Meet Felipe Guerrero | Music Producer & Guitarist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Felipe Guerrero and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Felipe, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I decided to pursue a career in music because all of my life, I had been surrounded by musicians and music. My dad was the first person to bring music into our household. He and my uncle formed a Mexican Norteño band and I would watch them rehearse.

When I got into my teens, I discovered a band named Rooney, by flipping through tv stations and randomly watching their music video on MTV or something like that. It was at that very moment that I fell in love with rock music and picked up the electric guitar. I would then go on to form small indie rock bands and play live shows in the local Dallas music scene.

Later on, I met my wife while working at a bank while I was studying business at UNT. She had a similar interest in music like I did. In 2016 we formed our own band, Vanilla & Pepper, “One’s sweet and the other is spicy”, haha. It was around then that I began taking my creative talents more seriously as a career choice. I have to admit that it was scary to forfeit a safer career choice. I could have leaned towards working in the financial industry or something, but I felt a stronger calling to pursue music.

I could go on, but I’m very grateful to have followed my instinct. I now have a music studio in Plano called Rock Out Loud Studio, where I teach lessons and produce recordings and I certainly enjoy what I do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a guitarist first and then a vocalist. I do enjoy learning to play my favorite songs, however, I find that I enjoy creating my own music even more. I can’t quite explain it, but there is an intense amount of fulfillment that I get from creating something from scratch. When I write my own music, It’s like i’m reaching deep within and out comes a culmination of my entire life experiences and musical tastes into song.

I never thought about what could set me apart before but I do have my music roots in Mexican culture because of my upbringing. I look up to great Latino rockstars before me such as Richie Valens (La Bamba), Henry Garza of Los Lonely Boys, Carlos Santana, Audio Karate, Mana, Camila, Juanes, and more! Even though I write a lot of indie rock music, some rhythmic and melodic choices that I make come from my background.

Songwriting is what helped me get to where I am currently. I learned music production in college and I studied guitar and music theory further. Those skills helped me to become the music instructor, producer, and live performer that I am today.

Getting here was not so easy. I didn’t have any financial or emotional support from my immediate family so If I really wanted to make a career out of music I had to figure it out on my own. I know that I made many mistakes along the way, but to me it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from those failures. Still though, there were some rough patches, it’s been an emotionally and mentally exhausting journey at times. If there is a constant lesson that I have learned it would be to value people who come in and out of your life, even those that might not think the best of you. Every encounter could be a lesson on its own. Also, please be patient with yourself as you continue growing.

I’m not sure what to say to the world about my personal story but I love my guitar and I love bringing people joy through the power of music. It’s the universal language that can bring many people together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Some of my favorite spots in the North TX are are Downtown Mckinney, Downtown Plano, Addison, and Deep Ellum in Dallas.

Let’s start with downtown Mckinney. It has that small town feeling and lots of great local restaurants such as Fontina Ristorante, Harvest, and Hutchins BBQ. There is a little museum, Arcade 92, Filtered coffee shop, and live music. I live near there so I would definitely start there. We could hit up downtown Plano the day after and enjoy some similar attractions.

Addison has some good spots. I like Gloria’s and how they have salsa dancing on the weekends at night. The Addison improv is a great spot to enjoy some comedy. There’s also Tone Shop Guitars on Belt Line and Midway. They have a very nice inventory of gorgeous guitars.

I would certainly take them to Dallas to enjoy Deep Ellum and the Arts Districts. Deep Ellum has a ton of great bars, live music, and restaurants. I love Opening Bell Coffee, and Cone Rosso pizza. We could also hang out at the Southside Ball Room or House of Blues to catch some bigger music artists.

Those are some of my favorite spots in the area!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many friends that I owe so much to. So many wonderful people came in and out in different seasons of my life and I wouldn’t be here without them. I really want to send a big shoutout to my vocal instructor Susan Hanlon from Susan Hanlon Vocal Studio in Mckinney. I never considered myself a vocalist by any means prior to meeting her. One fateful summer, I took some voice lessons with her at Collin College in Plano. I studied voice with her for 8 years after. She really helped me to find my own voice within and with that came a newly found confidence in myself. She inspired me to get out and make things happen. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Susan!

Website: https://rockoutloudstudio.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockoutloudstudio/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therolstudio/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@VanillaPepper

Image Credits
Manny Ferrer at Mc6 Creative Media