Andrew Soto
[Guitar, Bass, Drums, Ukulele, Vocals, Producer]
Influences
Colin Blunstone - (and The Zombies)
Ray Davies - (and The Kinks)
Dick Dale
Buddy Holly
Daniel Johnston
Huddie Ledbetter
Paul McCartney - (and The Beatles)
Stephin Merritt
Steve Miller
Andy Partridge - (and XTC)
Django Reinhardt
Jonathan Richman
The Sonics
Phil Spector
Hip Tanaka
Brian Wilson - (and The Beach Boys)
Link Wray
Drummer - Should be similar to a trained jazz drummer - Combining the hard-hitting nature of Led Zeppelin, the danceability of The Postal Service, and the sensibility of The Zombies
Bassist - One who is able to throw down some dub and ska lines and knows when to walk and when to run - Should be able to create melodic bass lines akin to Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson.
Keyboardist - I'm thinking The Doors, The Animals, and XTC - Should know how to work the ivories and be well-versed in synth matters.
Guitarist - Should be able to handle anything rhythmically, from reggae to hip-hop to country to punk rock. Scales and lead work should be no stranger to this guitarist.
Vocalists - Every player should be adept at singing melodies and/or harmonies - no non-singers allowed. I want to attempt to replicate The Beach Boys.
Musicianship - Each musician should be able to play someone else's instrument and be comfortable switching instruments between songs.
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Albums of Most Importance and Favor
1) The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)
2) The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
3) The Zombies - Odessey and Oracle (1968)
4) The Kinks - ...Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
5) The Beach Boys - SMiLE (1967/2003)
Songs of Most Importance and Favor
1) The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations (1966)
2) Buddy Holly - Everyday (1957)
3) The Ronettes - Be My Baby (1963)
4) The Beatles - A Day in the Life (1967)
5) Led Zeppelin - D'yer Mak'er (1973)
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Want to know more? Leave a message. Any and all questions/comments are welcome.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I receive some form of the following questions on a usual basis. Hopefully this will help to make things lucid.
Of the professional...
Q: How many guys are in the band?
A: There is only one member, me, Andrew Soto.
Q: Then who plays the instruments?
A: Yo!
Q: Who are the girls singing?
A: Various girls, either acquaintances or friends, have provided vocals on my recordings.
Q: How long have you been playing?
A: Eight years have passed since I picked up my first instrument.
Q: What equipment do you have?
A: I play a Danelectro Mod 6 guitar through an Orange AD30TC amp.
Q: When are you going to play a show?
A: I will play a show when there is sufficient public demand.
Q: Do you only listen to older music?
A: No.
Q: What kinds of music influenced you?
A: In my rudimentary years (ages 4-7) I overheard music from The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and Nirvana. However, when I first began to listen to music (age 13) I was heavy into ska and punk rock; 'The Specials' being the first album I purchased (other big listens were NOFX, 311, and Operation Ivy). I progressed into the surf rock sound of Dick Dale and Man or Astro-man. This led to the rediscovery of The Beatles and The Beach Boys and the unearthing of The Kinks and The Zombies. I kept spelunking backwards in time through the girl groups and garage rock eventually finding my role model in Buddy Holly. I rounded this off with gypsy jazz and delta blues. Also, I interspersed indie pop and rock throughout my musical trek (bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, etc).
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Now you may enjoy Andrew's face/likeness in the form of desktop wallpaper.
Thanks so much for the kick-it time - I felt like a real amateur w/ the Soto Bro's @ "MyPlace" ... to think, the other day, I thought I was becoming a musician?!? Anyway, you forgot something...contact for more :)
Dig the new tunes man, always keepin' my orange peeled for some Soto jamz... the "After Hours" cover butters my bread-->super sweet, and hey congrats on the Uncle status, he's quite the boy already, you must B proud! Be blessed buddy, would love to play bass 4U if you need help @ church sometime :)
hey!!! HAPPY BDAY AGAIN! even though i said it yesterday too..i hope you'd like our bad..we're a crazy bunch...hope you'll open up to our crazy selves. see you at next practice!
Wow...im feeling like Zappa came back from the dead and was stuffed inside Brian Wilson-this means this is super RAD. I hope you have a super-duper Christmas my friend-be blessed! The Thompson's :)
hey old roomie! Just was wondering what your doing these days... Arizona?? thought after living in the same house for like 6 months, its sad that I have no idea what you are doing or where you are...fill me in!
