Andrés Solé – Newsletter # 3

Here’s my third newsletter about life in Miami and the development of my musical career. There is certainly something to be said about being in love with the place in which one lives and I can honestly say, I love Miami!

I am working diligently on my voice. I am glad to say that I am regularly performing 3 times a week.

Andrés Solé Newsletter # 2

Here comes my second newsletter of life in Miami and what is going on with my music. I have spent a lot of time reading more about the music busniness. Reading always gets my mind asking questions. The main question I have been persuing the last months is ”What are the ingredients of a classic song?”

Andrés Solé Newsletter # 1

Here’s my first Miami Newsletter about what is going on in my life and musical career. I was asked by many to send the list of ”10 most important things I learned in Sweden” which I read during my last concert…

080829 – Goodbye concert – Andrés Solé – Hagabion, Gothenburg, Sweden

First of all, thank you to everyone who came to the concert. You mean a lot to me, each and everyone of you. It felt like a family gathering to me, it really did. I left so filled with positive energy and love, that I know will carry me long in Miami. Thank you!

Andrés Solé canta en su concierto de despedidad en Gotemburgo, Suecia, 080831.

For those of you who missed the concert here are a couple of the comments that showered in the days following and then a short description of that nights events:

UA-PAN-LEROLEROLEROLEROLERO-SIM-BAM-BEN-TICOTICOTICO-TANTAN-CHEVERE!!!!! – EG

Thanks for a brilliant concert! – HF

Da nos la paz was my personal favorite…you really should get this recorded! Excellent performance, probably your best ever. Thank you! – LE

You were great, so wonderful – your power, goodness, energy, joy and talent spired as never before… – PM

The concert yesterday was wonderful, beautiful, inspiring! You are a rockstar, baby!!! – GS

When I think of the overall feeling that came through in your concert I immediately think love. But think about it again, what we all walked away with was a feeling respect. Keep following your dreams! – ML

It is wonderful to have those words and all the ones said to me personally after the concert with me as I follow my dreams to Miami. I am humbled.

The concert began with me playing and singing 4 of my songs: Sincero, La última llamada, Al verte and La Marcha. After that my great friend Claudio took charge of the guitar as he knows best and I focued entirely on singing 5 more of my songs: Amor de doble filo, Isla de mi corazón, Esperare, La muralla and Da nos la paz. I was wonderfully surprised to receive my first standing ovation. Wow, it felt great! So after that, with some help from the audience we sang a last ditty of mine, Vuelate (thanks to a call the night before from Elin, my saxophonist, saying she was coming and asking if I was going to play it, since it’s her favorite). After the concert I literally stood there getting hugs for 2 hours from dear friends. It was an unforgettable experience for me. Here are links to pictures and a video from the concert. If took a picture of video you know I would like, please send it!

Something I didn’t mention in my previous account is that I did quite a bit of talking too. Between songs I decided I was going to share with my audience the 10 most important things I had learned in my 10 years living in Sweden. I was asked by many to post these or mail them out, so I am doing that now. Here it is:

1. My first responsibility in life is to myself.
I believe the reason we are here on earth is for each other. But one can only truly give when one is strong, healthy, at peace. The world shuns selfishness, but that should not be confused with the responsibility we have to ourselves and our life. It is my responsibility to see that I am happy, healthy at peace. No one else can do this but me and no matter how hard I try, no one can do it for you, but you. I went around a while blaming my sorrows on everyone else, until I realized I had allow them or at least I was the only with the power to change them.

2. Things are not what they appear.
We all go around saying, “Hi how are you? Fine, thanks and you? Oh Fine.” When reality is another. We all have good and bad days. We all struggle with our own cross. I use to envy those who were richer, happier, more beautiful, more successful. But I have realized that one sees only half the picture. We think no one struggles like we do, that people would stop loving me if they knew me as I am. That is not true. We are all equal, with different talents and different weaknesses.

