Today we’d like to introduce you to David Castro.
Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Honestly, it started with seeing a problem I thought I had a solution to.
Growing up, I was around entertainment a lot. My uncle use to open up for people like, Willie Nelson at his hometown venue out in lakeway called, THE BACKYARD” and one of my dad’s was a drag performer who was apart of one of the more infamous local drag groups in Austin known as “THE AUSTIN BAPTIST WOMEN.” So, I got to see how powerful it was when people came together around a shared experience. Whether it was music, performance, or just having a place where people felt welcome, there was something special about creating space for people. No matter where they come from.
Of course everything changed in 2017 when my mother had her first stroke and Father Time started testing our family strength. I started hosting events to help pay bands and cover transportation expenses for my mom. Fast forward to 2020 when unfortunately my mom passed away. Everything shut down. Musicians lost gigs, venues closed, and a lot of artists suddenly had nowhere to play. I remember thinking, “Why are we waiting for things to go back to normal because it may never happen? So, Why don’t we just find another way?” I had to do something or my life was over.
After my motorcycle was stolen and SXSW cancelled for the first time ever in my life. I was actually lost. I had no one and just wanted to sleep all the time. Until, I had an idea to buy a generator and a van with all my unemployment money I had saved.
Then on December 4th, 2020, I started VANCERTS. At the time, it was really just a van, some sound equipment, a generator and a crazy idea that music could go to the people instead of making people come to the music. Especially since we were supposed to be sheltering in place. But I had a generator and a PA system. Which means I can go everywhere!
We started doing pop-up shows and community events anywhere we could make it work. Parking lots, businesses, backyards and parks, you name it. The goal was never just to put on concerts. It was to create opportunities for artists who needed to play and bring people together who were tired of looking at the same 4 walls everyday. In the beginning we just wanted to see live shows again. It had been over a year!
Over time, that idea kept growing. One show turned into another. One artist introduced us to another artist. One business partnership led to another. Before I knew it, we’d built this incredible community of musicians, fans, small businesses, volunteers, and people who just wanted to be part of something positive. Community forward and artist driven.
Today, that’s still what drives me. We use music as the excuse, but what we’re really building is community. In some ways multiple. We’re creating places where people can meet, collaborate, discover new artists, support local businesses, and feel like they belong to something bigger than themselves.
And honestly, I still feel like we’re at the beginning. Every event teaches us something. Every artist brings something new. Every person who shows up becomes part of the story.
If there’s one thing I hope people take away from what we’re doing, it’s that you don’t have to wait for permission to make a difference. Start with what you have, help the people around you, and keep showing up. That’s pretty much how VANCERTS got to where it is today, and it’s how we’re going to keep getting where we’re going tomorrow.
Alright, 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?
Not even a little bit, haha!
I think when people look at something after a few years, they only see what’s still standing. They don’t see all the times it almost didn’t work.
When I started VANCERTS, there wasn’t really a roadmap for what I was trying to do. Especially mid Pandemic while everyone was under a, “Shelter In Place” order. We were taking live music out of traditional venues and putting it in places people weren’t used to seeing it because everyone was supposed to be 6ft apart. A lot of people loved the idea, but a lot of people didn’t understand it either. They said it was stupid. I had family tell me it would never work.
Money has probably been one of the biggest challenges. When you’re trying to create opportunities for artists and keep events accessible to the public, you’re constantly balancing mission and sustainability. There have been plenty of times where I put everything I had back into the project because I believed in what it could become. So much so I lost my home.
There have also been logistical challenges. Finding locations, dealing with permits, coordinating artists, hauling equipment, setting up and tearing down shows, promoting events, recording content, handling weather, dealing with noise complaints. People not showing up. Not being paid for gigs. Eventually, you learn pretty quickly that putting on an event is about a lot more than just music.
But honestly, I think the hardest part has been changing the way people think. A lot of people are used to the idea that music only happens in a venue and that artists have to wait for opportunities to come to them. What we’ve been trying to prove is that communities can create opportunities for themselves. That collaboration is the highest form of community development.
