i FEEL THE EARTH SHAKE!
LUiS GUERRA OF TERREMOTO STUDiO
TALKS TO ROCKWiRED
ABOUT HiS STATE-OF-THE-ART RECORDiNG STUDiO
BRiNGiNG MUSiCAL iDEAS TO LiFE
AND THE POTENTiAL OF ALBUQUERQUE'S MUSiC SCENE

iNTERViEWED BY BRiAN LUSH

Despite my happiness since my return to the Southwest after having spent the better part of a decade in Southern California, it’s hard to not miss being in such close proximity to the music industry. I certainly miss parties at the KEY CLUB, seeing shows at the VIPER ROOM or meeting friends in the industry for a burger and a beer at the RAINBOW ROOM. Albuquerque New Mexico is as far away as one can get from the industry but there is no shortage of musicality. The talent is either home-based or passing through and there is a good chance you are going to catch something in Albuquerque’s rocking downtown area at either THE LAUNCHPAD, BURT’S TIKI OUNGE, or THE EL REY. Having been away for as log as I have, I felt a little out of step with the town that I couldn’t wait to come back to. In stepping out and getting a feel for my surroundings and my understanding of the Albuquerque music scene, all arrows pointed to one LUIS GUERRA – a multi-instrumentalist (primarily focusing on jazz bass), producer and owner of TERREMOTO STUDIOS.

Born and raised in Texas, LUIS GUERRA showed musical potential at a very early age. He cut his teeth on both the drums and the piano before settling on the bass at age eleven. His musical education was intense but before long, he was a musician with a job by the time he hit sixteen and ever since has toured and recorded with the likes of MARC RIBOT, PETER BUCK (R.E.M.) FELIPE RUIBAL, ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO and PATTY GRIFFIN.  GUERRA made a home for himself in Albuquerque eight years ago. While one would think settling in the Duke City would be detrimental to a career in the music business, GUERRA brought the music business to him with the establishment of TERREMOTO STUDIOS – an online recording studio that boasts cutting edge technology (PRO TOOLS8, REASON 4.0, APOGEE, ABLETON LIVE, DIGITAL PERFORMER, LOGIC and NATIVE INSTRUMENTS PLATFORMS) and a roster of artists from Albuquerque and around the world. “It’s [TERREMOTO] created an incredible environment to be creative.” says GUERRA of his one-of-a-kind recording studio “Not just for myself but for other people that have come through the studio. It’s small and affordable and it’s been rewarding to see the talent come through here and getting to work with people on a very intimate level. It’s a very low-key environment where one can produce and be creative. I believe that if there is going to be any magic that is going to happen, let it happen.”

ROCKWIRED spoke LUIS GUERRA over the phone. Here is how it went.

What does TERREMOTO mean?
The word ‘TERREMOTO’ translates directly to ‘earthquake’. It’s a word that you will hear on the streets of Spain and parts of Latin America and Central America when people are referring to a party. It’s a way of saying ‘we are going to have an earthshaking party!’ The idea behind TERREMOTTO STUDIOS is to make earthshaking music. It’s about stepping away from the negative meaning of the word which implies destruction. Hopefully, the music that gets produced in the studio will have some kind of impact.

When was the studio set up?
It was set up in Albuquerque about two years. I’ve always had a studio either in my house or in other locations for about nine years. I’ve been working in studios for about twenty years professionally, either as a session person, or a producer or an audio engineer.

What motivated the construction of the studio?
It was basically to have a laboratory - to have a workshop - to have a space where I could create. That was the purpose. Now, that original purpose has evolved into producing other people’s music over the years. Originally, I had a studio set up in my house so I could record my ideas and produce music for myself and for people who were requesting me to produce music for them whether it be multimedia or for whatever. TERREMOTO is not just a commercial studio but it is a project oriented facility.

What have been the rewards of running TERREMOTO?
It’s created an incredible environment to be creative. Not just for myself but for other people that have come through the studio. It’s small and affordable and it’s been rewarding to see the talent come through here and getting to work with people on a very intimate level. It’s a very low-key environment where one can produce and be creative. I believe that if there is going to be any magic that is going to happen, let it happen.

What drew you to Albuquerque?
Family did.  My wife’s parents settled and retired here and when my mother-in-law became sick with cancer, my wife was commuting here a lot and I was on the road all the time. This was about seven or eight years ago and because of the touring, I had the flexibility to live wherever. My wife wanted to be by her mom so we closed down shop in Austin and moved here. I toyed with going to Los Angeles at that time because I was doing some post-production work there but we decided to stay here for a few months to see what would happen and things started rolling. We’ve been here ever since. We got a little house, set up shop and that’s it.

What do you think the city has to offer musically?
It’s got a diverse pool of talent. It’s got a lot of unknown talent. It’s a great place for musicians to base themselves out of because the cost of living is relatively low. What it lacks is music industry infrastructure. There is not a whole lot you can do here unless you’ve got connections on the outside and that can be very troubling. There is not a very large pool of musicians here. It’s not infinite so we run into the problems of not being a very populated place. We have a lot of great musicians here and the musicians are good but there are just not a lot of them. Overall, I think it’s a great place for people to woodshed and develop their ideas and get their stuff happening. There are small audiences here and small clubs that support live music to some degree and you can present your ideas here and see if they fly.

