When Reynaldo Moreno takes the stage, he starts with music
the crowd is familiar with, as a kind of introduction to show who he is and who
inspires him. As the show plays on, he opens up with “deep cuts” of his own.
But no matter what song he performs, he gives each show everything he has.
“You have to strip your ego,” Moreno said. “You have to earn the right to be heard. What’s more,
I have to enjoy it, or they’ll know. Every time, I work at it more. At the end
of the day, I’m making music; I can’t ask for more than that.”
Moreno is devoted to his craft, and to showing the audience
a fantastic time with great music he enjoys playing as much as they enjoy
hearing. He takes time to banter with the crowd, or explain why he loves this
particular song or songwriter, why it is special to him, and may be special to
them, too.
As Moreno said, a great leader doesn't just open the door;
they walk through it with you.
“As musicians, as performers, we are those leaders,” he
said. “We are that passionate. Even the word ‘amateur,’ the root of the word is
Latin for ‘love.’ You have to enjoy and study music as its own end. If you work on music just for fame, you fail. Maybe
it’s not my place to say that, but music is too sacred.”
Moreno plays music and cites his influences from all over
the spectrum – blues, gospel, you name it – but the heart of his inspiration
and music is soul. Any kind of music with a soul, with heart – any music that
has a story –is the music that drives Moreno. Whether covering soulful acoustic
songs or presenting original works from his upcoming album, he wants to play
something that breaks traditional patterns.
“I’m looking for that ‘wow,’ when instead of going to the
normal pattern, the musician makes it their own – does something completely
new,” he said. “When you write – whether it’s a song or whatever the case may
be – you want to provoke thought. Too many people are not provoking thought,
but instead telling you how to think. That’s irresponsible, especially when you
have a mike or a camera in front of you. You have to ask questions to form your
own opinion.”
Moreno loves the end of an evening most of all – the time of
a performance perfect for trying something special. It is his most precious
time with the audience.
“Some people there to drink or eat have wandered off, but
the people still there are there for love of music. That’s the most intimate
moment, when I can bring out the special work. They are really there because
they enjoy it.”
That same passion for music drives Moreno himself, as well
as the crowd. Moreno believes art has to be genuine, has to be real, and has to
come from your gut.
“That’s why we love art, why we go to concerts and
galleries, to visually or audibly experience a genuine personal expression,” he
said. “It doesn’t matter about our economy and our struggles, that’s why art
will always be there. That’s why art will always be needed.”
Moreno says no matter what your passion is, you need to
pursue it passionately, while all the time remembering where you came from, and
how far you have already come. Believing in yourself should always come first.
“I refuse to let someone assess me of my skill after three
minutes, or even after an hour. To hell with that! I know I’m good; because I
go all in, bust my ass to improve and grow and to be great. You should be
confident in your efforts, and in how hard you work. Searching for or needing
someone to tell you you’re good… it’s important. But it’s not everything. It’s
not arrogance to have a comfort in your ability – it is VITAL. At the end of
the day, you have to affirm yourself.”
But at the same time, Moreno said this confidence needs to
be tempered with the humility which comes with the fact performers have been
gifted with such an immense talent, such a gift… a humility that only comes
from such an immense love as for music.
“Music does that for me, in an intimate sense,” he said.
“You can lift people up, help them process their emotions, express how they
feel. I do that on a daily basis. That is awesome.”
Moreno also is trained in martial arts, and is an instructor
in boxing and Brazilian Jujitsu. He relates performing in front of crowds to
martial arts:
“Maybe your first paycheck will reflect whether you win or
lose, but if you go all-out with your heart all in it and you don’t take any
crap… you’ve won,” he said. “The toughest guys I know have lost. They’ve been beat, they’ve learned from it, and they
came back from it. Failure then loses its sting, and fear becomes irrelevant to
the conversation. This is true with life, too.”
Moreno is ready to release a new EP album, “What It’s All
About.” He said he was nervous about this album, which is a departure from the
acoustic sets people have seen during live performances.
“I worry sometimes about the response, but then I see that I
worked with all these great people, and I want to tell everyone, ‘hey, look at
this… I wrote these.’ It needs to be
put out there for people to listen to. I want to use this to pay homage to
everyone’s belief in me. People’s belief that I am worthwhile – that I am worth
someone’s time – it’s the most humbling experience.
Clarke Rigsby and his studio, Tempest Studios, helped incredibly during Moreno’s recording of his EP. Moreno said Rigsby and his crew
really took him under their wing – and this is very important, getting such
strong support from mentors.
“Clarke has such deep ears,” Moreno said. “He’s heard a lot
of music. The guidance from him was tremendous. He has accepted everything I
have offered. I’ve grown leaps and bounds learning from him. It was really neat
working with musicians so invested. They didn’t just show up for work and
collect the check, they wanted to work at it, create art – and get it right.”
Moreno said Rigsby pushed him, as all good mentors do.
“You say, ‘that’s too high,’ and the mentor says, ‘no, jump
off, you’re fine.’ Then you do it, out of respect for your mentor – and you
pull it off. Now, you have that confidence in yourself now. It’s like a roller
coaster: when you start to fall when you reach the top, your head screams,
‘what are you doing?’ But your heart screams, ‘hell yeah!’ And when you
succeed, you want to do it again.”
So despite Moreno’s venture into new territory with “What
It’s All About,” he knows the album needs to be heard. It focuses not
exclusively on the guitar, but on Moreno as a soul singer and songwriter.
Moreno said there is something beautiful about that roller
coaster – the battle between the heart and the mind – the perfect example of
the human spirit.
“You are never owed
this, you have to earn it,” he said. “We’ve got one shot at this, man – if we
aren’t living life to the fullest, what are we doing? Find something you love,
and go for it. Life is meant to be lived.”
Moreno plays with that same charisma and confidence every show.
His passion for music, not to mention his gratitude for audiences who come to
enjoy the performer live onstage, is quite contagious.
“If you want to move people, be genuine,” he said. “Be true.
Show emotion; show joy, show sorrow. You don’t tap on the mike and say, ‘excuse
me, I’m going to play now,’ you just play.
That’s how you get their attention. Sitting under the spotlight, pouring your
heart out – you need to play for yourself. Be focused, play for your own
personal joy, and put forth your best performance. Because at the end of the
day, you’re playing for other people, be it 5 or 500, who aren't doing what
you’re doing right now. And there is nothing more noble than that.”
Moreno performs live
every Tuesday night from 7-10 p.m. at Squid Ink Sushi in Peoria, as well as
every Wednesday evening from 4-9 p.m. at the Squid Ink in downtown Phoenix.
Visit Reynaldo Moreno at www.ReynaldoMoreno.com, or find him on Facebook, Twitter, and
YouTube for videos and more performance venue information.