Edi Roque Brings Guitar Wizardy To Arcadia Blues Club

Edi Roque brings his guitar wizardry to Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E. Huntington Drive, Friday, February 28. Showtime: 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. (advance), $15. (door). Info: (626) 447-9349 or visit http://arcadiabluesclub.com.

"Edi Roque is not your run of the mill ax man. He slings the guitar with the best," writes Blues Highway US 61 Host/Producer, Garry Goldsmith, in a recent interview with Roque titled, A Veteran Rock Guitar Slinger Making His Mark. "All you have to do is listen to one of his original songs and you know he is special. He has overcome more adversity than most musicians would ever want to encounter. It has made him more determined and more committed to his craft. That's good news for us music lovers, that's for certain. The future looks really good for Edi," concludes Goldsmith.

Roque discussed his unique background with Voyage LA magazine: "I am a Los Angeles based rock guitarist, songwriter/composer, music producer and Latin Grammy voting member, born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil. I have recorded more than 100 albums worldwide along with 18 years as a musician and as a music producer in South America." Asked if luck has played a meaningful role in his life, Roque replies, "When I moved to Los Angeles I went through some hard times. I had no friends, no money, no family, nothing but a cheap guitar and a suitcase. I shouldn't have lasted two months, but I'm still here and I feel better than ever! So personally, I don't believe in luck. I've been blessed by working with so many great musicians including Stu Hamm, Matt Starr, Kenny Aronoff, Rudy Sarzo and the list goes on. Working and sharing music with guys that I grew up listening to is such an honor and an amazing experience so in my case there's no good or bad luck, just hard work and blessings."

2020 finds Roque set to release a new album in more of a blues-rock vein, the follow-up to his 2019 release, Confabulation. There will also be a busier live gigs schedule. While Roque has his sights firmly set on the future, he is also appreciative of music from the past, telling Mixalis Blues if he could travel back to any day in history, it would be, "October 23, 1966 at De Lane Lea Studios, in London. That's the day Jimi Hendrix started recording his first album, and to me, it's where the modern guitar started. Jimi himself is the guy who wrote that book. One hundred years from now people will still listen to that album."