Description
About Luis
Luis was born in East Los Angeles, California, a first generation son of Mexican immigrants. As a boy, he listened to traditional Mexican boleros and even got to sing with the legendary Mexican ranchero singer, Vicente Fernandez. But like so many teenagers, it was rock ‘n roll that got him hooked on the guitar.
“The first instrument that I wanted to play was an electric guitar,” says Luis. “I wanted to learn the guitar solo from Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” and “Eruption” by Eddie Van Halen.” A self-taught guitarist, Luis played in rock bands all through high school and into college. Then in his early twenties, something happened. “I think I hit a wall in my appreciation for rock music. I needed a little more stimulus,” he says.
He picked up an acoustic guitar and started experimenting with classical music, jazz, blues and even flamenco guitarist. “My dad had some classical music and flamenco LPs that he’d listen to at home. My mom listened to Latin music on the radio. I had friends that introduced me to jazz. I’d hear WAR and El Chicano blasting from my neighbor’s houses. And I worked at a library where I could easily get a hold of CDs of all these
different genres and just listen to all these styles all the while trying to expand my knowledge on the guitar by incorporating these different approaches to my guitar playing.”
During this period, Luis wrote and recorded songs that were to appear on his first two CD’s a few years later. To perform these compositions he formed a band that initially consisted of some of his rock ‘n roll friends and eventually featured some of L.A.’s best musicians. They built a large following by performing every weekend at clubs and restaurants in and around the Los Angeles area.
Luis’ popularity eventually landed him a recording contract and he released his first CD, “Cafe Ole'” (Domo/EMI) in 1998 which was on the Grammy ballot for Best New Age Album. His follow-up, “Spanish Kiss” (Baja/TSR) in 2000 had him swept into the Nuevo Flamenco wave with the likes of Jesse Cook, Strunz & Farah and Ottmar Liebert. That year had Luis performing at jazz festivals around the country on the strength of the single, “La Reyna” which played on smooth jazz radio stations.
On Luis’ new CD “Eastside”: “I wanted to record an album that paid homage to the music of East L.A., not just in a musical sense but also in the way things were produced back in the 70’s. We’re using equipment, instruments, and techniques that were used back then. We were even lucky enough to have some special guest musicians on it!” Tierra’s Rudy and Steve Salas and original Hammond B3 organist, Joey Guerra make an appearance on the CD as does WAR’s drummer Sal Rodriguez. “It’s a special record with some great music and awesome musicians on it. I think people will dig it!”
Luis' past performances
Booking and General Policy
- Get in touch with us via email, phone, or chat with us on our website to set an appointment.
- Choose a musician, group, or package and ask for a draft contract. For ceremony & cocktail bookings, you may opt to book online through our interactive tool. Refer to our calendar to check for an available slot for your event date.
- Secure the date by depositing a down payment of 25% through our interactive tool and pay via credit card, venmo, paypal, or send us a check.
Your booking is automatically confirmed upon receipt of the deposit OR signed contract!
Please note: If we don’t receive the signed contract OR the required deposit within 7 days from the date of the contract, we will need to re-confirm the artist(s) availability again.
Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive a username and password to access our portal. You may now create your custom wedding playlist via our interactive portal.
Please use our interactive tool to choose among thousands of songs in our playlist. There you can choose songs for your ceremony and cocktail hour.
Do you need help planning your wedding music? Our dedicated team has a variety of wedding playlist suggestions for you.
Browse our suggestions: Click Here
We understand that at times, the unexpected happens. Our policy on cancellations are written below:
- For cancellations 30 days before the event, you will receive a 100% refund of the deposit amount.
- For cancellations less than 30 days before the event, the deposit is non-refundable.
Please Provide Shade/Umbrella
- We require a shade/umbrella for our musicians, instruments, and audio equipment. This is due to the extreme sensitivity of musical instruments to changes in temperature and exposure to sunlight and humidity. In some cases exposure to elements may lead to irreparable damage to the instruments.
Please Prepare a Covered/Dry Location in Case of Rain
- We require a covered/dry location for our musicians, instruments, and audio equipment in case of rain. Exposure to water or humidity is damaging to our musical instruments and audio equipment. In some cases exposure to elements may lead to irreparable damage to the instruments.
- We love playing outdoors but in lower temperatures please provide a heater for our musicians. Our musicians remain outdoors for more than an hour with an additional hour to set up before the appointment. The heater will keep them warm before and during their performance.
Luis brings his own top-notch PA system and only requires a regular power outlet. If the event is outdoor and there is no electrical outlet, please let us know so we can bring our battery power PA system.
We offer a wide variety of fun, unique and experienced guitarists especially Luis, a grammy nominated Spanish/Latin Flamenco Guitarist who have proven records of dependability and the ability to delight guests at any sort of special events. We also take pride in being responsive, listening to your needs, and helping you to find/pick the perfect musician that will best suit your event. In addition, we stay in touch with you after you’ve booked our musician to facilitate communication and organization of details as your event approaches.
Exactly as agreed! This usually takes the form of their arrival before the event is to start to set-up and sound-check. Once the music begins, our flamenco Spanish/Latin Guitar, Luis whom you’ve chosen will start his performance and play the genre that you requested. He will play for the agreed amount of time, usually taking small breaks in-between sets. At the end, he will pack up his equipment, and depending on your agreement, accept payment and leave.
If you have a complaint about the musician, this should be raised as soon as possible with the music act themselves or you can directly talk to OMG Operations Manager, Margie at (714) 763-6924 concerning the issue. The sooner we or musicians know there is an issue, the quicker we can rectify the problem if it is within our/musician’s power to do so.
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