Today we’d like to introduce you to Baldemar Esquivel III.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a first-generation Chicano recording artist/musician, born and raised in the South East inner city of San Antonio. My parents never went to college but worked endlessly to raise my sister and me to strive for academic excellence beyond a diploma. Thankfully, they also supported each of our interests and hobbies. I was in the 5th grade when I first learned to play guitar, mariachi music, and eventually the drums. This was all at group lessons by a non-profit organization, The Network for Young Artists, in San Antonio. I began recording my own music early in high school on an iPod with GarageBand. I eventually started releasing tracks on SoundCloud that I felt were worth sharing including the now party favorite, “Eating Ass”. After my graduation in 2015, I had played and recorded for a hardcore band and two indie pop/rock bands before finishing my home/car recorded debut EP, Front Porch Doom, on November of 2016. Prompted by friendly support and local interest, I began developing a live act with my bandmates from my times with Opaque Ghost. Since then, I’ve mostly played shows around in Texas with my band, released singles, and done a few collaborative projects with friends. Currently, I play my music live with Adrian Soules Martinez, Damon Silva, James Blue, and Nick Gucci where we come together as quite an implosive pop outfit.
Great, 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?
Among a few line-up reconfigurations, failing many times to juggle music, work, and my social life throughout my two and a half years at community college, the biggest obstacle that still remains is nailing down a good process to stay consistent with productions. With my stubbornness to pay for professional studio time and preference to work alone, I’m often limited to recording in my room at my parents’ house or elsewhere that is quiet whenever it is too hot to turn my car into a recording booth. Many times, I’m not able to set up a recording, and I end up with lots of unfinished material. Thankfully though, I’m slowly finding means to my goals with some of these projects and figuring out ways to keep me from jumping back and forth between recording approaches.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I write and produce all of my music and do as much as I can on to self- promote the releases professionally through my own graphic work and video production sometimes. In the live act, I sing and play guitar. If anything, I’m known for bringing tangled cables to the stage! However, I am proud to know that most people that have heard the music or seen us live recognize as a purely independent project that’s been able to reach many people without any big movie involved.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The first time that my parents saw me play with a band was in San Marcos. Aside from my parents, the audience was much more interested in their pool games. So, whenever they eventually saw my band play to a big happy crowd, I felt like they finally saw the fruits of my band’s efforts. My dad raised his hand so high when I stopped to mention that they were in attendance. I felt very proud of that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://soundcloud.com/baldemar-esquivel
- Email: frontporchdoom@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_baldemar_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frontporchdoom/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Baldomart
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0VFl1pU18kRJkcYkHygOKt?si=tupQoVEqS62dwpktgAbXWg
Image Credit:
Lorelei Salazar, Kaylynn Yarelle, Benjamin Isaac, Angel Sanchez
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