Guto Schroeder was born in a small town called Passo Fundo; in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, south of Brazil on July 13th of 1982. His passion for music, arts, cultures, and traveling started as a little boy when his Father was often relocated from one city to another; Guto’s love for the Nature also started early. But it was the summers at Grandma and Grandpa’s house that brought the little boy Guto to his real passion in life, watching his Grandpa to play the guitar for hour and hours. “I remember asking him to teach me, but he said that teaching wasn’t one of his best skills”, said Guto.
When he completed 14 years old Grandpa passed his guitar on to him so he could start to take guitar lessons; and like most teenagers, Kurt Cobain was his first idol. Within a year he put three different heavy metal bands together while in high school but he figured he needed to switch his music style to get the girls attention. That’s when Reggae, Bossa Nova and Samba started to be his major influences. When he turned 19 years old his dream to be an international artist and take his music around the world was clear for him. He went to Chicago for six months to learn English; there he bought his first electric acoustic guitar.
Back to Brazil, in 2003, he decided to go back to school for Photography and set the music off for a while. But different than what he planned he got invited to play percussion for a Brazilian Popular Music band at nightclubs. Being part of the band brought him one of his best experiences as a young musician; the opportunity to travel off state to the coast and play for thousand people crowds during Carnival. Back to his hometown, summer of 2005 was over and his willing for something bigger started to grow inside his heart and with a gift of an airplane ticket from his Mom, Guto left Brazil singing “Garota eu vou pra California” (Lulu Santos), and bringing the best sounds from Brazil in his backpack.
Guto arrived in Los Angeles on fall of 2005. “In two weeks I bought a car, got a job and a girlfriend”, Guto jokes. Since then, the South Bay of LA County has been Guto’s home; from luau parties to lounge bars, his fans gather every weekend to go see him play and sing the best melodies of some of the best Brazilian Popular Music (MPB).
“I’ve been in the US for five years now, and artists like Jack Johnson, Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Bob Marley have influenced and enriched my music so much that now I’m ready to take it to another level”, he says. Guto is now composing his own songs and promises a very interesting blend of samba, rock, and funk, which won’t let anybody stay still.
LAsThePlace.com Gets Exclusive Interview with Brazilian music star Guto Schroeder
LATP: Who are some of your biggest musical influences and since you have been living in the United States has your music changed?
Guto: Jorge Ben Jor, Seu Jorge, O Rappa, Cidade Negra. My musicality has changed after I moved to United States in a way that I actually became more Brazilian than I was while living in Brazil. When I was in Brazil I wanted to play American songs and now that I’m in California I want to mix it up.
LATP: Do you prefer performing as a one-man performing artist or do you prefer having a back up band?
Guto: It is easy for me to get on stage and perform by myself, but I have to admit that when you have a good drummer and a good bass player who are able to play with the Brazilian swing, the music grows a lot.
LATP: When you write songs, do you compose strictly on an acoustic guitar?
Guto: Yes, I always compose my own songs on my acoustic guitar. She is my best friend.
LATP: The music scene in LA is very competitive, do you plan on singing strictly in Portuguese to go after the Brazilian market or do you want to sing in English as well?
Guto: Living in California for 5 years has made the English language natural for me, so my focus now is to write songs in English. But I’m also thinking in using different languages like Spanish, Portuguese and French to express myself in the lyrics.
LATP: Did you receive formal guitar or vocal lessons when you were growing up in Brazil?
Guto: Yes, I started guitar lessons and voice lessons when I was 14 years old and I continue to study to this day and will never stop. Music is my passion.
LATP: Since the Internet has changed the music industry forever, how can an up and coming artist like you use the power-of-the-Internet to expand your fan base?
Guto: In my opinion youtube.com is the most powerful tool for artists, it’s amazing how easy we can broadcast to show what we do. Twitter is also a great tool to promote shows and to keep in touch with the fans.
LATP: When do you plan on recording your first CD and what kind of music will be on it?
Guto: I’m planning to have my first album recorded by 2011. My music is a very interesting mix of Acoustic Soft Rock with Funk and Samba beats. It’s a lot of work to do.