3. Our feelings are our best guide in life.
I have always been a very logical person. Very organized, disciplined, in need of control. I was brought up, as a latino male, to not listen to my feelings, to not show my weaknesses, to prove I can do it on my own. So I was, for the longest time completely out of touch with my feelings. I followed more what my reason told me, because I was taught to do so. WRONG! Feelings are our best guide. Learning to listen to yourself and what your heart is saying is essential. Most people are headed in a direction and have no idea why. Most people are headed in the direction that conveniently fits into their societies norm, because society says so. WRONG! Think for yourself. I am not saying to not listen to reason. Of course. That is why we have it built in to our brain. But if ever in a conflict of interests, where the brain says one thing and the heart another, don’t hesitate a second. Follow your heart!

4. Fears are our biggest hindrance.
This one was so eye opening for me that I actually lived for a year with my motto being: Whatever scares you, go do it. Fears were totally blocking my life and I was terrified. So I made myself face them. And the wonderful thing is that when you finally confront that monster, you realize that what looked like a mountain in your head actually fits in your hand. Don’t let fear stop you from living the life you want, deserve, were destined to live!

5. Everything has a reason for being and things work out for the best if you put your part.
I used to scorn the difficulties in my life. Wondering why this had to happen to me. But I have now learned that it is the difficulties in my life that often lead to my greatest joys, accomplishments, satisfactions. There is no real use in fighting life. Instead if one learns to accept what comes and find what it has to offer, it makes living a lot easier and more enjoyable. We are all going to get our share of breaks, happiness, luck, sorrow and pain. They are all important parts of life, accept them, embrace them, that is what living is all about. But we can’t expect things to fall in our lap. What we don’t like, we have the responsibility to change it. What we desire, we need to actively ask for. All things work out in the end. Worrying is of no avail.

6. If a person is nice to you, but mean to the waiter or anyone else, they are not a nice person.
I don’t go around judging people, no one has that right. I believe all people are good, but because of bad experiences, fear and need, they can be lead to do evil. I have often wondered how to correctly evaluate if a person is a good influence on me or not. If it is a person I should trust, invest my time in, let close into my heart and this phrase put it into such simple terms. This is especially important for me in matters of love, because it is so easy for me to be blinded by infatuation and therefor not really see a person as they are, only see what one wants to see. Of course most people are nice to you. They have a personal interest in being liked by you. But if that same person then turns around and stabs someone else in the back, guess where you’ll be when you fall out of favor with that person? Don’t forget that people can and do change as well. Time is always an important factor in learning about someone.

7. Our biggest resource we have in life is each other.
I can only accomplish so much on my own and my dreams and goals are much bigger then anything I could ever do on my own. Which is great because that forces me to have to work with other, and though it can be challenging, is always a very enriching experience. The number one reason I love music is because it is a tool for me being social. I love playing music with others, playing music for others, listening to others play music. We need others not only in our professional life, but in our personal, emotional, and spiritual life. All aspects of life are enhanced and adorned by the presence of others. Don’t be afraid to ask, give another person the chance to live out the reason they are here, to serve someone else. We all need to learn to give more, but we all need to really practice receiving. It’s a humbling thing.

8. My goal in life is not joy but peace.
I used to think that I wanted to be as happy as possible, all the time. Who fooled me into that silly thought? What happens with all other emotions, are they to be discarded? I was missing out on a bunch of other experiences which are also rich parts of life. Once one learns to embrace and accept all situations in life as they come, then there is true peace. The person who has found that peace is unbreakable. That is where I want to be. I want to be able to cry in sorrow, passionately cry, as I can laugh in joy. I want to be able to feel anger and have the peace to react correctly. Guilt in its right place, humbleness, curiosity, love, shame, pride, honor, weakness, all are welcome, and to find the peace in each and everyone.

