Today we’d like to introduce you to Gerardo Castro Jr.
Hi Gerardo, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
My name is Gerardo “Jerry” Castro Jr. I am a 23-year-old music artist (Jack Flora) and a Photographer/Videographer currently residing in North Hollywood. I was born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, in a big family (5 sisters and 2 brothers). To fully understand how I arrived at this moment, I want to tell you about my younger brother, Jack.
Jack was nearly exactly one year younger than me. When Jack was born, he weighed one pound and could fit in the palm of your hand; my mother was twenty-three weeks pregnant. Jack was never predicted to make it out of the hospital or make it a single year, and never ever was he expected to live for the fifteen years he did. He was quadriplegic and almost blind. He was never able to walk, talk, or even control his muscles, but he touched many people’s lives just by smiling and with his presence. His tiny body endured multiple surgeries, and he was given “last rites” on many occasions. After six months in the NICU, he finally came home, and we appreciated every day with him. He was always being held. He was a living miracle.
During my junior year of high school, my brother’s condition deteriorated. Jack lived in and out of the hospital and finally came home to hospice care. On Sunday, November 12, 2017, Jack passed away. Being the littlest of us, he taught us how strength and the will to live can’t be measured or bet against, to always have gratitude for good health, and how a family can grow to protect and adore its most fragile member. Jack taught me to appreciate what you have. There is a well-known parable called the Parable of Talents, in which the lesson is that God gives people different abilities in life. It is your job to use your abilities to reach your fullest potential and fulfill your capabilities. Jack had few abilities but did reach his potential. No matter what is going on there is never a reason to not smile or appreciate what you have. We can walk, talk, see, hear, and feel. Whatever we are doing, it should be done with 100% effort. We should always ask ourselves, “Was I better today than yesterday?” My brother Jack inspired hope, faith, and purpose in so many people’s lives. He truly made the most of his 5,812 days here on earth.
After Jack passed, I was unsure about what I wanted to do with my life. I was 17 and knew I wanted to be creative, but how? I grew up playing lacrosse and the plan had been to play at college, but I realized that wasn’t what I wanted to do. I always loved music and was the one making the pregame mixtapes for my team. However, making a warmup mix and making your own music are completely different things, and I thought it was too late to learn. I found myself attending Montana State as a freshman, going through the motions, which is when I decided to try making music. Studying something I had no passion for just wasn’t going to work for me. I had to find what I love and try to make it work. In my mind, I owe that to Jack after seeing firsthand how precious life is and how quickly it can be taken away. I had to take a chance on what I’m passionate about, at least try. I downloaded FL Studio and started to learn how to program drums. I became so fascinated by the music creation process that I started putting music first and school second, which led me to the conclusion that I wanted to drop out, move home, and pursue music.
When I returned to Maryland, I felt lost and didn’t have much to do besides work. This is when I started to connect with my friends that put me on the path I am on now. One of my best friends, Russell, saw that I loved music and wanted to pursue it, so he connected me with his older brother, Israel “Tommy,” who quickly became like a brother to me. Tommy and Russell were the first to believe in me musically when everyone else thought I was wasting my time, besides my family who have always supported me and who I love endlessly. Tommy decided to introduce me to his friends in Baltimore, who have been making music for a few years, which was when I was introduced to Ableton. After seeing these guys play live in Ableton, I knew I wanted to do this. I went home that night and bought Ableton. I buried myself in YouTube tutorials and production live streams, trying to learn anything and everything I could about making music. I then decided to find someone to give me lessons in Ableton. I started reaching out to artists whose music I really enjoyed, and this is how I met B-Dos (insane producer/artist). After reaching out to him on Twitter, he told me he would be down to teach me, and I was psyched. Honestly, without B-Dos, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am musically today, and I am forever grateful for that man (Also, go check out his music. It will blow your mind).
While I was taking lessons with B-Dos, I decided to go out to a Slander (EDM duo) show in Washington, D.C. This is where I first heard of Icon Collective. I overheard some people next to me talking about how Slander went to Icon and that it is a school where they teach you how to create, mix, and master music. After the show, I went home, searched the school, and applied within a week. I honestly never thought I’d get accepted, but I got a call for an interview and got in! I couldn’t believe it. From there I started taking music seriously. Fast forward a few months, and next thing you know, I’m moving to Los Angeles in the middle of COVID-19. I met my roommate Kevin Silva (another awesome producer by the alias YADA YADA) and started going to class and learning everything there is to know about music production. Icon was a turning point for my music career; the school and all the teachers there helped me hone my sounds. Going here introduced me to so many different styles of music and the endless possibilities of a music production career. Icon also introduced me to other producers, singers, and musicians who have helped me learn and grow along the way tremendously. Shout out to Mike “DISGO” Deloache, Patrick “Patches” O’kane, and Lorenz Bark, all people who have gone out of their way to help me become a better producer and, more importantly, a better person; I’m grateful for you guys! Now, in 2024, I have a vast collection of music and an EP that I believe pushes Jack’s message forward that I can’t wait to share with the world!
Jack is the reason for me being a creative. My artist alias, Jack Flora, is based on Jack and what he taught me, perspective in life. I believe that through various creative mediums, such as music and video, I can spread the lessons I’ve been so fortunate to have learned from my brother.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely been challenging at times, losing my brother was definitely a hard time and big turning point for me.
I planned on trying to play lacrosse in college, but after my brother passed, I felt like I wanted to pursue something else.
After graduating high school and then dropping out of college I was at a point where I felt like I was going nowhere. I didn’t know what to do, and everything I wanted to do I felt was out of reach, so I decided to take a chance on something I’ve always wanted to learn: producing music. Growing up, I always wanted to be in the music world, but I didn’t know how to play any instruments, and all my time was always going to sports. Music has always been something I love, and after thinking about Jack, I felt like I had no excuse but to try. And holy shit, I fell in love with it. Unlike school, creating music just came easy and made sense to me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
On top of being a music producer, mixing/mastering engineer, and commercial scorer, I am also freelance photographer and videographer! I found a love for the visual side of being creative, just like audio. I specialize in live show photography and recap videos of the live shows. If I’m not on stage performing myself, I want a camera in my hand, and I want to help other artists get the pictures and video content that they want from their performances. I believe that being creative through various creative mediums is what sets me a side from others, I can take your pictures, make you a video, and score it as well if that’s what you’d like!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love about LA is how many people are here chasing their dreams. Almost everyone I meet is passionate about something in their life and (usually) are actively chasing that dream. I think that this is really inspiring. People here dream BIG, and I love that.
What I like least about LA is that I don’t have a forest within walking distance haha. I grew up always in the woods and outside with my friends. Nature is a big source of inspiration for me; that’s where the Flora in Jack Flora comes from. I love incorporating flora and fauna in my music and photography/videography as much as possible.
Pricing:
- Photography full-day rate: 350
- Mix: 100 / Master: 75
- Music (beat) production: Varies
- Videography: varies depending on the project (minimum 300 to shoot for the day and 250 to edit a video)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackflora2001/
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jackflora
- Other: https://linktr.ee/JackFlora
Image Credits
Tommy Melendez
@jerryhasacamera
