Today we’d like to introduce you to Gera Montoya.
“My musical education began in elementary school, always with great difficulty, as I’m a little dyslexic. But I managed to play the guitar and belong to a small music group at school.
My family in the United States has always been involved in music, and thanks to my brothers and cousins, I was introduced to the world of independent music when I was 9 or 10 years old. When I listened to records by independent groups like Operation IVY, Rancid, and Green Day in the early 90s, my mind could grasp that I could make original music too.
Life helped me with the rest; my cousins got me into the music scene in San Francisco and taught me a lot about the recording process. My cousin Rick let me work with him at Different Fur Studio in San Francisco, California. That gave me a very solid foundation for me to then take my College classes on Audio.
I’ve been recording my music and the music I make with my friends since the 90s… but I formally started EMPRISE Soundlab in 2007… and it has survived to this day.
The studio’s vision will always be to have an EXCLUSIVE place to make ORIGINAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC.”
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest struggle for me was the realization that; this musical spot I was building was my responsibility and that my peers where not really invested in it. It was all on me. it’s not easy to make yourself known by just making original independent music.
A lot of close people would often had an opinion of what I should do or how should I be advertising, ideas of products and services, bells, whistles as if they were experts on the matter, but in reality, not having a clue of anything. not having even, a clue of my purpose in the first place.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I love recording stuff since my early days as a child, it just happens that today I make music production. I also love to teach the art of music production and its history.
I teach some young adults the dynamics of musicianship.
I’m most musically known for my own music as “LETTERS FROM READERS” at least in my small circle of artistic peers.
I’m mostly proud of everything I’ve recorded, and I thank every person willing to trust in my skill and make me a team member on their projects. these are a few of them. BELOW SEA LEVEL . TABULA RASA . CLASSICAL FEMMES. ARULA (USA). BUCEFALO. CAROLINA EN LLAMAS. LOS MARTES. ACTIVISTAS DEL AMOR. MANIQUI LAZER. NAPO. THERAPIST (USA). RED LIGHT RADICAL (USA). ARTESANOS. QUIERO SER BONITA. LOS ZARAGOZA (TJ). RANCHO SHAMPOO. GLASS SPELLS (USA). 16 BEATS MACHINE. 8ITTERS
What does success mean to you?
Success is the ability to be able to do what you want and at the same time, progressing on a meaningful purpose.
Contact Info:
- Website: emprisesoundlab.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emprisesoundlab/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emprise.sound
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/emprisesoundlab
- Other: https://lettersreaders.com/
Image Credits
EMPRISE Soundlab