9. Time is relative, there is no hurry.
I used to be in a hurry all the time. Trying to do as much at the same time as I could, and still feeling guilty all the time that I wasn’t doing enough. That’s all changed. Last years motto was: Do less, accomplish more. By running around, you end up half doing a million things, which are of no consequence at all, instead of focusing and doing one thing that really counts. I got a beautiful card from a great friend in California where they have different quotes children have said. The one I got, was a quote be Sarah a 12 year old girl who put it plainly to me, “It’s never too late to be a rock star.” My question is what is she doing thinking that at age 12? Well I guess she understands that time is relative, there is no hurry. Children have a talent to see life through such simple eyes. Oh that I could be a child once again… oh I can. Time is relative!

10. The power of thoughts: Thoughts become feelings, feelings become actions, actions become results.
Our mind is an incredible tool, whose only real product are thoughts. These thoughts can dream up giant pyramids, huge metal carcasses that fly and carry hundreds of people, sending pictures and sounds through the air from one place to the other and walking on the moon (four human accomplishments that never cease to amaze me). It is then only a few steps from the dream to its realization. Three small steps to be exact. Thoughts become feelings, feelings become actions, actions become results. But most of us are scared to dream, because we are afraid to have to face our own power and greatness.

I would love to hear your thoughts, leave me a comment! Which was your favorite? Or any words of wisdom you want to share with me…

I am thankful for the people who have been key in helping me grow and learn all this and more in my 10 years in Sweden. I will never forget you. I hope my experiences and this little list can inspire someone else to grow as well. A long, long, long hug to all.

Andrés Solé plays “Better Together” (cover)

Yesterday after I wrote my blog entry about “Better Together” by Jack Johnson I sat down at Xavier’s piano to learn it and so today I decided to try and record a video with his little camera of me playing it. The tough bit for me has always been memorizing lyrics, but it went quite well, I got through it.

Andrés Solé plays Better Together by Jack Johnson in Lausanne.

The surrounding of course makes the inspiration. I am sitting in a lovely living room with great accoustics and looking out the window over Lausanne and Lake Geneva to the French and Italian Alps. The sun is shining, I’m at peace and doing what I most love, music, what could be better?

Once again, life is good, but always better when we’re together! I’d love to hear some comments…

What does Andrés Solé do a sunday afternoon at 4 pm?

Many different things… But I would say this last Sunday was rather typical, I was working, at least by my definition of work. I was out in the center of town having a pillow fight with a bunch of friends and strangers. The occasion, Gothemburg Flash Mob #7. We had a wonderful time and definitely made a lot of onlookers smile. I have always loved performance, theater, improvisation. Flash mob events are all that and also a chance to let your inner child out and play.

 

I don’t know why we adults have such a hard time with that. I am reading a book called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron which talks very much about how important play and the child within are an essential part of creativity. Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Carl Jung said, “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” That is the way I see musical composition, it is me playing with objects I love, rhythm, melody, harmony, sounds, textures, words. So I feel the exercise of allowing myself to play is part of my job, an important component in the success of my career as artist.

Doing theater somehow makes play seem natural and easy. I love painting my face and dressing up. Just recently I had an easter party at home where after painting eggs we went on to painting each other’s faces. As part of a anti-elitist artistic collective I am a different character at each gathering. Last time I was Pierre, the thief of kisses.

 

It is quite often that performance and dressing up shows up on stage in my concerts. I have a funny story of a concert where my dressing up only half worked. It was at a party with theme “Black’s and White’s (after a Carnival in Colombia by the same name). So I had painted half my face white and left the other half as is with only a black line down the middle of my eye, as you see in the picture.

I thought I looked quite nifty! I got off stage and went around mingling and ran into Brent, a good friend of mine who asked me, “When did you paint your face, I thought you just got off stage?” We’ll he was standing in the audience to right of the stage and during the entire concert seen only a rather common looking Andrés Solé perform.

