Broke Boyz From Fresno
Hey everyone it's Martin from the Broke Boyz From Fresno Podcast, my goal here is to entertain, inspire, and uplift our community. I'm all about keeping it real, sharing my daily struggles, and motivating others who might be going through the same. Join me as we navigates life’s challenges, supports one another, and builds a stronger, more connected community together.
Broke Boyz From Fresno
Ne10 and Nico: The Dynamic Duo You Need to Know
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Diego and Nico Vargas, talented twin musicians on the autism spectrum, share their journey from classroom switches to performing at prestigious venues like Carnegie Hall and creating meaningful music with Stars of the Spectrum.
• Diego (Ne10) works as an audio engineer, music producer, sound designer, and composer
• Nico performs as a singer, songwriter, producer, photographer, and actor
• The twins successfully switched classes in middle school and high school without getting caught
• Diego explains how his DJing career began with block parties before evolving into professional production
• Stars of the Spectrum formed after Diego was invited to DJ at Fenway Park for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation
• Nico's breakthrough moment came singing with headlining band Couch at the Stars of the Spectrum Festival
• Diego details the challenges of producing a complex song with eight artists across 325 audio channels
• Both brothers discuss how they've overcome criticism and developed resilience in the music industry
• Their advice for others on the spectrum includes speaking up for yourself and embracing authenticity
• The twins share travel experiences including performing at Carnegie Hall and visiting Arizona
Follow Diego: @ne10music & Nico: @thenicovargas_8035 & Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation: @flutiefdn
Follow us @ brokeboyz_ff on Instagram and TikTok
Intro Music by Rockstar Turtle- Broke Boyz (999)
Christmas Intro Song by Nico
Meeting the Vargas Twins
Speaker 1Pickle poppers, whatever that people say for testing.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1Test one two.
Speaker 3She sells seashells by the seashore.
Speaker 2Gosh you guys sound great. Man, what are you ET?
Speaker 1No, not exactly, man. Why did I say ET? Wait, I know that voice. Well, you need to guess Guess which one.
Speaker 2What's the name I was going to say, bart Simpson's wife.
Speaker 4No.
Speaker 2Homer's wife. Homer's wife.
Speaker 4Marge, yes, there you go, oh my.
Speaker 2God See, I knew it Isn't Bart's the son, right, bart's the son. Of course, Bart's my son.
Speaker 3Dang, I missed.
Speaker 2That was a good one. Actually, that was really good.
Speaker 3Why thank you not? Um, okay, maybe I sound a little older, but now I crushed you to clown. But what the hell?
Speaker 4you're very good at those, I suck. You're good at all the impersonations.
Speaker 3Oh well, thank you I, I tried, but it's not always, it's not always my best. I just it, just, it just takes practice okay, I have an impersonation.
Speaker 1It's called myself. There you go.
Speaker 2Oh my god, it's great. You sound just like yourself. Thank you.
Speaker 4Thank you guys for being here, you guys ready.
Speaker 1Yes, we are.
Speaker 4I'm glad. Thank you guys for coming out here. I know it's a bit of a long drive sometimes, but it is definitely a peaceful one. And I say vice versa. Sometimes, when I the last time I went to your guys' house, it's a bit of a long drive sometimes, but it is definitely a peaceful one. Oh yes, very yes. And I say vice versa Sometimes. When I the last time I went to your guys' house, it was a peaceful drive, ah, and you guys have such a lovely home.
Speaker 3Thank you.
Speaker 4You have a nice home as well, dude. Thank you, man, thank you.
Speaker 1I love how yours is just comforting, and sometimes that's all I ask for. It's just comfort, nothing too fancy.
Speaker 4But you know, I'm grateful for what I live with regardless, thank you, and I'm glad to hear that, because my main goal, and always for everybody that comes on, is comfort. I want you guys to be comfortable. Yes, me, like you know, hey, there's nothing wrong with with, uh, taking our time and doing it right, doing it good.
Speaker 2Yes, yeah, thank you, bro, that's the main thing.
Speaker 4That's my main question.
Speaker 3Oh, yes, I remember in that one episode at my house I was so nervous and I was speaking so fast sometimes. Yeah, Because that was my first one with y'all. But hey, just to let you know this is not an ASMR sesh.
Speaker 1You're probably speaking so fast because you're waiting to go back to finish your projects.
Speaker 3No, not exactly.
Speaker 1Oh man.
Speaker 4Well, welcome back to another episode of the Broke Boys. I'm Martin and today I'm joined by some of the greatest artists slash, DJ.
Speaker 3Oh, my gosh Say that again. Really an honor dude, oh man. Oh my gosh, say that again Really an honor dude, oh man, you guys are incredible.
Speaker 4You have incredible skills of songwriting and all that you too, Diego.
Speaker 1Oh, definitely, thank you.
Speaker 4And I'm pretty sure you have such a passion with DJing. So, yeah, and I'm glad you know, congrats on being at eagle mountain. Oh, yes, out there. Yeah, you guys too, you were performing last night.
Speaker 3Yes, last night we were out there that is such a an hour and a half drive down to porterville but the the insane thing was we. We were supposed to start at nine but we got pushed back to 10 o'clock because of the fights going on.
Speaker 4Okay, yeah, because they host the fights out there.
Speaker 3Yes, they do. I'm like why does Eagle Mountain Book us at the days when the fights go on?
Speaker 1What's going on here? Hey, they definitely wanted a good time to watch a fight, and so do you guys. You want to give a good time as a band.
Speaker 3Oh, absolutely. But it's not that we're trying to beg and beg and beg and beg. But no, I mean, yeah, the bottom line is so that we can give others a good time as much as we have. Yep, very true, yeah.
Speaker 4Yeah, that's good. Any other projects that you guys have been working on behind the scenes Okay. Any that you're willing to share?
Speaker 2Yeah, okay, okay, any that you're willing to share.
Speaker 3Yeah, okay. So I have one new song coming up in Stars of the Spectrum, the album volume two, that's the sequel album of Stars of the Spectrum. Yes, I also debuted at a Universal CityWalk adjacent to Universal Studios called March on Grouvon. And before I, I, oh my gosh, and I want to give a shout out to the people involved in the production Brittany D'Angelo on the saxophone, casey St Silvera on the trumpet, jake Velasquez of Jake and Sky on the guitar and then backing vocalist Sierra June, laura K, jane and Nicole Castillo, shoutvilmi. Shout out to y'all getting involved in the production. Thank you so much. Shout out.
Speaker 4Shout out, shout out. That's good. Before we continue, let's go ahead and let's roll the intro.
Speaker 3Yes, that anthem Cheers, cheers, dog.
The Twin Experience
Speaker 4And cheers to you. Cheers. We're always winning, like we should. We flying high, we butterfly up to the sky. No way you catching us.
Speaker 3Goodbye, pretty God, we make it out alive. Goodbye, pretty God, we make it out alive. Lost behind there, like we saw, we, undefeated, just resign. No load in it. Ah yes, we undefeated, just resign. No longer than a.
Speaker 4Ah, yes.
Speaker 3I love that song still bro.
Speaker 4Oh, I know I've been telling Rockstar Turtles we link back up and he's finally coming back into the light.
Speaker 2Yes, and.
Speaker 4I told him. I was like let's push this project, let's get this going on your guys' cover song, yes, and let's keep it going. I know that him and Jay Verde are currently working on Broke Boys number two. Whoa, next one.
Speaker 3Another rendition.
