Would you like a personalized signed CD? Well, guess what?! Here is a limited time offer to purchase a signed CD from Rachael Cantu (that's me)! For a limited time only I will be signing and personally sending out copies of my last EP:
By purchasing the CD you will also be contributing to the making of the next record!
Don't need a CD, but still want to make a donation? You will be doing a great thing and also speeding up the release date. You have no idea how much of a big help donations will be for this next record. I will also send you a personal thank you email!
Details:
USA: $10 (includes shipping & handling)
CA: $12 (includes s&h)
Anywhere outside of US/CA: $15 US (including s&h)
Follow these steps:
1. Paypal users can send payment through paypal to: rachaelcantu@gmail.com
OR you can send check or money order to:
Rachael Cantu
PO Box 292232
Los Angeles, CA 90029
USA
Be careful about how you send your mail! I am not responsible for cash, checks or money orders lost in the mail. Don't worry though, my dad's a mailman and I can say confidently that it's VERY RARE for things to get lost in the mail.
2.Be sure to include:
a) Full name and return address
b) your email so I can let you know when your CD is in the mail
c) who you want me to make the CD out to. If no instruction, I will just use the name of the person the CD is going to.
I couldn't do this without you, guys! You are the reason I play music and the reason I keep making records. Let's make an album!
Thank you so much!
Rachael Cantu
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
I had such a great time reading every single question that was asked. Unfortunately, I've had to narrow it down to only 5 (and a half). So, if your question was not answered this time around, don't be discouraged and please try it again next time. There were some really great questions, so thank you to everyone who has submitted!
:)
Rachael Cantu
www.myspace.com/rachaelcantu
How did you learn to play the guitar? Did you use a book, lessons or does it run in your family?
When I was 16 I taught myself how to play guitar. I was gifted a decent sounding guitar, bought some chord books and locked myself away in my room. I believe it stuck with me because I did it on my own terms. There was no teacher telling me what to do, no lessons, just pure drive and passion for the songs and the sound of the guitar. I got the standard chords down, wrote a song about an alien and that was that! My mom loved that song and until this day, it's pretty much the only song she'll talk about. It kills her that I don't remember how to play it. Sorry, mom.
Who has been your favorite person to play live with, and why?
Oh man, this is a really hard question. I've had the honor of playing live with some wonderful people. Every experience of having a guest on stage with me has been pretty unbelievable. But, I will have to say that playing a show with Camila Grey (from Uh Huh Her) on keyboards was one of the most fun experiences. Cam is quite the enjoyable human being. We had a wonderfully light hearted, good time, fun rehearsals and the show was equally enjoyable. Here is a clip of the show we played. The venue was welcoming, the audience was excited and we all had a lot of fun! Some people got a little too excited at a certain point in the song and sang really loud and scared me, which caused me to, well...it was pretty funny. WATCH IT:
Did you ever fear in becoming a solo artist? Would you have wanted to be in a band rather than by yourself?
I don't ever remember fearing becoming a solo artist. I don't think I would have felt the same if I hadn't been in a band for some years before venturing out on my own. Although the band experience was really fun, it also brought some trying times along with it. It was hard to get 4 or 5 people on the same page at all times. It's a lot of pressure to not step on anyones toes, especially when you need to say something like, "I really don't think that part goes with the song..." or something of that sort. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hearing what other musicians will add to my music and in the past few years I've been really lucky to have some talented artists jump onto live shows here and there. I will definitely have band members here and there, but at this moment in time, it's just much easier to worry about myself.
What event, thing, etc. do you consider your "coming of age"?
I would have to say that my move to Boston from Southern California at the age of 21 was my "coming of age". It was the first time I really started to think for myself, make my own decisions, develop my own personality and all that fun stuff. Growing up in Southern Orange County is like growing up in a bit of a bubble. A beautiful, sun shine filled beach bubble. Which is fine, but it doesn't have the cast of characters that Boston has. I met such a wide range of people whether it was in my local coffee shop, on the subway, in the record store I worked at or walking down the street. It's a walking city, which requires you to interact a lot more than in California. It really helps break down the wall of prejudgment.
While playing, what did you do to help yourself financially? Part time jobs? Gigs here and there?
I definitely had to have jobs earlier on in my career. I honestly would not have had it any other way. If you want your music to be heard, you've got to fit the bill for flyers, CDs, websites, artwork, etc etc. That stuff aint cheap, so you've got to work hard to make sure you can get that stuff done. It's good for the soul. I've worked at a candy store, been a counselor at a day camp at the beach, a waitress, a barista, but most of my working days were spent in record stores. As a musician, working at a record store was something that kept me on my toes with what was going on in the music world and it really helped me to open up to many different genres of music and meet some really interesting people. It's really painful for me to hear that record stores are closing left and right. Oh, technology.
One more for good measure...
Was there ever a time when you felt discouraged about your music?
How did you get through that and do you have any advice to help?
I have rarely felt discouraged about my music. I've had the most wonderful support from fans, loved ones, musician friends, etc. I feel as though everyone has been pretty up front and honest with me about my music. Always listen to the people around you. Learn to take the criticism and the compliments. If it's not meant to be, it's not meant to be. BUT, if it is, work VERY hard at it. Don't sit back and think it'll come to you. Get out there and manifest your dreams! It's all up to YOU.
