Today we’d like to introduce you to Roberto Murillo.
Roberto, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I am a bass player/composer/session artist born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and raised all over the United States. I was first exposed to music through my father, a rock singer and artist, I was there at every one of his shows for support but I wasn’t always interested in music. When we moved to Atlanta, Georgia I took my first music class, way back before they started stripping public schools of their arts programs. Like all other kids, I wanted to be a percussionist but my teacher made it a point to let me know I had “no rhythm” and forced me to play trumpet. The trumpet was interesting and taught me most of what I know about musical structure and scales; and it’s an instrument I have much appreciation for. I ended up transitioning to bass playing during a very turbulent time in my life, bass playing was about embracing the dirt and turning it into harmony. It was about having fun and offered the freedom I most needed at that time in my life.
My bass playing was inspired by Sly and the family stone, James Brown, Jaco Pastorius, everything funk and hip-hop but probably the most prominent being the Red Hot Chili Peppers. By my junior year in high school, I had only been playing bass for two years but I knew this was my calling so I applied and auditioned for Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.
My time at Berklee was pivotal, it was a very liberating experience and I immersed in the beauty of the diversity in music. That’s where I met some of the people that would have a major impact on my life and we formed funk group Category 9. Man, I didn’t know it at the time but I was riding a wave and I was on top, like all waves though it had to crash. I only spent three semesters at Berklee when I had to drop out due to financial reasons. While I continued meeting with the band, most of my time had to be spent working odd jobs just to make ends meet.
That’s when I decided that LA was the next best stop for me, I had to turn my circumstances around if I wanted to give my music career the best possible chance.
LA is the place to be for the music industry, everywhere you go is an opportunity and there will never be an end of things to do or people to see. Every spot is an inspiration, every spot has a history, every spot has a story of all the artist we know and love. The culture feels like home.
Currently, I’ve been working on sessions with a few local artists. But what I’m most excited about right now is an album I’ve been working on with a new group, that will be dropping soon, it’s an R&B/ soul project that encapsulates a myriad of human emotions, love, happiness, depression, etc. More details on the album will be released in the coming months so wait for it.
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?
My road has been far from smooth. Growing up in an unstable, low-income, immigrant household, this would lead to many struggles. One eventually being dropping out of college, when I dropped out of Berklee I was battling depression while trying to keep somewhat of a “normal” everyday life. My love and commitment to music have definitely been tested more than once but after dropping out of Berklee I really questioned if this was the right thing for me and if I would be able to make something of it. Thankfully, I overcame this and it has definitely been one of those experiences that I really let myself feel, I take it, and I grow from it. But it’s never just that easy.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I keep it funky! I keep it funky all the time, I let it hang! I let the music dictate where it wants me to go, I keep it on the one. I’ll record for anyone that needs bass.
I don’t just play rhythm bass, I put a little of myself in every bassline and I make it my own, If you DON’T put a little bit of yourself than anyone can do what you do. I make it political, as an artist, it’s your JOB to be political.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would have to say it is when I met one of my biggest inspirations, Norwood Fisher. As a kid, I never knew that I would be HERE. I never knew that I would meet him. It all seemed so impossible and far away. He listened to a few of my songs and said that my basslines were great. I don’t think I have had another moment like that in my life. In other words, I fangirled.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frufrujhn/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulPoweerr
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/frufrujhn
Image Credit:
Sarah Seymour, Michael Whitehurst
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