Speaker 4Another one? No way, yeah, they're currently working on it.
Speaker 1I guess now we have another reason to anticipate the sequel.
Speaker 3Ah, okay, jesus Christ.
Speaker 1Yeah, but introduce your guys' shows to everybody that's listening, everybody that's watching. Alright, the question is who's going first?
Speaker 3Okay, since you're the firstborn, why don't you go first?
Speaker 1Okay, Alright. Hi everyone, my name is Diego Vargas, aka DJ Any10. I'm an audio engineer, music producer, sound designer, composer and I do some post production.
Speaker 3All right, what's up y'all? Nico Vargas here. Yes, I'm a second born twin, born 30 minutes after him. Okay, anyway, I'm a singer, songwriter, producer, sometimes actor and photographer and quite a complex individual, and pretty much like that. You are complex, so are you? I see it through and through, thick and thin.
Speaker 4And I still love you.
Speaker 1I love you too, bro.
Speaker 4You guys got so much chemistry from your guys' twin aura, if that's appropriate for me to say yeah, twin aura yes, that's the first I've heard of it.
Speaker 2It's like energy telepathy too like yes is that a thing? Do you guys experience twin telepathy or no?
Speaker 1I'm gonna be honest, it's to a certain extent that it is telepathy. I think it's virtual telepathy. We only have, like what? 50 of it. Yeah, very much. Here's the funny thing, though like even though, like, they refer us as like wonder twins if you're familiar with that no, like it's like an old tv show, or like they have the ring and said wonder twins go and then, like they, they share like superpowers okay, I remember that.
Speaker 4Yeah, old like old.
Speaker 1Yeah. So basically it kind of refers to that once in a while. But honestly, like we're not like that, I kind of wish we were. We can switch bodies or like, hey, I need to take a test over here. Can we switch bodies for now, so that way you can pretend to be me.
Speaker 3There you go, yeah. And not to mention even way back in middle school we did switch classes, yeah, and high school, and successfully.
Speaker 1Yeah, successfully and successfully, wow, Nobody knowing.
Speaker 3Nobody knew. Okay, back in high school that was the last time that we switched, because at that one point we did get caught switching classes Really. Yeah, yeah, yeah, aw, it was a bust, especially at Glacier Point. Yeah.
Speaker 4Did you guys get in trouble? Like really bad.
Speaker 2No, no, okay, whether they were just like don't do it again, oh no.
Speaker 1This is a funny thing. So I think I recall this like it was kind of after graduation. It was kind of after graduation, it's kind of funny. We had to bring this up after that so we, the staff already already knew, but hence my mom. She was also working at roosevelt at the time, so it kind of kept it a secret until I told her. It's like uh, hey, mom, I know it's kind of late for this, but we did switch classes at one point. She's like huh, and she was left speechless Like oh man, it's so long ago.
Speaker 2And now it's like I just look at it funny and I feel like now we're old enough, you can confess a little bit to your parents.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2Without getting in trouble.
Speaker 4Yeah, yeah, it's in the past.
Speaker 2Just let it go, let it go Now. It's funny.
Speaker 4Yeah, yeah it's in the past, just let it go. Let it go now. It's funny just laugh.
Speaker 3All those little, all those fun adventures in the past, like even though.
Introduction to Stars of the Spectrum
Speaker 1Okay, yeah, I have some too, but I it's too long to explain yeah oh man, now you gotta love that, especially when, when sometimes, like once in a while, we'll even wear the same shirts Like out of nowhere. Out of nowhere A coincidence, or I call it a mutual choice, yeah.
Speaker 4Now do you guys share sometimes the same clothing, Like hey, can I borrow those shorts, or hey, can I get those shoes for the day, or something.
Speaker 1Sometimes Sometimes yeah.
Speaker 4Does it get complicated between both of you guys?
Speaker 1No, no, no. Actually, you know what One case it did, but I'll spare the details.
Speaker 2That's so funny. Me and my sister are close in sizes and with her I don't like sharing, or we don't like sharing with each other.
Speaker 3So so she'll be like can you use the shirt? And I'm like no, and then we do fight. So that's interesting that you guys don't fight, yeah, although we do fight, sometimes verbally, on sometimes stupid things. That are not even serious. But then after a while we always manage to ways to settle it down and be like, hey, it's all good For sure. Twin life.
Speaker 2Very nice.
Speaker 1That's good, oh man.
Speaker 2Okay, so I very nice, that's good. Oh man, okay, so I've heard that both of you are involved in the stars of the spectrum, the music group. Yeah, can you guys tell me a little bit about that, because I don't know much about it okay, so what is it? How did it start? How'd you get involved?
Speaker 4yeah, talk about the whole. Let me know the whole thing I'm interested all right.
Speaker 3so the stars of the spectrum, that is, is a music group that is under the Doug Flutie Jr Foundation. Have y'all heard of Doug Flutie?
Speaker 2I haven't.
Speaker 4I've only heard it because you kept sending some to me and I love seeing that information and I love getting all that.
Speaker 1So believe it or not, actually for Doug Flutie, I think it was like in the 80s that he was a, was a. Uh, he was a quarterback for college football, so in boston college. So actually, as far as I remember from what I researched from the time being, he was actually the first person to successfully pull off a hail mary in college football. So that was like man. But that was like in 88, or was it 87? No, I think 1984. Oh well, I'm way off on that. So, um, so, yes, actually, um. So how it started, believe it or not, that was actually when I was doing little gigs here and there and actually you know where inspiration park is at yeah so it started off there pretty weirdly.
Speaker 1So I actually was. I was over there performing with the councilwoman, esmeralda soria okay and yes, so major shout out to her. And then, um, actually what abc news was there? So they kind of, they kind of caught the whole scenery and so they were looking at my set and they're like you know what, let's make a story off of you so and so vanessa vasconcelos also.
Speaker 1Shout out to her. Shout out, shout out. So actually, um, I had an interview with her. Um, it was over at new life baptist church, so it was like kind of a different choice than I thought. But she was reviewing like hey, what is it like being a dj with, with autism?
Speaker 1so that was like something I didn't expect to really answer yeah and and so that is actually how actually it went out to the news and then actually the news kind of spread out nationwide, yeah. So it kind of went to like pittsburgh went to boston, new york it went to washington texas oh, total domino effect. I didn't realize it's gonna go out like that, so I'm actually grateful for that. But that's how the doug flutie jr foundation for autism, that's how they discovered me so I mean I was like, I I was stoked, yeah.
Speaker 1So I was wondering, like they were hitting me up on instagram, okay, well, I don't know what this is about. I thought it would. I thought it was fake yeah, like, especially on instagram.
Speaker 4You have to be careful but anything on social media sometimes, like you get things and you're just kind of like you know.
Speaker 3I guess, sus sometimes. Yeah, are they really putting up a facade or what so?
Speaker 1I did have to ask a few other older folks, like you know, with my father and my father's friends. So I asked them, like wait, is this legit? And they're like, oh so, if it's Doug Flutie, yes, it's legit. So set up a couple of Zoom meetings here and there. Yes, yes, and that happened until one day. I think it was like in March. Yeah, it was March. So right in the middle, they asked me in one of those rooms it's like in a Zoom meeting and the question that started it all was this All right, so, ne.10, we would like to ask you to DJ with us over at Fenway Park this August.
Speaker 2Oh wow.
