Guitarist Victor Andrada’s style of music has sort of blurred the lines between jazz and folk blues, Spanish, and Americana.
The artist plays a blend of jazz but he’s not limited to one genre, however, he’s always amazed when people comment on his style of music.
“I’m always fascinated by the descriptions that people give me,” Andrada said. “I had one guy who once asked me what part of Brazil I was from. I’m from Hamlin, Texas.”
The West Texas musician who currently lives in Abilene will be performing this weekend in Odessa for this week’s edition of Music at the Marriott.
Andrada will be performing from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Odessa Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.
He’s excited about the opportunity to be a part of Music at the Marriott.
“I’m pretty sure there are a ton of capable musicians in West Texas and for me to play there, it’s fun,” Andrada said. “I’ve been at it for a while now but I’m in good company. There’s a lot of talented musicians in West Texas. What else is there to do in West Texas besides play great music?”
Andrada started off as a bass player from 1991-2000, playing in several different bands before becoming solo.
Some of those groups were in different genres.
“I was playing with a bunch of tejano groups, some country groups and a couple of rock and roll groups,” Andrada said. “I got a lot of exposure to a lot of different keyboard players and guitar players that had a jazz band. That’s where I got the little jazz vibe in my music.”
Since 2000, Andrada has been playing solo at different gigs all across Texas and the southwest, going as far as Arizona and even California.
Some of them may be small gigs, but for a music lover such as Andrada, it’s worth it just to have fun.
“It’s a situation where I do a lot of travelling,” Andrada said. “I’ll go further than most people would and some people may not understand why I would travel all the way to California just to play a gig. But I’m in that small group of artists and musicians who just love the creation and not knowing what’s coming. It’s unpredictable but I’ve learned a lot in 20-plus years.”
In the early 2000s, he released three different CDs but since then, he’s been playing at gigs.
In 2000, he released “Illuminaste”. His other CDs were “Walking on Eggshells”, which was released in 2002 and “Find My Smile” in 2005.
“I haven’t released anything since then. I’ve just been playing live,” Andrada said. “My stuff can be found online. … I cover a bunch of songs too like from Roger Miller, king of the road, I cover songs from Willie Nelson to James Taylor, Norah Jones and even Judy Garland. I’ll throw in my own Latin stuff as well. “
Andrada calls himself a loop artist.
“When playing, I use a pedal and I can record my guitar track when I’m singing and when I’m done singing, I hit the pedal at the right time and it loops back that guitar track that I recorded and I can add any lead guitar to that. … It allows me to have a second and third track.”
For Andrada, his love for music and playing came from his family.
“My uncles and dad would get together to play,” Andrada said. “They didn’t do it professionally but they exposed me to music. As a kid, music just stayed there with me. It stayed by my side when I was in high school. I would listen to Van Halen and a lot of 80s metal. I wasn’t even a musician then. I didn’t even know I could make a penny. I had no clue. My first gig paid $40 with a band for a gig in Abilene. I couldn’t believe people would pay me to play the bass. It just changed my whole focus. It’s been a blessing for me. There were a lot of things I had to learn about music but family is what help start it.”
As far as his future plans, he wants to keep playing live.
“I’ve carved out an interesting little niche for myself to just be free,” Andrada said. “I’m not a part of a band anymore. I’ve been by myself for most of the time.”
Andrada’s music can be found online at https://www.reverbnation.com/victorandrada.
