Today we’d like to introduce you to Nick Diaz.
Hi Nick, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started playing guitar when I was about 12 years old in Houston, Tx, which was some 30 years ago now. My older sister was taking electric guitar lessons and was listening to a lot of the classics, Stevie Ray, Robert Johnson, Led Zeppelin, etc. I asked her to show me a few chords and I kind of just took it and ran teaching myself by ear, often falling asleep at night with the guitar still in my hands. “Black Dog” by Zeppelin was the first song I ever learned. I bought my first real guitar at 17 (which I still have) and began frequenting the blues clubs around Houston, sitting in at jams with other local guitar players learning everything I could. I put my first band together around this time as well and we had over 100 paid at the now defunct Fitzgerald’s.
When I turned 18, I hit the road for New Orleans to immerse myself in the local scene and to attend college. I had a deep love of Texas blues but I wanted to broaden my musical tastes. I didn’t study music, I studied Business Econ, which I think has played a huge role in navigating the business for over 25 years. I started gigging around my junior year frequenting clubs on Frenchman Street and Uptown New Orleans. Some of my favorite wacky memories were playing Monday nights from midnight to 4 am at Checkpoint Charlies, playing Cafe Brasil at 5 am and watching the sun rise on Halloween. I had a quick stint on Bourbon Street with Sax legend, Gary Brown who took me to Europe for my first time as well where we headlined the New Orleans Festival in Bregenz, Austria. Those Bourbon Street nights were something else, playing from 9 pm till 1 am, getting paid a wad of cash at the end of the week and then B lining it to my car late at night hoping I made it home safely with the weeks pay! After New Orleans and narrowly missing Hurricane Katrina (I moved out the week before), I found my way to New York City looking for another fresh scene while trying to get deeper in the biz. Within a month, I was working for this company called Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp. They immediately flew me cross country to LA where I was working with people paying high dollars to spend time learning with rock star “counselors” ala Roger Daltry, Neal Schon, Dr. John, Joe Satriani, Robin Zander.
After that, I worked for Vanguard Management who represented former Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy and music producer John Siket (Sonic Youth, Phish, Yo La Tengo, Blonde Redhead, Dave Matthews). Along with the part-time day jobs, I was moonlighting playing gigs all around downtown Manhattan while living in Harlem. Eventually I ended up living and performing in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This was a special time in NY where you could easily run into a Dap King, members of TV on the Radio or Grizzly Bear, etc. Around the same time, I landed a gig myself with pop-punk band Just Kait which had us touring the country in a bus, making videos for MTV and performing alongside future stars Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber, The Jonas Bros. and many others. Johnny Wright (Justin Timberlake) managed us and we rehearsed at his Compound in Orlando before tours. I also started Buenos Diaz at this time, our first show was to a packed house at Cameo Gallery. After NY, I spent about a year in and out of San Francisco writing and just taking some time for myself as I prepared to move back home to Texas and Austin. I’d spent about 14 years out of Texas and was ready to finally land in Austin and hit the ground running for my own work. Nine years, a few SXSW slots, lots of touring, lead guitar duties for Alejandro Escovedo, and a bunch of releases later, I’m still at it and still loving it.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. I can’t say I’ve had the most traditional path, but then again, I don’t think there really is a “traditional” path in the music business. I’ve had people not show up for gigs, I’ve had club owners pull the plug on us mid set because they were drunk. I’ve had people quit, I’ve lost money, I’ve lost gigs, personal relationships have suffered… I’ve had the electricity cut off cause I didn’t have money for the bill. I pinched pennies in NY, “borrowing” nickels, dimes and quarters from a boss’s change bin to buy breakfast while waiting on paychecks or the next gig. There were times when there wasn’t enough money to fill up the gas tank or buy groceries. The list is kind of endless but makes for great stories. Thankfully I’ve moved past those times. Those hardships made me who I am and my art what it is today though and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have an original lo-fi alt pop band in town called Buenos Diaz and am the owner of a small DIY studio called The Tone Shack located in central Austin. Pre-pandemic we were averaging about 160 shows or so a year both regionally and locally. From time to time I would hit the road and perform in the Bay Area and the NYC area as well. In addition to the live band, I write, record, produce, play guitar and bass for hire. As a guitarist, I’ve worked for local, regional and nationally touring artists and probably would say it’s what I’m best known for, but Buenos Diaz the band isn’t far behind in recognition these days. I’m proud of everything my career has allowed, especially being a self-taught musician. One of the coolest things I think is my longevity in the game. I’m a lifer and will continue to be so until I’m not around.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I’m a Mexican American rock & roller. There aren’t too many of us out there, and I’m proud to be one of the ones carrying the torch. We have a special perception of the world and we approach music in a way that’s unique to being both Mexican and American. When I get the chance to share the stage with other fellow Mexican American musicians, it’s always fire. Austin’s music community allows for that to happen more often than not and more often than any other music scene I’ve ever been a part of, I’m proud to be a part of this community and I’m proud to call Austin home.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.buenosdiazmusic.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/buenosdiazmusic
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/buenosdiazmusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/buenosdiazmusic
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/buenosdiazmusic
- SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/buenosdiazmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/28fMkMtTYfWLt8Hd7cgC3R?si=OLJCSbbFRXOgnwlFHFpEtA
Image Credits
Lauren Lindley – black and white full band photo Amanda Morrisey – photos with gold curtains
