the Informer

To the unsuspecting student who doesn’t know sophomore Joe Sanchez, his biggest claim to fame is his simple and friendly smile as he passes you on the bridge to class.

For those fortunate enough to discover the true quality of musicianship Sanchez has to offer, the depth of what they find is immense. Bred on the easy flow of vibes stemming from San Antonio, Texas, Sanchez’s passion and excitement for playing guitar is something rare to come by in an area where great stripped down acoustic music is scarce.

“I think the quality of writing in folk music is really what drives me. It’s the intimacy of a song that I’m really drawn to,” Sanchez said as he took his time and consulted his memories for accuracy.

As Sanchez explained how he started playing guitar and was introduced to the Contemporary Christian music of his church at a young age, he paused to recollect on how his home state’s take on music influenced him greatly.

Living for music, Sanchez attributes his sound and motivation to the level of comfort and excitement that the Austin music scene offers. Playing regularly with his band David and The Stone Throwers back home in Texas, Sanchez’s enthusiasm peaked when speaking of his peers, David and Michael’s, influence.

“David Garza is probably one of the most natural musicians I know and my biggest influence next to Glen Hansard and Josh Ritter,” Sanchez proclaimed. Regularly adding and subtracting a specific sound element via a violinist or female vocalist to give the band a certain texture for a given gig, it is easily recognized that Sanchez’s musical motivations and loyalties lie with sharing music with his friends and anyone else willing to listen.

A genuine and good-natured guy, Sanchez’s maturity level for a college musician is yet to be matched in my eyes. Playing music for the thrill of filling the void life sometimes throws at you, Sanzhez’s vibrant style and voice that can untangle even a stranger’s troubles is what sets him apart from your typical acoustic strummer.

Without giving himself much credit, he talks in influences and attributions to musicians who helped mold his unique style. What I found to be most compelling during my sit-down with Sanchez was how inexhaustibly drive his love for music is. If nothing else, Sanchez wants to be able to share music with people offering his input and soaking in new sounds.

A storyteller at heart, it is Sanzhez’s love of the caliber of song writing that gives his sound its edge and definition. When thrown into the mix of the all but dead musical community of New England that was forced underground, Sanzhez admits that he struggled to find musical direction when arriving at the university his first year.

“When I was a freshman I really found myself without a genre. I got to search for things I was interested in by myself without following the influence of my friends,” he said.
Two years later Sanzhez has found his groove here at Hartford and is slowly making his mark by playing during Community Day 2009, winning first place in the International Dance Team Christmas Cabaret, playing Hartford for Haiti and currently competing in Thursday’s talent show, which will take place in Gengras Student Union.