All photos taken at the Fort Worth Stock Exchange by Alan Mercer
Felix Truvere was born & raised in San Antonio, TX. He graduated from John Marshall High School, received his bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education from UTSA, and is a former high school band director, turned “corporate trainer” for mortgage & loan bank underwriters at USAA Federal Savings Bank from 2001-2008.
“The Open Road” provided Felix with miles of real-life experiences years before he began performing on stages as a country band in surrounding San Antonio saloons and clubs. Sporting a diversity in music culture, Felix Truvere also has a Drum Corps International World Championship as a mellophone player in the world-renowned “Cadets of Bergen County” from Bergenfield, NJ.
He earned himself the 2012 San Antonio Music Award for Best Original Song with his comedic, heal-kicking song of modern philosophy, “Thou Shalt Not Bitch.” SA CURRENT recently announced Felix Truvere’s band with several 2014 San Antonio Music Awards to include Best Country Band, Best Sound Engineer, Best genre Song & Music Video for “What Best Friends Do,” and best songwriter for his genre.
Felix says his songwriting is inspired by Dean Dillon (writer of over 50 popular George Strait hits) for whom Felix had the opportunity to open for in a song-writer’s presentation in Bandera, TX at The Longhorn Saloon. Felix’s songwriting offers similar passion in storytelling with splashes of comedy, spiritual philosophy, and dance appeal.
Photographer: Unknown
The excitement for Felix Truvere’s success sees his music making its way to Texas Radio with “What Best Friends Do” as the first single from “The Open Road” CD to make it onto the Texas chart. Felix Truvere just recently spent a weekend at Cherry Ridge Studio in Floresville, TX to record his newest EP coming out this June, “Love Finds Its Way,” featuring his newly written songs, “Get to The Kissin” & “Movie Night.” Request “Get To The Kissin.”
Felix Truvere’s Texas Country Music is originated, recorded, mixed, & mastered in LOCAL Texas studios with our Texas musician colleagues! Be sure to check out our HD Music Video productions “What Best Friends Do” & “Back to San Antone!”
'Learn To Be' is the latest single release from Felix and it's climbing up the charts right now!
'Learn To Be' is the latest single release from Felix and it's climbing up the charts right now!
Alan Mercer: Felix, you’ve had a couple careers, haven’t you?
Felix Truvere: This is my third career. My first career was being a high school band director. My second career was being a mortgage and loan underwriter trainer at USA Federal Savings Bank. All to just end up back in music.
AM: Do you ask yourself why you went that route?
FT: I believe you test yourself in life. You experiment to find out what life is all about. I was a high school band director for a while, and it was tuff to do. It’s tuff to be a public service representative and be responsible for parents’ kids.
AM: You are forced to deal with so many different people.
FT: Yes, and I was a very good band director at the same time. I had a Drum Core International World Championship with the Cadets of Bergen County from Bergenfield, New Jersey. I came in having already worked with all the best musicians the world had to offer. These were grade A educators. They knew how to teach kids how to not only play the right notes, but how to stay in tune. You were doing 50 push-ups if you were out of tune. Coming from that background and being a high school band director has given me a leg up on some of the Singer/Songwriters that have learned to play guitar in the garage.
AM: It gave you a deeper understanding.
FT: I can walk into a studio and speak the language. Every studio I’ve ever walked into, they are surprised that I know what I’m talking about. I don’t say turn the knobs and push the buttons. I use all the right vocabulary.
AM: I bet they appreciate that too.
FT: I use the language they use so we can produce the album the way the album needs to sound. Whereas, a lot of folks these days go to Nashville to record and it’s like walking into a McDonald's, you walk in you walk out with your song, whether you like it or not. That’s not what I want.
AM: Your approach is totally different.
FT: I go in as a producer. I record in Floresville, Texas. The studio engineer won’t let me leave until I have the song I want. He’s always on the money. We write traditional Country Music, fiddle, steel, danceable, the works.
AM: San Antonio is lucky to have you performing all the time.
FT: Honestly, San Antonio takes care of me very well.
AM: Felix, you really are one of a kind.
FT: Thank you and I’m going to say that’s a lesson you learn right off the bat, when you become an artist. I cautioned myself about that right away, I had to see what separates people is that individualism, the uniqueness.
AM: Exactly, like it should be.
FT: Why would we ever try to fight the likeness for which you are created. God made you the way you’re meant to be so let’s embrace that. All the little “cringy” things that are me, I’ve gone ahead and embraced and let it shine. I think everybody has some fear of their own singing voice. My voice is definitely different. There’s no doubt about that.
AM: Everybody does have to learn what works best for them.
FT: When you first go into the studio you have a karaoke thing going on. People tend to sound like the original artist when they do cover tunes. I think when you write your own music and it starts to spill your soul, is when you start to discover your own voice. This reminds me of my song, ‘Learn To Be.’
AM: Yes, I love that song.
FT: That is my next release.
AM: It really lets people know your perspective.
FT: I finish the song with the words,” You are creating your own reality.” The songs that I write are meant to pick people up and put them on a better path. I’ve looked for that path before and I understand how lost I was. I songs I write are all going to have meaning and depth.
AM: You make great videos with a touch of humor.
FT: Thank you, my videos are all special projects that I do to give you a story that backs up the lyrics of the song. I discovered a cinematographer student from UT Austin who takes his work as serious as I do. He’s an artist. He’s not a salesman trying to make as many videos as he can.
AM: Videos cost a pretty penny.
FT: I always find sponsors. I’ve been blessed to have people that believe in what I’m doing. They understand my message and intent. I’ve helped to pick them up. I will go into the audience after my shows and talk to people and then they show up at the next show and the next show and before you know it someone will say, “I’ve got some money and I want to sponsor your next video.”
AM: How awesome.
FT: I’ve always got a music video going on in my head. I want to do videos because I understand people are becoming more visual. As many as I can do is as many as I will do. It doesn’t take a lot of money to make a good video, it takes good minds.
AM: It sure does. I can see why people are drawn to you.
FT: I put myself out there. I don’t go hide in a box.
To learn more about Felix Truvere visit his web site http://felix.band/