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

Hi Tony, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I always felt a connection with music and art since I was a little kid. When I was 11, I went from listening to classic rock songs on the car with my dad to deciding to study guitar. A couple of years into playing and I just completely fell in love with music and the instrument, so I decided to dedicate myself to study music with the goal of pursuing a music career in mind.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It wasn’t an easy decision, but moving to LA at a young age and being put in an environment with amazing musicians and professionals really help me mature and improve as a musician. Of course I had many challenges learning to figure things out being away from family, but it all helped me develop as a person. I believe that going through all those things just amplified my musicality and really made me shine out more as a young guitarist in this technical and modern playing style.

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?
Not to be too cliche, but In & Out is a go to place for anyone outside the west coast. I also really enjoy going to Santa Monica. There’s a lot of good restaurants, bars and shopping places to explore, and of course, I always have an amazing time going to the pier and enjoying the beach. As a last mention, I would definitely go to Griffith Observatory and just enjoy the beautiful view during LA’s iconic sunset.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout my old guitar teacher Jeff Castro, who for many years taught me and influenced e a lot on my musical taste and developing my skills back when I was studying at the GTR Music Institute, my previous music school in Brazil. I really owe a lot of my playing style and how far I came into my career to him due to all the years of mentorship we’ve had together, all of which contributed to me coming to LA and finding good opportunities here.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyrdrigues/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tonyrdrigues

Image Credits
Photos by Eduardo “Orelha”

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