Meet Pacific Palace | (James Centeno) Musician/Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pacific Palace and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pacific, why did you pursue a creative career?
I felt that I could find a larger sense of fulfillment and purpose if I pursued a career in music. Music is what I’m passionate about. I’ve been passionate about it since I was a kid. Creating music is deeply rewarding for me as it allows me to express myself and connect with others whether it be other musicians or audience members. I don’t see myself doing the 9 to 5 routine–working in some office or cubicle for the rest of my life. I guess the bottom line is… I’m just happy working as a musician. It brings me joy playing and writing for others. That’s my simple truth. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I firmly believe that if you love doing something and you’re passionate about it, that’s exactly what you should pursue.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been a musician all my life, but a songwriter only for the last 10 years or so. I always chuckle whenever I think of my early demos because now looking back at them, I don’t find them to be all that great. But that’s the beautiful thing about growing, you learn and you get better at whatever it is you do. I’d say that it took me many years of ups and downs–good songs and bad songs–to be truly happy with the music I write and put out today. And even then, sometimes I’m hard on myself because I strive to create great music. I set the standards high for myself. I want to write music that people can enjoy passively and actively as they pick apart each instrument within the song and appreciate the many choices I made. The journey hasn’t been easy but it’s been rewarding. I started a new project under the name Pacific Palace recently and as an indie musician, its all about doing it yourself. No big label. No big marketing team. You really have to start from the ground up. You have to get people interested in your music, make yourself stand out, get people to buy merch or go to shows, etc. Even with the social media we have today, it is still somewhat difficult to get people just to listen to your music. And that may be extremely discouraging to many, but I keep going. I continue to be persistent because I believe in my music. I believe in my work. And I know others will too when my music reaches the right audience. That’s what keeps me inspired to continue. I’ve learned to do so many things myself along this journey in terms of marketing, branding, and socializing because as I mentioned earlier, I don’t have a big team or the finances to have all this done for me. I just look at these struggles as opportunities for me to learn new things and new skills that will be useful for me in the end. I can’t stress enough how much I’ve learned from just watching tutorials on YouTube when I’m designing a flyer or designing merch or working on band pitches. I actively seek out information to better my craft not only sonically but socially as well. I can see how far I’ve come within the last 10 years. I am grateful and happy with where I am now, but there is always room to improve. A true musician never stops growing. If anyone wants to catch a show in LA, they can find all the dates on my instagram!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being an LA native, I know there are way too many good spots to name and suggest. But I’ll try my best! I grew up in the Silverlake and Echo Park areas of Los Angeles and to be honest much of it has changed. But one food staple I’d suggest is Tommy’s over on Beverly Blvd. It’s been there for over 78 years and their chili cheese burgers are the bomb. I have some pretty fond memories eating there with my family and friends as well as grabbing lunch there on the way back home from Santa Monica College every other Friday back in the day.

Avenue 26 tacos on Alameda St in downtown is another favorite of mine. Their tacos are unbeatable in price and taste. It’s definitely the spot after a Dodger’s game or a night out.

Another place I love to hang out at would be Bar Flores in Echo park off of Sunset. It’s Latina-owned and the atmosphere is inviting, friendly, and fun. The bartenders are some of the coolest people around, many of them being musicians just like me! It’s always a blast there and their drinks are great.

Blue Mondays at Boardner’s on Cherokee off of Hollywood Blvd is one of my favorite places to go to on a Monday Night. The reason? 80s MUSIC! The place gets packed with fellow 80s music enthusiasts and the DJ always plays all the bangers from The Smiths to Depeche Mode to The Cure and so on. Definitely worth checking out.

Eighty-Two in downtown is also on my list of favorites. Its an arcade bar that has classic retro games like Mortal Kombat, Centipede, Tappers, Street Fighter as well as some fun pinball machines. And the good news? Many of the games only cost 25 cents!

Again, there are so many places I could name but those are just a few of my favorites!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my family. Especially to my mother and father. Although they weren’t musicians themselves, they saw the potential I had and nurtured my passion throughout my life. My father worked hard to pay for the many music classes he enrolled me in growing up. My mother was my personal stage manager, helping me choose performance outfits and giving me stage tips to ensure my school talent show performance went well. They have always supported me and still continue to do so to this day. If it weren’t for them, I might be in an entirely different occupation! And who knows, maybe an entirely different person. I can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pacific.palaceee/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaz43nlJcffHX9T56tNdPLw

Other: https://linktr.ee/pacificpalaceee

Image Credits
Chris Cabrera, Cota Estrada, Juan Renteria, Michelle Munoz