Speaker 1So I was like I was glowed like that. Already it's like speechless. Yeah, I couldn't say a word after that. But I had to keep my cool and, like in Izumi, I said, yes, that would be such an honor, but when I end off, I close the meeting, I'll spare my energy because like that was the most explosive I've ever got. So I went out to tell people, you know, and I didn't realize it was the 25th celebration of that organization.
Speaker 1So when we traveled to boston and actually that was like an amazing trip, yeah, but by far at least what we, what we took, and so that's how we actually managed to meet others over there, meet other artists over there so basically it's a festival meet separate artists that were there. So I think like one of the first ones that I was introduced to or kind of like brought in was Camden King, camden the Great, that's another DJ over there in Boston, nice, so he's also on the spectrum. And then this quote unquote domino fag. You were saying so it kind of kept on, so it kept on going. So it was Cam kept on.
Speaker 1So it kept on going. So is camden, victoria jambay, jennifer masumba, sierra june the list goes on from there. Yeah, I can't really say it. And also aiden boyer, sequig, yeah, ah, if I say the whole thing, I'm gonna, I'm gonna stick around too long. But but man, all the fluty folks they were there. And then, of course, there's some new ones that come in every year, yeah, but in this case it's like you, really I, I couldn't expect more from just seeing all that. It it was. It was an experience I will never forget, especially for, especially for all that.
Speaker 1So stars of the spectrum was put together actually that night, as, like after the festival was done. So actually, actually connelly, with I try to impress with that Me and my brother we were asked to be like okay, so for any 10, you need to play one song, or you have like two minutes, yeah. So I thought, okay, how could I pull this off in two minutes? And what am I supposed to do? Okay, crazy idea, ambitious. Supposed to do? Yeah, okay, crazy idea, ambitious. Make a modern remix of sweet caroline.
Speaker 3That's like their anthem, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, then we part. They play that at the, I believe at the end of the seventh inning if I'm not mistaken, at the end of seventh inning.
Speaker 1Yes, they will play that. So if, if they're winning, so that's what it is. But you know, given the sense of victory, yeah, so of course, um, so of course, like, hey, it's.
Speaker 1It's kind of like this thing where we break it or we make it, yeah, so we, we cannot mess this up, especially in production line, like for what me and nico has done. I think we pulled it off like and like, actually I did create a vlog or docu vlog. It's like an hour long, so it did show, like especially the whole crowd. I just basically had them from sitting and it's just like standing up.
Speaker 3That's so cool. He commanded the crowd like a boss. That's so cool.
Speaker 1And so they kind of saw that they're like whoa. So they all had this idea, especially when we went down to this Was it a Korean bar or sushi bar?
Speaker 3Yeah, it was a Korean bar that was after the show. So juba, if I'm not mistaken. Yes, as far as I recall.
Speaker 1So so actually that's where that idea kind of like came through. Yeah, okay. So yes, even though stars of the spectrum had a choir, so the choir was kind of a zama before, but it wasn't enveloped into like a artist, producer, dj, anything like that. It's kind of like a bigger extension in terms of that, yeah yeah.
Speaker 1So I mean, even though, even though I wasn't, I wasn't surprised about like how it formed, because, honestly, I think all of us turned out great like as to how the whole progress was, and so that's how stars of spectrum came about. And, of course, with that first album I I kind of I mixed pretty much half of the songs, so I'm trying to keep it consistent yeah and so I love what I did that's very and by far, the album was pretty successful that's so cool so there's been two festivals.
Speaker 3Right stars of spectrum there's there's the the first one in 2023 and the second one last year.
Speaker 2that happened and then there was something more recently, right.
Speaker 3There was a concert series. There was two concert series actually. One was taken in Orlando two months prior. No, this was this year, two months prior, in January, and then in March they managed to to out of all places, they brought it over to fresno no way yes in march this happened yes oh my gosh, where was it at? It took place at the rose downtown nice.
Speaker 4What was the highlight?
Speaker 2yeah, what were some highlights of it?
Speaker 3okay that that whole day was packed, oh, oh.
Speaker 2I believe you.
Speaker 3Besides the concert though, besides our performances there, um, holy, holy cow, on on the morning of we were doing that bread relay and that's the, that's the way to promote um bread relay under jersey mics, and that jersey mice has has a proud partnership with the flutie foundation cool. So we toured basically through all of jersey mic stores, all six of them in Fresno County.
Speaker 2Very cool.
Speaker 3Yeah, and then there was another one the day after Visalia. We didn't go to that one because someone else was on the way home back and he was more set for that. Oh, got it. So we toured the six and two in Clovis, no, three in Clovis, three in Fresno.
Speaker 2Oh, wow.
Speaker 1You got that right. So actually, okay, no kidding, I know it's kind of like drifting away, but I have to mention this. So there's a runner here in Fresno. His name is Kyle, last name please Grossman Grossman. There you go, kyle Grossman. Okay For him going fast. Especially it looks like he's just running a marathon, which he actually did marathons from Boston, paris, disney, so he does a lot of that. But actually I was in the Jersey Mike's in Ashland Fowler which I kind of DJed over there. We kind of had our little good area right there, kind of do some promotion. So then 30 minutes later he's already on Blackstone and Bullard.
Speaker 3The starting point was way out east on Shaw and Leonard.
Speaker 2Oh wow, yes, he's pretty fast yeah.
Speaker 1And all together, out of all those stores, he ran 26.2 miles that's crazy just a shout out to him because, like, not only that, he's also a great friend.
Speaker 2Yes, that's so cool man.
Speaker 1So, yes, like that's, that's pretty much actually there's more to it, but like it's insane as to how much friendships have been developed.
Speaker 1That's good yeah and actually that that's a thing I think it's insane as to how much friendships have been developed. That's good, yeah, and actually that's a thing. I think it's a really good thing for those who are on a spectrum that I encourage those to go out. You know, make some friends that really have either a niche or just not your type. Maybe experiment going out to different cultures or to different things, like build community there you go Like you never know. Yeah for sure, networking is so hard.
Speaker 4I know from personal experience. But when you do it and you just throw yourself out there, it will get you to different things, to connect to different people, to relate to others. Right and it helps out a lot.
Speaker 1I agree, big time.
Speaker 2That's so cool guys.
Speaker 4So I got a question real quick for diego what got you into producing?
Speaker 1music and djing man. So there's a lot of inspiration. That kind of went down the line. So, um, actually it was it's in 2013 when, conveniently, like I, I was kind of bored with the music at the time, so I ran through an artist, um named skrillex. I mean, yeah, he's really huge out there and he's still going on today, but despite that, like, I bought a couple of cds from like.
Speaker 1From the first two, that was like major grammy winning ones, so it's like it was all dubstep music. And actually that was where I'm thinking, like, man, this is so freaking cool because you know what, the teenage years, you're kind of like man, you're kind of into this phase, you're trying to discover something new and then suddenly, bam, that that album really strikes you. Or or to say, you know, there's an emo stage and then there's there's another phase that happens here and there, yada, yada, yeah, yeah, all of that brings into nostalgia, but then this. So then the inspiration is like, you know what? I want to make stuff like that, I want to learn, I want to do it, I mean.
Speaker 1And also djing too. There's also like artists like armin van buren, tiesto, benny benassi those are like the few folks that I have mentioned. Those are my huge inspirations. Yeah, so all I did is that I started djing in a garage for just block parties. That was it like. That's how it started. It's like you know I had this little controller was like you know, it was like 200 it was. It was cheap, but it was a good starter yeah you know, it's not see.
