~ How It All Began ~

Nihongo / Japanese:   

When did you start singing?  Well, I remember back around 1974 when I was about 10 or 11 years old, that my older cousin Gloria, (who was about 17 and in High School at the time), was a big fan of Top 40 hits playing on the radio.  Her nickname was “Bona” which was short for “Bonita”, (which in turn, means “Beautiful” in Spanish), and she was a stunning beauty who could sing as beautiful as a songbird.  Anyway, even though we had about an 8 year difference in age, we were still very close.  And I remember she would stop by our house maybe once a week after she’d get out of school and would pick me up in her Volkswagen Beetle so we could take a cruise around town while listening to music on her car stereo.  My parents usually got home from work around 5pm, so for about 2 hours it was really just my cousin Bona,… maybe a couple of her girlfriends,… and little ‘ole me cruising around town with music blaring from her 8-Track player.  And back in ’74, there were some great tunes playing on the radio.  Man, those were some fabulous times, because (1) she taught me how to sing those great songs playing on her stereo, and (2) she exposed me to some fabulous music that I otherwise never would've heard, such as Elton John, Pablo Cruise, Ambrosia, and Santana.  So I guess I have to personally thank my cousin “Bona” for opening my mind and my ears to some great music at the very beginning of my adolescence and giving me the basic skills needed to carrying a tune. 

Unfortunately, my cousin passed away recently after a long battle with cancer -- I miss her terribly.

And though she never had a chance to hear this recording,...I honestly believe that she's taken her place among the Choir of Angels in Heaven and that she's smiling down on me, nodding her head in approval of my efforts. 

But in all honesty,... even though my cousin taught me the ropes on how to sing, I still don't view myself as being that "great" a singer.  I'm more or less your "Average Joe", who can carry a decent tune.  In fact, I'd rather have people focus more on my songwriting abilities, than anything else!  (On this CD debut for example, only 10 of my original songs are being presented.  But I have many others that are just waiting in the wings).

What made you start playing Guitar?   Well again, it was probably because of my cousin Bona and the music she and her girlfriends were exposing me to at the time.  I mean, with every squeal they made as a new song played through her car stereo, you could really sense the “energy” that music was creating for them and I found myself getting caught up in their excitement myself.  One song I can clearly remember was "The Bitch Is Back" by Elton John.  Whenever that song came on the radio, everyone in the car would scream and would start dancing in their seats 'cause the beat was so infectious.  It really made me realize the power that music had on people, even at a very young age.  It was then that I remember begging my parents to buy me a guitar so I could learn to “Rock” like the tunes I heard on the radio.  So, after a year of bugging my parents, they finally got me an Acoustic guitar and off I went to receive guitar lessons every Saturday morning for the next year or so.  Believe it or not, the only place for quality guitar lessons at the time was in a town about 40 miles away from our home.  But since my parents were always very supportive of my desire to play music, they had no problems taking me back and forth each Saturday morning so I could learn from the best players in our area.  And for that, I have to give a heartfelt “tip of the hat” to my parents for the sacrifice they made at the time.  

What was the first song you learned how to play?   I think it was a variety of songs by the band “America”.  You see, back in ’76, my first guitar lessons were on an acoustic guitar and the band “America” was the most popular acoustic-based rock band at the time.  And since my guitar instructor was a huge fan of their music, much of my initial training came from studying their songs.  But really, all the tunes from “America” were great songs to learn from, because they were relatively easy with great musical “hooks” and meaningful lyrics.  And I still perform many of them during my Acoustic shows.

When you were growing up, who were your major musical influences?   Again, I would say the band "America" initially.  But then in Junior High and later in High School, I became more interested in a harder "electric" sound and found myself buying records from The Doobie Bros., Steely Dan, Journey and Boston.  (Even Aerosmith, Kiss and Cheap Trick!)   My older brother "Pete" also had an influential (though twisted) part in expanding my musical tastes at the time.  You see, he provided me with early morning "wake up calls", by cranking up music from The Grateful Dead and Black Sabbath on his stereo at about 6:30am every morning.  Have you ever been shocked out of a dead sleep with "Iron Man" cranked up at 90 decibels?!?  Man, you're wide awake instantly, and you can't get the damn song to stop playing in your head for the rest of the day!   Only my brother Pete could provide such a "nurturing" method of influence, don't you think?  (For those of you who actually know my older brother Pete, I'm sure you can instantly relate to that comment, right?!?)

So when did you decide on becoming a musician?

I'd guess you can say that I began dreaming about it back when I was in High School.  (I mean, isn't that every kid's dream, anyway,... to become a Rock Star?)  And now, as I look back on that time, I can only reflect on what I put in my High School Yearbook when I was a graduating Senior....   

    Carlos Javier Saldaña 
       "Charlie"  /  "Los"

Date of Birth:  11-30-64 (Sagittarius) 
Fav. Saying:  "Hey Jimbo!";   "Hey, Hey....!" 
Weakness:   Ovation Guitars, Music, Singing 
Pet Peeve:    Gangsters/Hoods;  Stuck up girls 
Usually Found:  At home;  At Jimmy D.'s; 

                         Playing Guitar
Ambition:  To Live, Love and Rock & Roll; 

                      To Land a Record Deal

Even then, I guess I had a vision of becoming a musician "someday".  (Though I had long forgotten about that yearbook entry until just recently while we were cleaning out our house and I came across my old, dusty High School albums!)   Who would've thought that it would take me over 25 years to achieve that goal?  It just goes to show that you're never too old, (and it's never too late), to make your dreams come true.  All it takes is a decision.  A decision to focus on your goal and then never give up until you reach it.  And though I had to put those dreams on "hold" for a while so I could set up a solid career in my Day Job, I never really gave up on my dream of making Music.  'Cause even while I worked my way up the career ladder, I continued to perform "part-time" after work and on the weekends, just to keep my dream alive.  And now that my career is pretty much locked in place, I can now focus my efforts on pursuing my first real love -- Songwriting.  And through God's Holy Grace, I can only pray that I'll be blessed with success in both areas. 

When was your first experience playing in front of people?

I’d say that was about 25 years ago back in High School with my friends Jimmy Duron (Guitar & Bass);  Robert Peña (Drums);  Eddie Caldwell (Guitar);  Ramon “Munch” Molina (Lead Guitar);  and myself (Vocals).  We put together your standard high school “garage band” and played all sorts of stuff,... from The Beatles “Day Tripper” to Sammy Hagar’s “Heavy Metal”, we didn’t care about any specific style – we just wanted to make some noise and dream about "making it Big" someday as professional musicians.  And though I’m pretty sure we were obnoxiously LOUD back then, from what I can remember, we were pretty darn good and played for private parties, as well as a couple of our high school Pep-Rally’s.   

"Imagine" - circa 1980/'81

(L-R) Jimmy Duron;  Eddie Caldwell;  Robert Peña                                Carlos               

Eddie Caldwell;   Jimmy Duron;   Carlos Saldaña;   Robert Peña

Carlos J. Saldaña - 2006

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