Pat: Tell us a little about yourself, you're like and dislikes, what you do for fun. Rafael: I think I am a pretty normal guy, which enjoys life more than anything. I have a beatiful family and I am usually surrounded by good people am not a materialistic person, therefore I am not a big fan of materialistic people. What I do for fun besides playing the guitar is playing the drums and bass, hanging out with my friends and playing a lot of sports such as soccer, tennis, rollerblading, snowboarding and surfing. Pat: What was the first concert you ever went to? Rafael: I wouldn't be able to say because I was to young to remember, but for sure my first concert was at home in Brazil listening to my mom play the piano. Pat: Who was the biggest influence in your musical career and why? Rafael: My mother played a big role in my early start, not only because she taught me how to play the guitar, but she also bought me my first rock records. Which at age of six years old blew me away. Some of the bands in particular were Kiss, The Rolling Stones and Zeppelin. Pat: What made you decide to take up playing the guitar and what type of music do you like to play the most? Rafael: As I said before bands like Kiss, Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Ozzy Osborne were some of my biggest influences, mainly because of their guitar players. The guitar was the instrument that connected me to their music. I knew right then I would be a guitar player. Pat: Who supported your musical career? Rafael: My family Pat: How much did you have to practice to get to your level? Rafael: I never looked at the guitar as a chore. It has always been an amusement to me, but if you wanna call it practicing, the guitar has been with me since I was six years old. It has been my best friend and girlfriend through the good and bad times. Pat: Do you play any other instruments? Do you write music or sing other then in the shower? Rafael: I can play bass and drums pretty well because when we were little kids, my brothers and I had a rock band and I had access to their instruments. I also sing because my mom would put me on the top of her piano and make me sing to all her friends. Which at the time made me feel pretty embarrassed, but it made me become a better musician. Pat: What projects are you currently working on and what projects have you finished recently and are there any videos you have done that we should watch for? Rafael: Right now I am working on my own band called "The Maconhas", where I sing, write and play guitar. I have had instrumental songs placed in different guitar player compilations in Japan and theUS. I also did a rock record with a band called Poyanna. We did some touring up north (California) and we got to open for Slash Snake Pit. As for videos, you guys can check out Christina Aguilera's latest DVD "My Reflections". Pat: You have played with Christiana Aguilera and Sisqo and of course, Marc Anthony, which one is your favorite (you don't have to say Marc :) Rafael: I honestly don't have a favorite because they are all different and very talented. Christina is a very talented young singer, and I happened to be there in a very special moment of her career. As her only guitar player I got to play a lot of different styles of music from flamenco to RandB, bolero to rock. Sisqo's band was very adventurous with modern musical ideas, even though I was there for a short period of time. Finally playing with Marc has been a great experience for me. He always made feel like I was part of the band, he has a incredible charisma not only with the fans, but also with the band and he is a true artist. Pat: How did you get your start in the music business and is there anything you would have done differently. Rafael: I am just an artist and I have been fortunate to be doing what I love to do. I haven't regretted anything that I can think of. Pat: If we were to go for a ride in your car right now, what music would be playing. Rafael: Either 88.1 LA's jazz station or 89.9 public radio, everything else sucks!! Pat: What discs are in you CD player at home? Rafael: It depends on what kind of mood I am in. Sometimes Bjork, Meshuggah, and Djavan. Also, my own music so I can critique and improve upon it. Pat: What are your goals as a musician? Where would you like to see yourself in five years? In ten years? Rafael: My goals as a musician is to keep creating my music, and to share it with others. As far as 5 or 10 years from now whatever happens, only God knows Pat: What do you like the most about being in the music business and what do you like the least? Rafael: What I don't like about the music business (industry) is the lack of freedom artist have in order to become mainstream. What I like about it is the availability of music to go places. They provide the artists with distribution, promotion and leave the artist to the creating and performing, where the artist should be. Pat: If you weren't a musician what would you? Rafael: Probably a professional soccer player. Pat: I have seen you perform with Marc before a large crowd and you seemed to thoroughly enjoy yourself. Do you prefer to perform for large crowds or in small clubs? What has been your favorite venue to date? Rafael: No matter how many people are there, I always put my whole self into it. I can't say a certain venue was better than another because they were all different. Pat: Can you give us your web site url so we can keep in touch with you? Rafael:
www.rafaelmoreira.com
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