Speaker 1This is something that I've always, I've always, stuck with me. It's not just the equipment, but it's the person behind it.
Speaker 2For sure.
Speaker 1Yes, I love that idea. It just sticks with me, and so that's how it all began. But then, when it's come to producing, so that was a little tricky. So Nico actually started off first. So he started using a software called Mixcraft, so then that was kind of like a it was like a borderline professional, which is like it was cool at the time for beginners, right. I started digging into it and then I started looking at, okay, what do I use? And then all of a sudden, this program called FL Studio, so it was starting to grow in population within like 2015. So it's kind of like two years after, like I started djing.
Speaker 1So it's like you know what I can make this happen, like I'll put two and two together yeah yeah so definitely it was self-taught you, you taught yourself basically most of it was self-taught, but like, um, actually kind of down the line, it's like nobody really knew how to use fl Studio at the time. You know, not a lot of people knew about it. But when I went to Fresno City College, that's when it all changed. So I was kind of like on the fence of like hey, do I really want to do this a career or do I want to make it a hobby? Do I just let it sit there? But no, like there's a professor named Ashley. I worked with him for a couple of years as his teacher assistant actually. So his name is Chris Brady and he is. I took his class called audio engineering and that is where it just kicked off my career. It was like the huge pivot point. I was like man, that's it.
Speaker 2I'm settled. Let's go, that's so cool, yes.
Speaker 1And that's how it all began go. That's so cool. Yes, and that's how it all began.
Speaker 2That's tight. Nice, that's tight.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2Nico.
Speaker 4I have a question for you.
Speaker 2So at the second Stars of the Spectrum Music Festival, how was it singing With the headlining band Couch? Was that a big moment For you and how did it feel being up there?
Speaker 3Yes, that was a Big moment Right there. And and how did it feel being up there? Yes, that was a big moment right there and, honestly, up there, yeah, I was nervous at first hand but overall, okay, I want to get to the start of it, but it was three days prior of us traveling to Boston the second time and last year I got the text from the coordinator. It was a I would say it's kind of like a last minute invitation, but not really because it was a really big deal.
Speaker 3But at the time Couch's lead vocalist did have vocal issues. Oh, ran into vocal illness at the time, mm-hmm. Well, god be with her, mm-hmm. So God be with her, okay. So, anyway, she invited me along other people, a few other people in the Stars group, to sing with Couch and by the time I got that text okay, I'm not going to lie. Okay, I got more expressive than how Diego was, because I could not stop spinning around and bouncing up and down, bouncing off the walls. I could not stop spinning around and bouncing up and down, bouncing off the walls.
Speaker 3I could not stop, like really, I was so giddy and all that, but I'm like, okay, yeah, yeah, okay, I got to come down, I got to save it, I got to save it for that place.
Speaker 2For sure.
Speaker 3And rehearsing with one of the couch members. That was a great memory right there, a great moment right there. But you could kind of prep me for that big moment up there.
Speaker 2That's so cool.
Diego's Journey into DJing and Production
Speaker 3Yes, and I did sing. What was that? Bee Gees' how Deep Is your Love and the Beatles' Something.
Speaker 2Oh cool.
Speaker 1Oh man, he put out a show Like no joke it. Just the moment I was in the audience he blew the water, especially from what I'm hearing, the crowd just in awe of all that.
Speaker 2That's so cool, that is tough, that's such a cool moment.
Speaker 4Thank you. I saw that you guys were doing something with Autism Rocks.
Speaker 3Oh, yes, yes.
Speaker 4How did that start for you guys? How?
Speaker 3did that start for you guys? Well, actually, diego got me into it first because he sent me the Instagram post that says it's hosting auditions for the next concert at Universal CityWalk and it was the seventh annual, I believe and I did go through, if I'm'm not mistaken, four to five rounds of that audition. Oh wow, four to five rounds, and of course I won it. Yeah, so cool. And I won that, that audition contest, oh yeah. And there was this like the final round. Oh boy, I, I almost that was my highest peak. I almost that was my highest peak. Tension rose up inside me and I thought okay, just two shall pass, don't worry about it. Whether you make it or not, it's okay. Yeah, but I made it through. I was all giddy again.
Speaker 2No for sure. That's so cool.
Speaker 1Man, you're running around like Roadrunner.
Speaker 3Meep, meep, you can say that you can say that, can say that, but yes, I could not stop that is so cool, thank you. And then, a year after it was, after my debut there, I got to get diego involved back, because you know, back when we, when we, when he made his debut on stars of the Spectrum Festival, he encouraged me to show what I can do to those folks and they tagged me along the way. That's so cool.
Speaker 3So I did it back to him with Autism Rocks, sure enough. And at the recent show, June 28th, he blew other DJs out of the park there you go.
Speaker 1I think that's a great thing for us. Being twins is like we got each other's backs.
Speaker 2That's what I was going to say. You guys are always looking out for each other.
Speaker 4It sounded like it was just like no, like, if I'm going up, you're going up with me too.
Speaker 1Yes, you know, I guess we're both processes. It's like no audition required.
Speaker 2No, which is very cool because you guys are kind of in the same like field of work, not necessarily doing the same thing, but you guys like performing and giving people a good time, so it is cool that you guys ended up like that. You know where you can benefit from the other exactly thank you so cool thank you.
Speaker 4Oh, man gotta love those moments so how's it going currently with the stars group? Anything new?
Speaker 1well, especially for volume two that's currently in the works. That's volume two of the stars of the spectrum album. So we're I'm awaiting details on that specifically. I can't really say much on that, but I'm also working on one especially. I'm working on one track especially um eight, eight people in one song. How do you do that? Management?
Speaker 1That's a lot, it is a lot. It was actually the most taxing project to date by far, in a span of like eight months from when I did. I mean, of course, the shortest amount of time I made a song happen was like a day, but that doesn't even count. But this was like the most taxing because there's like a whole bunch of processes trying to go through, you know, with the noise cleanup, trying to pitch vocals correctly. There's a process of that with Melodyne, there's the mixing process, which I got to say this is the most pack that I've ever did from eight people doing all this project at once. So it was like in a, in a total. Actually I'm trying to count what was the latest that I got. So, overall, it was like I'm trying to remember the channel count. Oh, there are 325 channels of audio alone.
Speaker 2Oh, wow.
Speaker 1Yes.
Speaker 2No joke, that's crazy, that's a lot.
Speaker 3No joke.
Speaker 2That's crazy.
Speaker 1That was like that was a lot to go through, but it taught me a lot how to be organized Because otherwise, otherwise that project would have failed at the end. But I'm honestly very grateful for that. It gave me a good challenge and I just love to push through it.
Speaker 1yeah, that's so cool oh yeah, and actually overall the project actually is is pretty well established. So there's actually I will give a shout out to these artists, except for one, because by the by the time this episode gets released, it, the album won't be released, the album won't be released, the album won't be released. So I'm keeping the collaborator kind of confidential. So the ones I will shout out at this time Rachel Barcelona, the singer in there, another one so Sam Boim. They're kind of dueting in this song. It's actually pretty freaking amazing. They're really great singers. And then of course, nico Vargas. He's part of it as a songwriter as well. So then I was also a songwriter, laura K Jane, she is a songwriter. And then I went with Jake Woodruff, songwrote the process kind of like just gave the framework. And then there's actually let's see who am I missing? Oh, jake Velasquez on the guitar. Bonus to that as well. He did amazing. I'm trying to count who else put in there. I think that was it. And then one other collaborator I'm leaving it confidential as a surprise.
