Rene Lopez (musician)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rene Lopez (born August 6, 1969) is a
Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana music, a genre or style of American music * Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1981 film), an American drama film * ''Americana'' (20 ...
,
Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
,
Latin Soul Latin soul (occasionally used synonymously with boogaloo) was a short-lived musical genre that had developed in the 1960s in New York City. It consisted of a blend of Cuban music such as mambo, along with elements of Latin jazz and soul music. Al ...
and
Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
ian and singer-songwriter.


Biography

Rene Lopez was born August 6, 1969, in
the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, the son of an Italian mother and Puerto Rican
salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...
musician, Rene Lopez Sr., who played trumpet during the heyday of
Fania Records Fania Records is a New York City, New York–based record label founded by Dominican-born composer and bandleader Johnny Pacheco and his American lawyer Jerry Masucci in 1964 in music, 1964. The label took its name from a popular luncheonette fre ...
with the
Ray Barretto Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán (April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Lati ...
Orchestra and Típica 73, bands beloved by New York's Latin community. When a kid, Rene Lopez was heavily into
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
and
Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
. Especially Prince influenced his music style, to bring different types of music together. Rene Lopez's earliest memories are of standing in the wings of so many stages, while watching his father—renowned salsa musician Rene Lopez Sr.—perform. Sr. played on all kinds of them – from small cramped club stages in the Bronx, to
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
,
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
, and
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
. Rene can still recall the club circuit's heady mix of cigarettes, sweat, and perfume enveloping his senses, and how the music connected the musicians to the audience, and he can still recall wanting to also be onstage. Rene inherited a rich modern Latin music tradition from his father, but over the past 20 years he has built a legacy on his own terms, blurring lines between funk, hip-hop, rock, jazz, EDM, and pop while, along the way, working with a diverse roster of icons. Today, he embraces a new era of his creativity with his Jam Of The Month Club song series. "I went back to the studio, locked the door, and got back to what I loved," the New York-based singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist recalls. "I still feel like a kid, new ideas keep pouring out and I feel like I have an open palette to work with." Throughout his career Rene has worked with Joseph Arthur as well as with members of Wilco, Blind Melon, The Meters, and Spin Doctors, and so many more. He's garnered acclaim from such publications as NPR, Vibe, Magnetic Mag, Joy Of Movement, Earmilk, Pop Shifter, Relix, Pancakes and Whiskey, Paste, Seen It Heard It, Mix Tape Maestro, The Aquarian, and The Washington Post, among countless others. Rene's groundbreaking band in the 1990s, The Authority, blazed through the boundaries of hip-hop, Latin, and funk, playing gigs alongside P-Funk, The Meters, and Fishbone, earning accolades from jam band fanatics and hip-hop heads, who used to pack like sardines into The
Wetlands Preserve Wetlands Preserve, commonly referred to as Wetlands, was a nightclub in New York City that opened in 1989 and closed in 2001. It was located at 161 Hudson Street in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. Wetlands has been called "ground zero for po ...
and Nightingales to see them. Later, Rene started the band Wasabi with the
John Popper John Popper (born March 29, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter, known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler. Early life Popper was born on March 29, 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a ...
of
Blues Traveler Blues Traveler is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1987. They are known for their extensive use of segues in live performances, and could be considered a key part of the re-emerging jam band scene of the 1990s, sp ...
. As a solo artist, he's released 8 albums and 4 EPs and many singles that defy category, traversing intimate singer songwriter, traditional Latin, soul, funk, and pop rock. He began his career as a gifted drummer, and was part of the first wave students at the New School jazz program that also included John Popper, Eric Schenkman (
Spin Doctors Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and N ...
), along with modern jazz innovators Jesse Davis and Brad Mehldau. During this formative time, he studied with drummer Bernard Purdie (
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
,
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
) who gave Rene his first opportunity to step forward from behind the kit as a singer and songwriter. At the most basic level, what struck Rene as a kid standing stage side at his father's shows was how those slinky salsa rhythms made people's body's move. That musician to audience relationship was about rhythm. Throughout his musical journey, first through exploring metal drumming, then funk, jazz, and a myriad of Latin styles, that rhythm connection would be central. Rene's artistry has matured into an aesthetic he's come to refer to as E.L.S. (Electric Latin Soul). "New York is a melting pot of cultures and musical sensibilities—Brazilian music, Latin clave rhythms, 1980s electro-funk, country and classic soul—and they all meld together in my head. I don’t label it, and I have no fear exploring these as an artist." Other disciples of groove compose vamps, but Rene has always been attentive to songcraft, putting that discipline on equal footing with his rhythms. While at the New School, Bernard Purdie conducted a songwriting contest. The winner would have his songs recorded at the famed New York studio The Record Plant. Rene submitted the first songs he ever wrote, and soon found himself making his debut with Bernard Purdie producing. That fateful turn of events changed his life as a musician, shifting his focus to composition and singing, and sending him on a profoundly winding and rewarding musical journey. All roads led to the Jam of the Month Club. "It’s so gratifying the creativity is so wide open, and every month I get to put a smiles on faces with free music. This is what music should be about," Rene shares. The first track debuted in September with "Heavy Baby Heavy" an invigorating homage to intelligent women bursting with sleek stanky funk that recalls the electro grooves of 1980s Prince and The Time. Rene has consistently offered a broad array of funky gems since. A recent highlight has been the deep swampy-soul of "Watch Me Turn It Up" recorded in New Orleans and featuring some of the Crescent City's finest, including George Porter Jr. from The Meters on bass and Ivan Neville on Hammond B-3 organ and piano. Watching those masters perform Rene's music was a career highlight. "It was so special, it made me feel like my funk was true." Other spotlight jams are the psych-funk freak out "U Can Bet On Me," featuring iconic bluesy vocalist Irving Louis Lattin, and a true 1980s feel. Rene's father put down his horn many years ago in favor of a steadier living, and to this day Rene remains inspired by his father's legacy. "My father is so proud of me that I’ve stuck to it. He always says he’s blown away by my creativity. It means so much to me. I’m so excited to share my latest jams with him." NPR's
Alt.Latino ''Alt.Latino'' is a radio show and podcast about Latin alternative music and Latinx culture, produced by NPR. The show launched in 2010 and is hosted by Felix Contreras and Anamaria Sayre. It features music and interviews with Latino musician ...
referred to Rene Lopez's music as one of Alt.Latino's favorites of 2014.


Discography


Singles & EPs

* ''I Know What I See'' (2003) * ''Johnny Wants to Be a Matador'' (2009) * ''Midnight Love'' (2013) * ''Let's Be Strangers Again'' (2013) *"Brown Eyed Brother" (2013) * ''Love Has No Mercy'' (2014) * ''Borough Girl'' (2018) * ''Brick Town Kids'' (2018) * ''Once Again'' (2019) * ''Nothings Left''(2019) * ''Runaway Heart'' (2019) * ''Get It While You Can'' (2020) * ''Hasta Luego'' (2021) * ''Flamingo'' (2021) * ''Life Ain't Anything Without Love'' (2021) * ''Bet You Thought I'd Die'' (2021)


Albums

* ''One Man's Year'' (2005) * ''People Are Just People'' (2010) * ''E.L.S.'' (2011) * "Love Has No Mercy" (2014) * ''Paint The Moon Gold'' (2014) * ''Holiday Heart'' (2016) * ''Thank God For The Lonely'' (2022)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lopez, Rene 1969 births American male singer-songwriters Musicians from the Bronx Living people Singer-songwriters from New York (state)