What’s you favorite venue to listen to live music?
Not sonically speaking, but vibe-wise I like the EL REY. I go in there and I just think that place has this vibe but it’s not my favorite place to listen to music sonically. Between the EL REY and THE OUTPOST, THE OUTPOST is probably my favorite place to perform, listen and check out music but there is something about the EL REY. There is something about that place that you don’t encounter anywhere else. If it is one of the two, I’m going to have to pick THE OUTPOST because those are my peeps.

Are there any local favorites that stand out for you?
FELIPE RUIBAL AND QUEMOSO are unknown but I definitely think that they could be presenting music on a much larger stage. I like what he’s doing.

How did music begin for you?
I was the youngest of four kids and my parents split up when I was very young. My dad raised us for about ten years or so. He always said about me that I beat to my own drum and he meant that literally. He put me on the drum set when I was about six or seven. That led me into playing piano and then I got into skateboarding for a number of years. I went back to music when I was twelve. My dad was multi instrumental. Everyone played an instrument when I was growing up. There was music all around. I would go hang out with my mom and she was into ballets and classical music and jazz. By the time I was fifteen, I was starting to work as a bass player and by the time I was seventeen or eighteen, that was what I was doing – being a musician playing clubs and what have you. I moved to Austin and worked out of there for ten years and toured. It was a very natural thing. At several points in my life I tried to leave music which is funny. No matter how much I may have wanted to leave music, it always kept calling me back. Opening up a studio was really a gradual thing for me and to be able to immerse myself in production. I just love it! I can’t imagine what else I would be doing. Now with the music business changing the way it is, it has gotten trickier to do this kind of thing systemically. In hindsight, it might not be the smartest thing in the word to be a musician and raise a family, but what are you going to do?

You’ve worked with numerous music luminaries. Which artist resonated for you the most in terms of people that you work with?
I learned a lot from ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO. My older brother and I were into skate boarding and punk rock when we were kids but I also grew up listening to a ton of music. When I heard punk music, I really identified with it. To meet ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO when I was older and to be able to play with him and do recordings with him, it was really great. Four or three years ago, I had the opportunity to record with MARC RIBOT who is the guitar player for TOM WAITS, CASSANDRA WILSON and T-BONE BURNETT. When I actually got to make a record with this guy,  that was something that I will never forget. The way that guy took punk rock to a whole other level with his musicianship and understanding of harmony. He is such an accomplished guitar player. For me, it was very fulfilling to be able to work with him when I was like thirty-one. In terms of just attitude and their commitment to musical styles, working with ALEJANDRO and MARC were two of the most rewarding experiences. I would actually have to give you a list of people that you’ve never heard of that have influenced me way beyond touring with famous people. There are musicians that you probably haven’t heard of who have changed my life in terms of music and in how I walk the Earth. Those are the true luminaries of my life.

I understand that you work extensively with drummer MICHAEL LONGORIA. I also understand the two of you are quite the rhythm section. Describe working with him.
Even though we don’t live in the same place he and I come from very similar backgrounds musically speaking. We both come from south Texas and we both grew up studying music. His mom was a saxophonist. He is hands down, one of the most talented drummers that I’ve ever worked with and probably ever will work with in this lifetime. He and I have done a lot of producing together. The idea of TERREMOTO was something that he and had been bouncing around for years. He’s an incredible family man and I just have a lot f respect for him. That brother has been through some stuff in his life and he stays true to the ups in life and there is no messing around with the way that guy is able to command that instrument. It makes my job as a bass player easier.

You’ve got another project called RUMBATRONIX.
There isn’t a lot to say about RUMBATRONIX right now. It was a project that I started with CAMILO QUINONES. It was kind of an off-shoot of what me and MICHAEL LONGORIA were doing. RUMBATRONIX was an opportunity to do something locally, that had more of a dance music vibe. There isn’t a lot going on with RUMBATRONIX . At the moment, I’m focusing on more solo-type shows and CAMILO is very busy at the moment as well. Maybe later the year, we will be able to book more shows.

What would you like to see happen with the music scene in Albuquerque?
I would like to see the music scene in Albuquerque grow and be able to connect with what’s going on in the rest of the world so it won’t be so isolated. It would be great if something happened here musically that could put Albuquerque on the map so that people don’t think that it’s just the desert or the wild, wild, west. I would love to see that happen here. How that is going to happen, I don’t know. I would also like to see these venues pay the musicians more. I would love to see musicians not going out and working for such low wages here. We don’t really have an active union other than the one that takes care of NEW MEXICO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. What I’ve noticed about every other major city is that there is always a musicians union that fights for a living wage. It’s very random here in Albuquerque. I think getting paid a slave wage really devalues the music. Everyone needs music. I would also love to see mentoring going on with the youth here, which is beginning to happen. We need to pass this music on to the next generation and give them something to do. In Albuquerque, youth have more opportunities to participate in musical and artistic activities whether the city sponsors it or private individuals sponsor it. There is tremendous potential here that is untapped right now and that lies with the youth. It would be great to see that blossom. If we don’t start mentoring the youth, the music scene in the city is going to bottom out. It all lies with the youth.