Speaker 2There you go. Something I look forward to, oh yes.
Speaker 4So definitely stay tuned, check out the album when it comes out.
Speaker 1Oh, yes, love it.
Speaker 2So I have it down here that Nico's celebrating 10 years of songwriting and producing.
Speaker 4Tell us about the journey.
Speaker 2What motivated you to start? Any challenges you didn't foresee that you overcame? Tell us about it.
Nico's Breakthrough with Couch
Speaker 3Let's rewind to 2015, when it all started. Okay. So what motivated me to start? Yes, okay, there was this. Externally, there was this plethora In the live music scene, there was a plethora of trippy bands and no cap. I, on my part, got so frustrated and I keep asking myself every day at the time how are people going to still hear me when I want to be all original and authentic like this, and yadda, yadda, yadda. But then I told myself on that day, june 18th yeah, just do it.
Speaker 2There you go.
Speaker 3Like Nike.
Speaker 1There you go, just do it. Yes, bring it like Emperor Palpatine Do it.
Speaker 3And of course I did Right, and it's not really a. So in retrospect it's not, but I'm thankful for that, yeah, that for that evolution, because had I not um grown so much out of it, then what's the whole point?
Speaker 4yeah, for sure so, in the past 10 years, what have you learned?
Speaker 3Lots of things and still lots of things to learn in the future. One of the things I've learned is to write songs not just for you, but for everyone as well. There's this balance to maintain. There's this balance to maintain, and it's hard to maintain it because you have to even. What I learned is that I had to think of how the interpretations will also be modified by some other people and how their interpretations will shape your work into, maybe in a bigger way or in their own scene. You get what I mean. That was hard, and I did not get that at first two years until after, until after my third year, I believe. So I, of course, I came across. When I came across, other singers, I'm like, okay, how did he do this, how did he do this and this and that? So I had to learn, step by step and technique by technique, on how interpretation is done. Yeah, even by, even when it's live in a studio, wherever.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3So that got me thinking like so much over and over and over. I'm like, okay, I got to get it down single-handedly, right, and like that's my kind of way of songwriting, and so far. But over 10 years I am still thankful for that evolution. But over 10 years I am still thankful for that evolution. And even if I were to oh gosh, if I were not to like even one rule I had is to start when you finish. Of course there are some songs that were still in progress and yet I've always had something in mind and yet it doesn't get finished. Yeah, it happens with it. I don't. I hate to call it a writer's block, but for real it is, but to me it's such a bad word he said I have to push through uh-huh yes absolutely, yeah, basically you have massive brain fart, especially when that happens.
Speaker 1Yes, I, I do a lot.
Speaker 3Bear with me.
Speaker 4Diego. What are some of the challenges that you've faced and how do you handle them?
Speaker 1Well, there is a lot of them, especially in terms of life and in production, but there's both things especially so ranging down from my personality or how I take things in perspective. So actually, a lot of these challenges are more of like, the big question is, how do I handle it, depending on the situation? So there's always this thing that actually, I think bear girls kind of used it, but then also the marines kind of like adapted it. From this time being it's improvising, adapting and overcoming. So that's like it's been. It's been the model since then, actually since my grandfather was a marine, you know hurrah, and no, definitely, god bless him.
Speaker 1Yeah, so for for many, for many times that I always try to keep calm and especially keep going. Otherwise, like if I just and I get it, there are some folks that will, they'll just break down and, yes, people get emotional and I accept that there's, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's a matter. It's a matter of difference as to as to how how we handle it, either maturely or immaturely, and I've had this problem for so long. So it's either like you to come off hastily or or just grow up, and yeah, it's hard. It's hard to, especially in a certain age.
Speaker 1But once you're past that, you're past that, there's nothing, and there's nothing to fear about except taxes I mean but other words, other words, yeah, so in in terms of producing that kind of, taught me a lot of this in parallel. So, like, um, like when my actually my first hard drive, that I had what like I had throughout my years, and it was like in 2022, no, no, november of 2021, I don't remember November of 2021, that's when it failed. It gave up on me and none of my stuff actually almost everything was not backed up. Oh no, it was all gone. Yeah, yeah, that's horrible.
Speaker 1It is. But I pressed on, you know, and of course, from all the skills that I had, I had to sort of relearn from what I had to do. But I think it was a really good fresher. It was more like a good wake-up call. It's like, hey, I learned from this huge mistake. Just back everything up. I'm serious, back everything up, even in the worst case scenario, even if it's not gonna happen. Yeah, just do it. Yeah, and you never know it. There's no warning, there's nothing that's gonna happen unless there's like these beep, beep, beeps on your computer and then and then snap, like Thanos, it's gone, yeah, yeah. But you know just a few things to keep in mind, especially. That's how I learned a lot of this along the way.
Speaker 1Actually, I'm grateful for my parents too. They taught me along the ways how to handle situations. Yes, even though as an autistic person, you do feel overwhelmed pretty easily. But over time it will become like second nature. Time it over time it will become like, um, like second nature, yeah, like either either you face it in a more of like straightforward or you over complicate it. I'd rather deal with this straightforward, yeah, right, unless the situation is complicated, then okay, you deal with it piece by piece yeah, nice, nice.
Speaker 4So anybody else who has or who's watching that probably is autistic. Um, what are some advices that you guys could give to them?
Speaker 2well, or tips that help you?
Speaker 1maybe, yes, so, oh my gosh, there are so many out there, but actually one of them, I did say earlier, is to go out and and to make friends, but also, don't be afraid to speak out. And yes, it does seem difficult when, like, you're afraid of someone else's reaction, but how are you going to know if you can't give out your honest opinion or you cannot speak up for yourself? Yes, there is a fear factor to it, but it's only a matter of time as to how you overcome it.
Speaker 2For sure.
Speaker 1Yeah. So that's a tip that I would say Speak up for yourself and don't back down, never back down.
Speaker 2I like that. I like that, nico, do you have any?
Speaker 3Oh my goodness, I have so many, I can't just pick one. I would piggyback on what Diego said, but I would like to say be you. That's all I can say, even if it's at the cost of losing someone that you would think that is good for you, when in reality they're not. So be it, because, like I mentioned in the last episode, I've lost myself many, many, many times, and even at this age now, it's actually a wonderful, refreshing thing of when my soul now tells me at as like my alarm, tell me no, no, no, no, I can't lose myself again. I can't. But that's only out of fear. But what I can say is to change that thought process, especially for you autistics out there. Change it to where you can say I can still work hard to be me. Yeah, I like it, I love that.
Speaker 3I like it.
Speaker 2I like it. So I see that you guys have traveled a lot recently. I see a San Diego trip. I see a trip to Arizona.
Speaker 3Yes, Were they family trips?
Speaker 2Yeah, were they family trips? Were they work trips? Were they just for fun?
Arizona and Travel Adventures
Speaker 3Okay, yeah, they were family trips, okay. And even, what was that? Let's start with San Diego. We did go there middle of April, right, yeah, middle of April, and it was that one night before we went to SeaWorld. What was that Italian restaurant? I believe it was Giovanni's, if I'm not mistaken, it was Giovanni's, and I remember that plate Veal parmigiana.
Speaker 1Don't make me hungry, man, I just ate.
Speaker 3I know, I know I'm trying to fast too, don't worry, but that plate is to die for y'all.
Speaker 1It was good, but what did you have to go? I can't remember that. I cannot remember the name of it, but I remember it was that good.