Is palyfulness important? Have you tried being part of a flash mob, if not, why not? When was the last time you had a pillow fight? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Article published the 19th of april in Swedish newspaper

Several people have asked about a translation of the article published by Göteborgs Fria Tidning. Well here you go:

Andrés Orjuela aims for Miami

Who hasn’t dreamed of just leaving everything behind, of walking out the door, closing it and never coming back. A person who actually turns dreams into reality is singer Andrés Solé, who is leaving Gothenburg for sunnier horizons.

It is very often a thought stays only as a thought and nothing comes of it. This is definitely not the case with Andrés “Solé” Orjuela who is the singer in the latin rock band Solé. I meet Andrés in his one room apartment where classical music and sunshine sets the backdrop for our interview. A bed and other furniture have been squeezed together to make room for his elegant black piano, studio equipment, guitars, computers and CD’s which meet in a creative order. In the corner a manequin with a pink wig stands and points at an Elvis poster. The manequin has already been sold as has the piano. The studio and everything else will soon be part of a huge garage sale. Andrés Orjuela is moving. In August he is will be leaving Sweden to continue life’s journey in Miami, USA.
“I’m moving to follow my dream! I love music with a passion and want to live from and for my music,” says Andrés and smiles as he thinks about his solo career. It is obvious that he is completely focused. August is just around the corner and there are a lot of things to take care of.
His life is made up of many ongoing processes. The musical creation process and that of letting a concert take its form are some examples. Moving to Miami is another. And the process of getting rid of many things he has gathered over the years requires a lot of work. But he points out that it is important to not allow oneself to become to emotionally attached to things.
“Things shouldn’t weigh me down, hold me back” he says.

It is easy to be dragged along by Andrés’s strong drive and will to develop. He speaks with passion about the process of change.
“You can prepare yourself for what you think is coming, but one must be sensitive and open to following where destiny leads you.”
Letting himself be inspired and following his gut feeling is something Andrés has done most of his life. Since his childhood in Bogotá, Colombia, he’s followed his heart, studies and job opportunities to Miami, Santiago, Berkeley and Gothemburg. His desicion to return to Miami came while visiting it during the winter of 2007.
“As I walked down the streets I could feel how Miami called my name. That is where I want to live” says Andrés. “After I had made the decision, I felt a strong and positve force within me and a deep sense of internal peace.

Miami is said to be the world capital for latin rock. He has already made some important contacts within the music industry to continue growing as an artist. Miami is the third largest “Colombian city” if one counts the number of Colombian’s living there, despite the fact that it is in the US. For Andrés, Colombia holds a very special place in his heart.
When we talk about his years in Sweden and what he will remember, he spontaneously says, “Closeness to nature! Swedish cities integrate nature into the cities in such a wonderful way which is very different from how Colombian cities are built.” He adds that Gothemburg is small enough that he is constantly running into friends around town, but large enough to have a sprawling cultural life.
“I also love the fact that Gothemburg is a port. When I stand and look out over the ocean, I feel infinitely small and endlessly huge at the same time; it inspires me and helps me think big!”

Much of Andrés’s life is about making his dreams reality and his expectations of the future are extensive. His hope is that his music will really reach out and touch people’s lives.
“With my music, I want to create social events for people to meet. If I can, through my music, inspire someone to grow, I’ll feel completely satisfied.

Text by Carina Sundqvist
Photo by: Jacob Zocherman

Back on television

I just wanted to share the happy news that Solé’s video “Anzuelo” is on regular rotation on Swedish Television now in both versions. It is being shown on the Public Access Channel in Gothenburg and our premier was “Valborgsmässafton”, which is the a big Swedish celebration welcoming the spring!

My television debut was when I was twelve and I was that young boy in the green shirt eating with a big smile and singing, “Fruco, Fruco, el secreto del sabor” where the commercial ended with me tapping the ketchup bottle’s base three times. Do you remember? Is there anyone who knows where one could get ahold of a copy of that commercial?

Thanks to Öppna Kanalen Göteborg showing our video and to Lenzflare for producing it!

