The purple haze of Michael Gonzalez

People use to say (a lot these days) that rock and roll, as we know it, is dead and buried. Then often comes along some rockers from the underground scene, like Michael Gonzalez, and the magic he does with a simple guitar makes people just forget about “killing” this sorta of music, while remembering the great ones like Jimi Hendrix himself.

I take a lot of inspiration from Jimi Hendrix but would prefer to sound completely different from him or my influences.

Michael Gonzalez

Well, I can honestly say that I was stunned by Gonzalez’ daring sound. Despite using traditional rock references such as Oasis, Muse and even The Who, he goes further and promote a true experimental journey. The most curious thing is the way in which he transit through several rock genres in just 5 minutes. Yep, Gonzalez invite us to his own Purple Haze.

From Jazz to Grunge

In the end, we have it all: classic rock/grunge/prog/blues and much more…certainly an inventive artist like you deserves to be followed closely. “I have some formal background playing jazz music and this has been my introduction to writing and singing rock music”, he says.

About “You need me”

On the single “You Need Me”, which Gonzalez wrote while on Blue Channel, a experimental power rock trio, he questions the medical industry and explore the divided opinions around it at a time where confusion and doubt are rampant. Instead of making a statement, “You Need Me” tries to open a dialogue and give those who, within reason, are afraid of the medical industry a voice.

2 3 Things about Michael Gonzalez

RC – Is it correct to say that the rock and roll you do is experimental? How would you rate your work – if you can label it…?

MG – I believe this project has been experimental for various reasons. I have some formal background playing jazz music and this has been my introduction to writing and singing rock music. All of my first songs feel like its the first time I’m trying something out so in a way it is like an experiment. I try to be honest with my criteria for choosing sounds that I believe work well together and find a way to give my guitar a big role without necessarily making it the protagonist of the songs. I take a lot of inspiration from Jimi Hendrix but would prefer to sound completely different from him or my influences. I guess my goal is to manage to blend all these elements into something that makes sense to me.

RC – What elements did the connection between Puerto Rico and the United States bring to your music?

MG – I believe Puerto Rico has a strong connection between cultures from the United States and Latin American Countries. The abundance of rhythmic and harmonic sounds in Brazilian and Argentinian rock/popular music combined with jazz/blues influenced American Rock music has influenced my style and appreciation for music in general.

RC – Is there an expectation to release an album soon? What are your plans for 2022? And how are you seeing the scene these days, in which women more than ever are dominating?

MG – Hopefully during 2022 we can increase our music’s level of production and start building a bigger audience. We will be releasing one or two more singles before our first album. I enjoy variety and believe the rock scene as much as any other scene has a lot of variety to offer. People are starting to appreciate more and more rawer and unconventional sounds and women seem to want to participate more in experimental and instrumental music which used to be mostly male dominated. The more creative input we get from women the better.