Whether it is using vintage equipment to find that perfect sound, spending countless hours of preparation in the studio to capture that unique performance, or simply his love for blues; for Brazilian born Edi Roque his message is simple and straight forward. MUSIC IS LIFE!

Vizions of Rock: What is the name of the band and who plays what instruments?

EDI ROQUE: My current project is called Edi Roque Trio.

Vizions of Rock: How did the band come together and how long have you been together?

EDI ROQUE: After recording Confabulation (my last album) I felt that my playing and my approach to the songs were growing stronger towards the blues which is my first passion and the reason that I play guitar, so I put together a band to support my live performances but I still have studio musicians to work on my albums. I am the main songwriter and although I’m blessed to have wonderful musicians by my side this is not a band with boys that I met in high school.

Vizions of Rock: You were born in Sao Paulo Brazil; how has the rich musical culture of Brazil influenced your musical creations?

EDI ROQUE: Brazil has some great music and musicians indeed. As a child I had more influence from American music than from my Brazilian culture because I was impressed by blues guitarists like Gary Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton. Those four guys were the foundation of my playing for many years. I started to learn more deeply about Brazilian music after I was working as a professional musician already. It took me a long time to develop some of my culture into the music that I write and play naturally and that is definitely a part of my personality now.

Vizions of Rock: You have been known to acquire rare and vintage equipment and use it in your recordings. What is your most prized possession, and can you give us an example of how you used it in one your recordings?

EDI ROQUE: Well, I’ve been stolen before so I wouldn’t mention which is my most expensive piece of equipment, but I do have a few pieces of gear that I like. Also, I’m not a collector I only have stuff that I use and with that purpose in mind, every and each guitar, pedal or amplifier that I own inspired me to write new music and create new sounds. Anyway, for my upcoming album “Here to Stay” I would mention that one of my favorite combinations was my old Gibson 335 plugged in a Fender Tube Reverb tank into a Dumble Overdrive Special. You can hear that tone in almost half of the album. By the way the title track is about to go out in a few weeks!

Vizions of Rock: You have played all over the world. How is Rock n Roll received internationally oppose to in the USA?

EDI ROQUE: Rock n’ Roll has influenced people everywhere around the world and the internet has brought artists from all range to an audience that in the past would not be able to get reached. That’s a wonderful thing for both the audience and the artist.

Vizions of Rock: How does your song come together, where do you get your inspiration?

EDI ROQUE: Life. Everything I write comes from my own experiences in life or sometimes histories that people share with me. I’m excited to be alive and that’s inspiring, anything can be a trigger for a song you have to be in the moment.

Vizions of Rock: Take us into the recording studio. What is the creative process like when you’re producing another artist song?

EDI ROQUE: Each artist is different so every time I get to produce a new artist I start with a blank canvas. The first meetings will guide me to choose the best approach and also the dynamic for each step in the whole process. But some things never change: I still spend more time working on the songwriting and crafting the arrangement for each song than tracking the songs because I believe that once you’re ready to perform and once the technical aspects of the recording are cleared, the artist should be able to perform. I still believe in recording the band live and capturing a great performance in one or two takes. I would spend more time getting ready for a good performance rather than just overdubbing instruments and having to fix performances issues and auto-tuning non prepared singers. I even believe that some mistakes could give a unique character to the song. But that’s just my opinion.

Vizions of Rock: Do have any advice for up and coming musicians who want to follow in your footstep, aside from “Stay in school” and “Don’t quit your day job”?

EDI ROQUE: I would say if you have a choice to do something else: do it then. However, if you have music as the meaning of your life and nothing else apart from that makes sense for you, I would say: do it! Just find your true passion and don’t get distracted. Music is life.

Vizions of Rock: Is there a message that you’re trying to communicate with your original music?

EDI ROQUE: Always. Writing music is a lonely process for me. It comes from digging deep in my memories and also in my soul as I get to experience this life.

Vizions of Rock: Who are your influences?

EDI ROQUE: Gary Moore is my guitar hero because the first time I heard an electric guitar was on his music, then I discovered Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton. Those four guys were the inspiration and foundation to my early playing.

Vizions of Rock: What do you like best about being a musician and what is the worst part about being a musician?

EDI ROQUE: I wouldn’t say “the worst part” but to me it’s hard to stop working and making music just to feed social media and virtual stuff. I don’t like that at all but at the same time if you are not posting or updating people it seems like you are not doing anything because real life is not enough anymore. But that’s not something that happens only with musicians so I would say I’m a happy person and I like everything regarding being a musician because music is my life.

Vizions of Rock: What is on the horizon for the future?

EDI ROQUE: My upcoming album “Here to Stay” to be released this summer and hopefully an US tour to promote this new moment in my career.

Vizions of Rock: Is there anything that I did not ask you about, that you would want the world to know?

EDI ROQUE: Yes. I’m “Here to Stay”.

Vizions of Rock: How can we find you music?

EDI ROQUE: My albums are available on CD Baby, iTunes, Spotify, etc. You can also find some of my live performances on youtube and tour dates will be soon added to my website ediroque.com