Artist Profile: Orquesta MAS
Orquesta MAS - Madison All Stars is the newest Salsa band made up of 13 of Madison’s finest musicians, originally from various countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the United States. The concept for this ensemble was to create a band that was inclusive to all musicians who share the love and passion for Latin rhythms and showcase the talent in Dane County, which is proclaimed in the name they chose for the group.
1) How have the events of 2020 impacted your music &/or creative process?
This year has really impacted all of us. Music brings our community together and all the closures of live venues have impacted our communities and local economy. Specifically for Orquesta MAS, the musicians that collaborate with the band have been impacted as it is our livelihood—and for some, music is their main source of income.
During 2019, Orquesta MAS had many successful events that connected us with our community and fans. One of the most successful events was “Tributo a la Salsa” at the Majestic Theatre on Dec 28. At that event, we had 300 people in attendance and the energy in the place that evening was incredible. Our musicians and our fans demonstrated the mutual love for music. After this event, we were energized to continue giving our fans the best music experience, so we booked multiple events in Madison and the surrounding region. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened—and every event was canceled. This forced Orquesta MAS to regroup and think of new ideas on how to share our music and engage with our fans.
2) What advice would you give an artist struggling to promote her/him/themselves as a professional artist?
o Network. We’re firm believers in networking and making connections. Plus most importantly, follow up. (This cannot stress this enough!) Creating meaningful and lasting relationships can have a positive impact on your business.
o Support your local musicians. Attend and share their events. Also refer musicians to participate in other bands and/or projects.
o Collaborate with others in your field. Be open to new ideas and explore all possibilities for new projects.
o Adapt. The way we do things has changed, artists and musicians could use this time (during the pandemic) to update their social media accounts, websites and add content that will drive more followers.
o Work on original music. Get creative and gather new material to do virtual events and or be ready for when venues open again.
o Join forces with other professional fields. Connect with photographers, videographers, studios, etc., to create new initiatives and projects. There is a continual need to continue to support and showcase local talent. While there might be other efforts that support this, you can never have enough support (as anyone in the entertainment business can attest). Music and arts make for a better world…We need to come together and support each other and continue to pave the way for our youth and up and coming artists.
3) How do you continually seek out or discover new inspiration?
We see what other artists are doing; get inspired; set goals; plan; start work; then follow thru. Set high expectations for yourself. If you did not meet them, you at least hope to get halfway there which is still pretty good. You can’t achieve your goals if you don’t take a calculated risk and at least try.
4) Give an example of an "artistic collaboration" you're currently involved with, Orquesta MAS – Madison All Stars recently released first Virtual Video collaboration, Tributo a Marvin Santiago – El Hombre Increible in which several of our local musicians collaborated as well as two from the Milwaukee area and one from Chicago. Orquesta MAS will be working on a couple more so that we can continue to showcase the talent we have here as well as the surrounding areas. Orquesta MAS along with MAS Union Entertainment hopes to bridge the gap between our cities thru collaboration and engagement.
Band founder and manager Julio C. Araujo is also now officially a promoter via a new project called MAS Union Entertainment. His first official event under the MAS Union Entertainment label was held on Dec 28, 2019 at Majestic Theatre. And catch “behind the scenes” shots of the musicians MAS Union Entertainment LLC will be working with via Instagram ‘@masunionentertainment’, plus keep tabs on Orquesta MAS’s performances, music releases and more on Facebook and Instagram.