32 hour work week

Outsourcing is a concept that I have thought about a lot, before realizing it’s full potential but today as I read Tim Ferriss blog called Outsourcing Life. It made me laugh and laughter is healthy, so if nothing else I am healthier for it. But in actuality it has really opened my eyes to an idea that has been brewing inside of me for years and that I actually put in motion last year as I produced my first EP with Solé.

I’ll tell you the story about the EP first. My full budget for 1000 copies of our EP (7 songs in a full 4 color 6 side digipack, recorded, mixed and mastered professionally) was 6000 USD. It was recorded in house, which kept that costs at a minimum. Then I wanted to shoot for the best mixing and mastering that I could afford, because I know how important that step is and is something I knew very little about, so I wanted to put it into expert hands. So I let myself dream and asked, “If I could choose anyone to mix my songs who would that be?” I pulled down my favorite albums and artists and looked at who had done their mixes and came up with three names. So I contacted all three of them and sent them a rough mix of one song and asked if they had time, interest and what the cost would be. One wasn’t available until a month later, but the other two responded very positively. So I spent half my budget on mixing, which I am very glad I did, they did a fantastic job! Thank you Eric Shilling and Kevin Killen. For the mastering I got OK’s and prices from both Vlado Meller (Universal Mastering) and Chris Gehringer (from Sterling Sound). But I was recommended Bob Ohlsson by one of my mixers and I decided to go with him, because I fully trust Eric’s advise (and also was totally satisfied).

So with that I didn’t have so much left for the production of the CD and digipack. I looked into all kinds of different options. Having it produced in Sweden where I live, in the US, in eastern Europe (because of price and proximity) but what finally turned out being the best option was having it produced in China. Not only was it half the price of what it would cost me to have it done in Sweden (including shipping), but the service was excellent, very efficient and I got all the extras I wanted thrown in for practically nothing (deboss on the cover and each EP individually shrink wrapped). How did I go about finding the contacts in China, like I did everyone else, through the net. I contacted two companies and both were very professional and very competitive in pricing and speed. In cause your in the same boat, check them out. I am sure there are plenty more, but these are the two I had extended contact with: Alice Yu at www.discturnkey.com and Alan Lz at www.disc-cn.com. So one can say that I outsourced the majority of the work for the production of my EP, from Sweden to New York, Miami, Nashville, China and back.

I know that my time limitations are great and I need all the help I can get in order to make my musical career succeed. But four hours a week seems a bit too little for my taste. Fortunately I am doing what I love, so I gladly work 60 hours a week on my music, except that I know that is not healthy for me or my music. At times of course it is necessary. But I believe in working 32 hours a week of effective work time. These last couple months I have been going to bed early in order to get up at 5 am. So from 5 to 12 I put in a good 6 plus hours of effective work time into my music and then I can enjoy the rest of the day in a more leisurely fashion. This habit has proven very effective for me. When I get to the US one of the first things I am going to do is buy the book, “The 4 Hour Work Week” and really learn about how to outsource more of what I don’t want to be doing, so that I have more time for that which I love and do best. Also because I know that there are people who can do much of what I do much better than I can. I’ll stick to writing and singing my songs.

Wonderful Mixer

I just wanted to post a link to a wonderful mixer, if anyone is looking for one. His credit list would make anyone in the latin world jealous as he’s worked with Gloria Estefan, Juan Luis Guerra, Santana, Julio Igelsias, Chayanne, Arturo Sandoval and of course… Andrés Solé. Not only is Eric a fantastic Producer, Mixer, Engineer, but one of the nicest people I have had contact with in the music industry. It was a great learning experience, truly a pleasure and of course an honor to get to work with him.

You can find his contact information by visiting his website. Here’s his credit list in PDF format.Here’s a great interview with him on Mix Online where he talks about his work as producer and sound engineer.

Here’s a picture of Eric and I at the legendary Crescent Moon Studios in Miami. To both Eric and Susan a huge hug and all my love and respect. May peace and joy fill your lives everyday!