Speaker 3No.
Speaker 1Okay, Now here's the thing. I remember what it looks like, although I cannot describe it because it's too good to describe it.
Speaker 3Oh Okay.
Speaker 2Oh.
Speaker 3Okay, okay. And the next morning, for the whole day, we went to SeaWorld.
Speaker 2I've never been. How was it?
Speaker 3It's so cool there. I highly recommend it.
Speaker 4It's on our bucket list. We just haven't gone.
Speaker 2I've been telling Martin all year I've been on, I wanted to visit three places. I want to go to San Diego, Yosemite and I think Las Vegas. Was it? Las Vegas?
Speaker 4I think it was Las Vegas, san Diego.
Speaker 2There were three places I want to go to this year.
Speaker 4We've been to.
Speaker 2Yosemite, and San Diego is next.
Speaker 3I want to go, before I go back to work, giovanni's Sea World. And what's that other place? Wonder Museum? And yes, if you guys see the hat here, you see this cap oh yeah yeah, that's Wonder Museum, it's Art Interactive, oh that sounds fun yes it is, oh, it's a trip to go over there.
Speaker 1I'm I'm kind of stoked as to how, how they all did it, although I kind of figured out some of it out, some of it, but some of it is like, wow, no, just go. I'm not going to explain it, just go, it's actually great. But also the other thing with San Diego we went to the. There was like a naval ship over there.
Speaker 3You can actually tour it. It's also. It's a museum. I think it's a United States Air Force. No, not Air Force Naval, united States Navy Midway, midway.
Speaker 1Museum. It's a Midway Museum. So actually if you love history and if you love kind of like seeing, actually I will say get some comfortable tennis shoes, because you're going to do a walk-in. We're not even finished with the tour. We're not finished.
Speaker 3It's a long way to go.
Speaker 1Yes, actually, to finish with a tour, we're not finished. It's a long way to go. Yes, you need actually you need to at least do like two days worth of san diego. Okay, well, not just san diego, actually the midway museum. Midway museum, yes just that alone okay, but but yes, like everywhere else, especially for san diego, definitely give it a go. Actually, um question you guys like baseball?
Speaker 4I watch a little bit. I don't know fully like details, but I do like going to the games watching it. I like the energy of it, that's all right.
Speaker 1I like the vibes, yeah All right, yeah, they have the Petco Stadium. Actually, we did go to see a Padres game. That was like a while back ago. I can't remember what was. I think 2021, 21, see you remember these years, and then it's like oh gosh I think that's a good thing that we have each other's back.
Speaker 1Speaking of which, yeah so, but yes, definitely give it a shot. You know, actually probably ask for, like balcony seats, like especially on the upper level. They're actually pretty nice. And sometimes, if you go, actually a tip if you go to like instead of online because online tickets are expensive, yeah so if you go to the tip, if you go to like instead of online because online tickets are expensive, yeah so if you go to the booth, kind of like where the ticket booth has instead, kind of like besides of any stadium, you can ask for, you can ask for a range of tickets and they're actually cheaper, really yeah so it's cheaper to go like in person, right?
Speaker 2nice, that's crazy.
Speaker 4I'm starting to learn that a lot of people, a lot of people are coming out with theories and showing like it's way cheaper to do things the old-fashioned way going to the ticket booth, going out to getting certain things instead of online.
Speaker 3Like way before the internet came out. Yeah.
Speaker 4It's like they're charging a convenience fee for doing online when you go in person, whereas I think back in the day, like back then, we used to be like the opposite. Well, everything online is cheaper.
Speaker 3Yes, I think we switched, but right now, especially in movie theaters, for that convenience fee. Damn why.
Speaker 4Why so much?
Speaker 1I just want to see the next Avatar, please yes.
Speaker 4I love the Avatar movies. Did you guys see that one?
Speaker 1Yes, we've seen both the two movies that have come out so far.
Speaker 4And they're working on a third one, right, yes, already, wow, yes, I think they're going to finish the third one and then start right immediately after the fourth one.
Speaker 2Oh, wow.
Speaker 1Yeah, just get ready for a movie marathon if you plan to watch all of them at once.
Speaker 3I couldn't stop crying, to both movies and theaters. Yeah, I could not stop. So much visual, so much passion. Yes, that, that storytelling, that production, though james cameron shout out to you.
Speaker 4Oh, seriously have you guys gone to a 40x movie oh, we have.
Speaker 1It was like one time I can't, I wasn't like, um, it was like. It was like into the spider-verse, I believe. I think it was spider-man I can't remember which one no, you're right, it was spider-man.
Speaker 3No, it was into the spider verse. Maybe that I I have animated one or the live action actually no, I am so dead wrong.
Speaker 1Uh, nico, it was a live version 11. It's just such a blur right now, man, there's too many spider-man movies and there's too many Marvel movies.
Speaker 3Jesus.
Speaker 4Christ.
Speaker 1Wow.
Speaker 3Yeah, no.
Speaker 4I only watch now, like, I think, after we watched Deadpool and 40X. Yeah, that's when we were like come on oh really we got to watch that and that was good. That was a really fun movie, yeah.
Speaker 2I hadn't. I've never been to a 40, and Martin went to go see the Avatar, the newest one. He went to go see it in theater when it was released with his cousin in 4DX and he was like I almost got motion sickness because of the water the whole three hours.
Speaker 4You're getting thrown. You're flying.
Speaker 3You see the water scenes. How was that?
Speaker 4bro, I love it. I love it Because the misconception a lot of people think it's going to be like a shit ton of water coming after you just think of like misters, like a little, a little value, and just just a small.
Speaker 3Yeah, just that. Yeah, I I have. I first thought too that that a lot of it will come up where I will get soaking wet yeah, well, it's not like, it's not like they're squirting you with nerf water guns.
Speaker 1Yeah, I mean, I mean definitely. Yeah, it is pricey, but it is worth going there at least once yeah, I think it for sure.
Speaker 2Like elevates the movie theater experience.
Speaker 4Yeah, for sure it definitely gives it more of like a thrill of it just going just to watch.
Speaker 1You're part of it, you're in the scenes, you're yeah at least go to like one where they have an action movie and they're like Mission.
Speaker 4Impossible or do John Wick? We've seen it with John Wick.
Speaker 2Oh, there you go.
Speaker 4So sometimes, when they're getting shot at, it has the ricochets right behind you, so you feel like you're getting shot at.
Speaker 3Oh, I just Remember it just popped up too. We also went to Screen X. Oh, that's right, it was, for we saw Top Gun Maverick. Okay, ooh, how was that?
Speaker 4Screen X. What is it? Is it the whole thing? It's the extended screen.
Speaker 3Okay, that's cool. It's 270 degrees of view, if I'm not mistaken. That's cool.
Speaker 1Yes, yeah, here's the thing, though A thing depending on a certain movie, it will work on most scenes. There are some scenes that will just cut out. You're kind of focused on this one. Then, once action starts and it expands, it's pretty cool. They just enlarge it.
Speaker 3Yes, oh, yeah.
Speaker 1Yeah, but it's not like they stretched it. They actually do the whole freaking thing.
Speaker 3It's crazy and I remember Dad's reaction by the time the screen expanded for the first time. That was priceless.
Speaker 1I cannot recreate the face, but he's probably like.
Speaker 4That's so cool.
Speaker 1I know, I know if you're listening to audio you can't really see it, but you can try to imagine it in the worst way possible.
