After MSC Town Hall’s Lunchbox concert series, Town Hall member Madeline Tiffin got a chance to sit down and talk to the musicians of Corusco about their time in the music industry and the first steps of forming their band.
Singer and guitarist Aaron Gonzalez started his music career with an interest in songwriting and performance. This desire led Gonzalez to start off on his own living room tour, eventually landing him a spot in a band with Carlos Garza on drums and Philip Baugh on bass.
“After his tour, Aaron came back and said, ‘I have some legitimate serious songs that we can play and not be embarrassed by. What do you think about doing this stuff full time?’ ” Baugh recalls about his addition to the group. “And I wasn’t doing anything so that’s how I got on board.” Shortly after, Garza joined and the band formed their first EP, Don’t Give Up.
Together, the 3 started playing more shows throughout the country. Along the way, the group has encountered some issues unique to their sound, which they describe as a mix between indie and alternative. “We did a lot better when we were in the North than in the South,” Garza reflects on their tour. “Northeast, around New England, during our Eastern US tour last year we had a bigger fan base. Here, it’s about finding venues and other bands who take their music seriously.”
The problem of finding venues is going to get much tougher for Corusco, and other similar BCS-based bands, as the Grand Stafford in Downtown Bryan closed its doors recently. Corusco was the very last band to play during the farewell show last month, and the sentiment attached to the venue is not lost. “It was the first place that we played at with good sound,” Baugh said about the iconic venue. “It was the first time we ever heard ourselves, not in a storage unit or living room, and it validated what we were doing.”
If they could leave readers with any wisdom, all three members of the band encourage people to join their local music scene. They add that if anyone needs any help with anything, to watch Corusco play sometime, or check them out at Corusco.net.
