Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlos Canseco.
Hi Carlos, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in Laredo, Texas, and music found me early – listening to bobby brown and criss cross on cassette at 4 years old. Film scores—John Williams especially—could completely wreck me emotionally before I even understood why. Then I started watching my older brother’s garage band rehearse, and I knew I wanted to be part of it. I even found Soundgarden’s A-sides album thrown out of a car onto my driveway early on.
By fourth grade, I was writing lyrics and recording songs with friends on a 4-track. By sixth or seventh grade, I was making full albums and literally giving them away to people. I even won a city youth songwriting contest as a kid, with my mom helping me get the entry submitted. Looking back, I think I was always trying to find a way to turn whatever was happening in my head into something other people could hear.
High school is where music started becoming real. I got my first band opportunity through word of mouth, and my first gig was a teen night at a sports bar. I eventually joined the band that was headlining that night, then went on to form my own group, which landed a paid weekly residency and regularly packed the room to capacity. That’s also where I met one of the people who has had the biggest influence on my musical life—a drummer who filled in at that very first show and has remained a friend, mentor, and collaborator ever since.
In college, we co-wrote and produced a project for a female artist that took off in ways we didn’t expect. The first demo reached around two million views the month of release, we attracted sponsorships from the Obama campaign, affliction clothing, and performed a small tour on the West Coast – even ended up doing a radio interview with Playboy XM. Eventually, the project fell apart over money and credit. It was painful, but it was also one of the first times I realized that music could potentially become much bigger than just playing shows.
After college, I moved back to Laredo and spent years doing just about everything I could in music. I recorded at home, DJed a small tour, interned front-desk at a Grammy-affiliated studio, played in cover and tribute bands, performed solo acoustic shows, and eventually trained as a piano technician. I spent several years in an Austin band with musicians who had played in nationally recognized acts (blue October, alien ant farm), then eventually made my way to spend years leading a wedding band and handling everything from bride and groom coordination to the music to the sound and lighting.
There have been some pretty dramatic resets along the way, too. Around 2018, I lost my entire music archive—years of songs, recordings, ideas, gear and work—and had to start rebuilding my catalog from scratch. At another point, I broke my nose badly enough that I had to essentially relearn how to use my voice and singing technique over time. Those experiences were frustrating, but they also forced me to understand that being a musician isn’t just about having talent or inspiration. It’s about rebuilding when something gets taken away from you.
Over the past several years, I’ve continued performing at luxury and high-profile weddings and events, and other large-scale events across the U.S, while expanding into production, songwriting, and music education. More recently, I’ve been building an in-home music lessons business alongside my performing career. Earlier this year, I also took a more traditional leadership role at a coding academy because I thought a stable career path might make sense for me. It didn’t. Leaving that job ended up being the push I needed to stop trying to build a life around something that wasn’t really mine and commit fully to music again with even better returns I had when doing the stable career path.
Today, I’m bringing all of those experiences together. I’m developing original music for myself and others, continuing to perform, producing, writing, and building a teaching practice that lets me ‘pass the torch’ to the next generation of musicians.
I don’t really see my story as a straight path. It’s been a lot of reinvention, setbacks, strange opportunities, and starting over. But music has somehow remained the one thing I’ve always come back to. At this point, I’m not trying to become one specific kind of musician. I’m trying to build a life where all of the things I’ve learned—performing, writing, production, teaching, and connecting with people—can finally exist in the same place.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As mentioned in first question.. it has been crazy.. It feels like 12-14hours of work every day.. long multiple fly-out weekends with long lay-overs.. staying frugal during the week and moving into new homes each year. Covid was exceptionally painful. accrued a lot of debt, and had all my accounts hacked (close to 10k followers on insta).. that’s around the time I lost my gear, music archive to car theft, and broke my nose in transition between bands. bi-polar 1 diagnosis – extreme chronic depression and anxiety has crippled me the whole way and really hit it’s peak in 2025 where I spent the whole year making sacrifices and moving home with my ill parents to pay off my debt and contribute to home while avoiding particular expenses. I Thank god I had my parents, especially recognizing they aren’t here forever and keeping them as my best friends before anyone or anything else. No one should ever take their family or friends for granted. I put them before any relationship as a commitment just like they committed to me over their life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a luxury singer for one of the top companies in the USA. I also sing for various companies, and local bands in town. I do Metal/Rock on the side, and still can croon, dance, r&b/funk it up. I recently got to sing a song with the Grooveline horns at C-boys in Austin – being their friend has opened a lot of doors for me that I will never forget. I also do an event I’ve collaborated with the founders on called the divorced dad rock booze cruise in Austin Tx – open to tourists and locals. tons of fun.
What sets me apart is my commitment to the work.. I push my limits always, never bail, rain or shine, sick or tired.. I AM THERE, and I know my parts, and always enjoy putting on a show and connecting with an audience. it’s what I truly live for and will do until I die.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
follow my personal account where I repost a lot @carl.cans (insta).. everything im a part of is reposted – I will be relaunching my social media efforts in 2027 since my covid hacking and rebuilding. otherwise – I mainly teach in Lakeway / bee cave / Westlake area – but am available for online lessons through www.cansecomusicatelier.com. studio work/production and consultations are also always in play – just message me on instagram.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cansecomusicatelier.com
- Instagram: @carl.cans
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Carlos.Canseco.Singer
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carloscanseco/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/antiidolmusic
