“You know what Instagram is great for? Meeting like minded people! Carlos is one of the connections I made on there that I am truly grateful for. He is a very friendly and caring person, full of stories and always there to talk with. I can imagine that that’s one of the many reasons why he loves making music. Originally from Venezuela, he moved to Chile with his brother in a pursuit of a better lifestyle. Apart from being a songwriter, together with his brother they have an awesome rock band called Arkazul. Now I may not understand all the lyrics, but I can tell you that I just love the sound of their music! Carlos is someone who is persistent about learning and also loves sharing his knowledge, so here are some great tips he has to give you.” – Neli
What is an advice you would give yourself when you were first starting on the guitar?
I think I would say something like: “It’s going to be hard, but you’re going to like it. Don’t stop practicing, every day is important. Sometimes you will feel like you aren’t progressing, but you will see the results sooner than later. Don’t give up”.
What was the hardest thing you had to overcome on your path as a musician?
Maybe the fact that being a musician is like a tabu, and everybody is always telling you that you need a real job and “making music won’t get you anywhere” but here I am, I’m still working, getting better every day and working in new music with my band.
How did you overcome it?
That’s something you learn to live with. You stop listening to what people say and focus on what you really want. When you do that, you can be sure everything will be better.
How does your creative process flow when you are writing music?
I think every musician, songwriter, artist is different. For me, sometimes the melody comes to my head and I take my guitar and start playing it, but is not always like that. Sometimes I just take a piece of paper and start writing something (lyrics), then I put a melody, or maybe I just take my guitar, play some chords and if I like it, I work with that idea. When I have something I really like, I go to my bandmates to show them what I have.
What would you recommend to a guitarist who wants to tap into writing music for the first time?
First of all, you need to know what’s the kind of music you want to make, maybe you like Heavy Metal, but you want to play Pop and that means you also need to listen to Pop Music to know how it sounds. Knowing what you want, you can start writing. I’m not going to say the first song is going to be amazing, but if you don’t start, you will never get better.
What are some perks of playing in a band?
Hard question. It’s not the same playing alone at home with a backing track, as it is playing with others. One of the perks of playing in a band is that you will grow a lot as an individual musician and also as an artist. You are always learning from your bandmates. Another thing that is interesting is that nowadays you can’t just be a musician, you have to learn how to sell your music, your band, taking care of your image, so that means you will be studying marketing, production, etc. all the time. So being in a band opens you to a lot of things that you didn’t care about.
How did you overcome stage fright?
It’s weird. I didn’t like to talk in front of my classmates at the school, but playing on a stage is different. The first song is always the hardest, because if you are playing in front of people that don’t have any idea of who you are, you have to make them stay and listen to you. When I put my feet up on the stage I know I have to give everything I have to make people have a great time listening to our music. I forget about everything and I focus on giving my best. We are human, we can’t always have a great night, you can make mistakes, but the most important thing is having fun and make the crowd have fun with you.
Who is your biggest musical inspiration and influence?
Maybe my brother. Gosh, he’s amazing. (laughs)
What is your favorite guitar trick?
I think it’s palm muting and slides.
What is your favorite song for air guitar?
All rock songs I can hear. If it sounds good, then you can play your air guitar.
Currently, Carlos and his Rock band Arkazul are working on their new single so look out for that!
You can find Carlos on his personal Instagram @Carlosakz.
Reach out to Arkazul on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram as @Arkazul, and also on Spotify, Apple, Amazon and YouTube, the links are below:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5OKtO4yfZCiwBTnO7STXTT
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/arkazul/768689807?l=es
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/arkazultv
Amazon: https://www.amazon.es/Sin-Retorno-Arkazul/dp/B07JYJ5Y85