The good news is that every challenge taught us something. Every obstacle forced us to become more creative. Some of our best ideas came from trying to solve problems we never expected to have.
Looking back, I wouldn’t call it a smooth road, but I would call it a meaningful one. Every struggle helped shape what VANCERTS is today.
And we’re still learning. We’re still experimenting. We’re still finding new ways to connect artists, audiences, and businesses together. That’s really the next chapter for us! Building something that doesn’t just support local music for a weekend, but creates a sustainable community around it for years to come.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
That’s always a funny question because if you’d asked me five years ago, I probably would’ve said: “Concerts.”
Today, I’d say I specialize in creating opportunities and bringing businesses and people together. Music just happens to be the vehicle we use to do it with.
Most people know me through VANCERTS, where we’ve spent the last several years building experiences that connect artists, audiences, and local businesses in ways that don’t always fit the traditional mold. We produce events, create content, help artists get exposure, support small businesses, and build spaces where people can meet and collaborate on a higher level than just a monetary value.
What I’m probably known for most is asking, “Why not?” If someone tells me something can’t be done, my first instinct is usually to figure out a way to try it anyway. A mobile music venue? Why not. Free community concerts? Why not. Can we feed people utilizing local restaurants? Why not. Can we find ways for local businesses and local musicians to help each other grow? Why not.
What I’m most proud of isn’t any single event or accomplishment. It’s the community that’s formed around all of this. We’ve had thousands of people come through our events over the years. We’ve helped artists meet collaborators, businesses meet customers, and strangers become friends. When someone tells me they discovered their favorite band at one of our events, met their business partner, or found a sense of belonging in our community, that’s the stuff I’m most proud of.
I think what sets us apart is that we’re not just focused on entertainment. We’re focused on participation. We don’t want people to just consume music, we want them to become part of the experience. We want artists, fans, businesses, vendors, volunteers, and community members all contributing to something together.
A lot of organizations build events. We’re trying to help people build an ecosystem within their market utilizing their individual communities.
At the end of the day, that’s the vision. Not just more concerts, but more opportunities. More collaboration. More community. More reasons for people to support local artists and local businesses. Which helps create a web with a ripple effect that grows bigger, infinitely.
If someone reading this connects with that idea, I’d encourage them to reach out directly to @vancertsatx on IG, come out to an event, introduce themselves, and see what we’re building. The community is really the best part of the whole thing, and there’s always room for one more person at the table.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I think the most important quality has been persistence.
I’ve never been the smartest person in the room or had some perfect plan from the beginning. Honestly, most of what we’ve built came from being willing to keep showing up when things didn’t go as planned. Being flexible is incredibly important if you wanna be sustainable.
There have been plenty of events that were harder than they should’ve been, ideas that didn’t work, partnerships that fell through, and moments where it would’ve been easier to quit or do something more predictable. But every time we hit a wall, we’d learn something, adjust, and keep moving forward. Because we are our only limitation!
I’ve always believed that progress comes from taking action. You can spend years talking about what you want to build, or you can start with what you have and figure it out as you go. That’s really been the story of VANCERTS. The only plan we’ve had has been to survive and help others do the same.
Another thing that’s been important is curiosity. I genuinely enjoy learning from people. Musicians, business owners, volunteers, artists, audience members and really anyone who sees the world a little differently. A lot of our best ideas have come from conversations with people who simply shared a different perspective than most.
But if I had to pick one thing, it’s probably the willingness to keep going. Success isn’t usually one big moment. It’s a thousand small decisions to keep showing up, keep helping people, and keep believing in what you’re building even before everyone else sees it.
That’s what has gotten us this far, and honestly, it’s what will get us wherever we’re headed next. That and donations.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vancerts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vancertsatx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18faWEXoDy/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@vancertsatx?si=0vF1IjGIBJSCMwNh
Image Credits
(All Photos) Lauren Grover on instagram as @dumpsterdive_photos