Speaker 2It's so fun seeing your parents experience things. We took my dad to the first 40X movie and he didn't know what to expect, so bought a large, large popcorn and a beer and a cup of beer.
Speaker 4So when he sat down he was like trying to balance it it was so funny popcorn everywhere just.
Speaker 1But by the time you said that we already know what's gonna happen.
Speaker 2A hundred to happen 100%. Are you sure you want that?
Speaker 4he's like yeah, I want popcorn and a beer, but before he even sat down he sat down and he's like trying to balance, he's holding his beer, just like, imagine he's holding his beer, it was so funny man, you're basing on a virtual rodeo no, it was so funny.
Speaker 2Yo, no, it was so funny. That's why, when you said your dad's reaction, I was like I can only imagine, because I know what my dad was like. That's so funny.
Speaker 4That's my favorite thing is just to take everybody to go watch a movie in 4DX because they've never experienced it.
Speaker 1Oh man.
Speaker 4Seeing their first initial reaction is funny Because they've never experienced it. Oh man, Seeing their first initial reaction is funny.
Speaker 3They're priceless. But at the same time it got me thinking whoa Dad's pretty much witnessed the whole history of cinema in the past almost like five, six decades.
Speaker 2That's crazy, huh, oh boy.
Speaker 3You've seen that evolution. It's like seeing Star Wars when it came out. Oh boy, the first Star wars movie, that's crazy.
Speaker 1Yeah, you got multiple wow factors star wars and then, and then kind of later on the 90s was it was just like the graphics are pretty man, cgi and yeah, and then then comes marvel and then comes 40x yeah, it's a nice evolution what more do people want?
Speaker 1I don't know if you guys have shown or you guys have probably personalized or personally witnessed um virtual reality, so tried the oculus or anything like that so this is like when I was in arizona that was like in 2019 and my cousin, um, he actually had an oculus and that was my first try on it. Man, I freaking loved it, but I mean I love it, but I wasn't gonna buy it for myself. It's like, yeah, no, I, I love. There's this game on there called pistol whip. Okay, so have you ever heard of the game? Like beat saber or like just dance. Yes, so basically it's like that, but except you kind of you kind of have to shoot in the right beat with pistols. Yes, I know what you're talking about. Yeah, so I mean, it is pretty freaking cool, but, okay, oh, another great memory.
Speaker 1So one of my other cousins which actually no, no, actually let me hold on the my cousin who owns the oculus. His father comes up and actually he got it brand new the day that we visited and he's like whoa, mijo, what's this? He's like, oh, go and try it. Got it brand new the day that we visited. And he's like, well, me, what's this? He's like, oh, go and try it on. It's basically alternate reality. He's like, uh, okay.
Speaker 1And plus his father is like an old timer, you know, and plus he's actually a CO at the time, so a correctional officer. So of course he worked in the force. So what is a combination of pistol whip plus old man who's not used to technology plus pistol whip. What do you do? Instead of like being in, being still, or like being in place, he freaking ducked.
Speaker 3I remember that.
Speaker 4He's like whoa.
Speaker 1Then he starts like oh crap, Get down Primo. No, that's not how it works.
Speaker 2That's so funny.
Speaker 1At least I didn't get close enough to get him in the face with that stick right there yeah seriously. He's pretty rough on that thing. He almost broke the face of it, but it's like it's crazy but it's the evolution. It is kind of trippy though yeah, it is a trip like, hey, I got dizzy from it for like using it for like a good two hours from it. Yeah, like, oh, I'm I'm definitely not gonna get used to this I only.
Speaker 3I believe I only used that oculus thingamabob, for I think it was something, watching the clip from a movie or something like that. I think I can't remember. I believe it was Jurassic World or something like that. No, no, not a movie clip, but something in kind of the immersive experience like that. I'm going to be real honest, man. Yeah, that gave me a damn headache. Yeah, we had one. I used to work in a middle you that gave me a damn headache.
Speaker 2Yeah, we had one. I used to work in a middle school and we let our kids use it and they would do like they had to hide an object. Somebody put on the Oculus hid an object and they would give it to another person. They had to find it. And a lot of the kids would get motion sickness.
Speaker 2Oh boy, Because they're not used to like they're moving so quick and their eyes are so thin, they'd take it off and they'd be like I don't feel good, and some of them would even throw up Because it was just too much at one time, I guess.
Speaker 1Well, I mean, your body is so used to moving, especially when your eyes are moving, but of course, if it, it's like tricking the body. Well, actually you're tricking the brain. So if you counteract it, then it's when you get motion sickness.
Speaker 2So I think that's what happened to a lot of them. So I get it when you guys say you get kind of sick or a headache.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 2Because it happens a lot You're not used to it like that Exactly Now.
Speaker 4I think it's the era where they have the whole vest.
Speaker 1So you can do the vest.
Speaker 4They have like a little circular pod, I guess you could say, and you can move with it all connected there's, there's video games and I think there's even places that you can do date nights and it's like, uh, you can play a zombie apocalypse, you can play literally just any other game and it's all virtual reality, you know I'm out.
Speaker 1Oh, come on, nico. You've seen the movie ready.
Speaker 3Player one right oh yeah, yes, I have basically it's coming to real life.
Speaker 1Yeah, oh, okay, okay, especially with full armor. And then you have the treadmill, like they have all of that technology. It's freaking crazy.
Speaker 2Yeah, it is pretty crazy.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 4Do you guys have anything on your guys' bucket list that you guys want to accomplish?
Speaker 2Oh boy, or things to do and places to go. Do you have any like you want to travel to or perform?
Speaker 3at Okay, I have a couple, all right, I want to hear them all. Tokyo, japan and Machu Picchu, peru Ooh, because I adore the scene of those Andes Mountains. I've always pictured myself walking on those mountains and and like, okay, I really get, I really gotta get a lot of training for that.
Speaker 1Yeah, to really enjoy that kind of nature oh yes, I know I I love your bucket list too, especially. But if at any point I mean a rock mountain, rock climbing isn't my real thing, but, man, if at any point, doesn't matter where, I would love to go ziplining. Oh, OK, I'm like man, I just, I just wanted to see nature because kind of like a vast kind of like just right there or if anything, I want to go skydiving. Oh, you're right, I'll do it.
Speaker 3Daredevil.
Speaker 2Oh, come on. No, no, no, I'm kidding. I love you. Is there any place in specific you'd want to go skydiving?
Speaker 1or ziplining. Well, shoot, I mean, if, if anything I would, I would do it kind of like either above texas or probably like in the midwest somewhere. Okay, I mean, I don't, I know it sounds pretty lame on the face of it, but honestly, like actually other places I want to visit, like New Orleans, or I want to visit Tennessee, yeah, kind of like those areas. I did visit Atlanta, but that was like for like a conference. Oh yeah, yeah, but I wish I could just go there for fun, yeah, the other thing I wanted to go a bucket list I've always wanted to go is Hawaii.
Speaker 4Nice? I've never been. That's on mine too.
Speaker 1I've never been yes, yeah, go out there and say aloha, and then you know, do anything else, yeah yes, I would love to go there too, especially in those islands.
Speaker 3What else in Austin, texas, especially Nashville, tennessee, of course, we've been to New York. How many times? No, no, no, that was 2019. We went to New York, yes.
Speaker 1Wait, you're saying it like a New Yorkian. What's going on? I actually did.
Speaker 3Because I adapt accents from everywhere.
Speaker 2Okay.
