his writing process, he tells me that "there's just something about driving that really gets me thinking, gets my creative juices flowing." He tells me that most of his lyrics writing and creative thinking comes to him while driving.
This year, Gringo Soul is hosting an event on June 28th called "The Trash Bash Music Stash." The event is a concert held after a volunteer trash pickup along three streets in Dallas, and includes free food and drinks for all of those participating. For the less socially motivated concert-goer, tickets are also available for the concert alone for only $15.
Aside from this event, Brandon has played many shows in Dallas and the surrounding area. "I'd have to say that one of my favorite shows I've played so far was in Forth Worth at The Woodshed. I ended up performing for about five hundred people who all seemed to respond well both to me and to my music." Brandon also tells me that if he could open for any one band, it would be Stone Temple Pilots. "I have a lot of respect for their music, and that would really be an honor if I ever get to play s show with them."
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.
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