Speaker 4I've never been to New York. Did you guys have fun there? Oh, yes, we did. Okay, I've never been to New York.
Speaker 1Did you guys have fun there? Oh yes, we did Explain your part of the story, man.
Speaker 3One part. We went to New York Because at the time I was in the Fresno City College Choir. All of us choir members we were invited to sing At the legendary Carnegie Hall.
Speaker 2Wow that's so cool.
Speaker 3Yes, and I can't remember which hall it was. There were three halls. We sung in one of them, but the acoustics I'm sure were amazing.
Speaker 1And in audio description my brother. His head tilted back and out of shock.
Speaker 3Just in awe Beyond description. Wow, that's so beyond description that's all I can say. I mean it's. You could hear our voices reverberate throughout for at least like two to three seconds, or maybe more than that, but as far as I remember, I was speechless by that time. We've we've sung that last song. I don't remember all of it, but all I can say is that hall, is y'all got to go there? Y'all in New York, y'all got to go there at some point.
Speaker 1If you haven't, Well, I'm pretty sure some of them have, but especially just in the balcony view from where we're seeing especially for Nico. I was floored by the experience, like man and, and I did get in tears too. So, yes, man, cry too. They're just called man's tears yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1So there's that. And actually for us in new york, like we kind of traveled to other places. Like alongside, kind of like, the guggenheim museum, we went, actually we almost went to the statue of liberty, but we got turned around, so it's like that's a whole nother story. Yeah, later on, but of course we went to, um, we kind of passed down the uh, what's it called?
Speaker 1uh central park central park and and, albeit it's, it's a really fascinating experience yeah my, my father's friend, moved out to new york, kind of like in a tri-state area, and then like he actually his, his friend had a boat, like a little boat, so it kind of went off to shore, kind of like within, like I think it's like past hudson river, and then we went on that boat so kind of like at least like 10 miles out and out towards, and of course when he turns back he's like hey, diego, you want to drive the boat? It's like okay so I was nervous.
Speaker 1I was nervous like I've never driven a boat before, but honestly it it's actually. It's a lot easier to control if you have good mechanics gotcha. So, like man it's, it's such a nice experience.
Speaker 3Definitely drive one when you can I know I wasn't there at the time. I was with my friends at the time. I'm sure you were having a ball.
Speaker 1Well, definitely. I mean another tip take the opportunity when it strikes. There you go and you definitely don't want to miss it Like be fearless about it. Even if you're like I'm not too sure. I'm kind of tilting my head a little bit. No, just go for it, Go for it.
Speaker 3Okay, and one of those places there in New York Okay, that was by the hotel we stayed at, shake Shack.
Speaker 2I don't know if y'all heard of it, I've heard of it, but I don't think I've ever been to one.
Speaker 3There are no Shake Shacks in California, unfortunately, not that I've heard.
Speaker 4Okay.
Speaker 3But there is one in Arizona as far as I've heard, but anyway at Shake Sh not as far as I've heard, but anyway at shake shack. Okay, yeah, I gotta say this is more like the east eastern version of in and out, combined with the 50s diner style okay but in in casual fashion, yeah. But I remember um that burger there I'm like okay, I okay, I'll never probably have it again, but might as well savor it little by little.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 3And we, and other places too, we also went to. What else? Y'all went to? The Yankee Stadium, did you? We did, y'all did, I wasn't. We flew in. No, at the time, with my friends, though, we traveled through Washington DC. No, we landed in DC, flew from LA, flew from LA to Washington DC, performed there, we stopped there for a couple of days and then towards Lancaster, pennsylvania, performed there once, and we got to see in Pennsylvania. We got to see what's that? Oh, that Gettysburg Battlefield, and, oh man, that was that weight on my shoulders that it did feel haunting right there. So this is like reminding me of, like, what was that bloodiest war? No, that civil war of 1812, but it's like I cannot imagine speaking of in another emotional place other than in lancaster, pennsylvania, in new york, we went to ground zero where, um, that that attack took place at, and that, yeah, I did cry man tears, let's, let's be honest man tears, that's crazy but, yeah, that was.
Speaker 1It's such an experience like just unspeakable, yes, and and many of other experiences that will be gone. It's like you know, I'm very grateful for them, even for, like the little things. It doesn't have to be like all the way out and I don't know the other side of the country, but I still, I always appreciate it. But even just being here, just being here with the two of you and my twin brother, thankful for you two and you, and even from all that I'm enjoying this moment right now, yes, that's good.
Speaker 3This just popped up. I think you were asking about Arizona trip.
Speaker 1Yes, I did not mention. Oh my gosh, we went so off track.
Speaker 2Yeah we did, and that's how the conversation goes.
Speaker 3That's just the. Thing. That just popped up in my head right now.
Speaker 2So when did you guys go to Arizona and how?
Speaker 3was that experience In Arizona? We went there last month, in June.
Speaker 4I want to say, real quick, incredible editing on that vlog. Man, I watched the whole vlog. Thank you, we had such an amazing time.
Speaker 3Thank you. We did have a good time there as a family, and as an extended family too, so we actually went over there at the Arizona Grand Resort and also check out my blog on YouTube For those of you who haven't check it out, and I want to give a shout out to every participant out there. We want to thank every participant out there. Our family, y'all know who you are and special love to y'all. Participant out there. Our family, y'all know who you are and special love to y'all. Anyway, at the Arizona Grand Resort, we stayed there two nights Two nights there, I believe and at the next day after we arrived, there was this big family golf tournament in memory of our great tío Quito, I believe.
Speaker 3Yeah, sometimes we call him poppy poppy. Yeah, but God rest his soul. So it's really an honor to be a part of that. Um, being patent, passing though that tradition like that, I don't see other families doing that in honor of someone like that like a big golf tournament or uh, or doing something grand in in that kind of in that like a big golf tournament or doing something grand in that kind of setting. Yeah, especially at the Grand Resort, and within the Grand Resort too, there was a water park within. Oh cool, yeah, we got to spend some time there, especially our family. We had a ball, went on a water slide, the Lazy River and the waves there.
Speaker 2Nice.
Speaker 1Yeah, so that way the kids can be distracted, Meanwhile the adults do their golf tournament.
Speaker 3Perfect setting, yeah, on that hot day, and y'all would have guessed on how hot it was there.
Speaker 2Should we guess it was last month?
Speaker 3Yes, it was last month, so it was in.
Speaker 2June. Here it was like 110. So it was in June. Here it was like 110. So I would say 100 and like it had to be like. It's hotter in Arizona, isn't it?
Speaker 3It is a little hotter in Arizona.
Speaker 2I'm going to say 110.
Speaker 3Okay, Actually it was 100. And one of those days it was 115. Yes, Smoking.
Speaker 2Guys, I get mad and hot. When it's 100 degrees period here, I can't imagine 15 more degrees. Is it more like?
Speaker 4desert heat? Or is it just like straight beaming sun, beaming heat?
Speaker 3I can't tell honestly, Can I?
Speaker 4say both yeah, maybe.
Speaker 2Is it humid out there or is it dry heat?
Speaker 3It is dry heat. I don't think it was humid there. It's Texas or Florida.
Speaker 1Actually, it was considered dry from the time that we were over there Nice yeah. Oh man, I will not miss the heat there.
Speaker 3I will say yeah. Nah, but no better way to beat the heat in the water.
Speaker 4yeah no especially out on the beach there yeah, so I got, oh, one more question to ask you guys before we go ahead and we wrap this up. This was an incredible episode thank you you guys are being such a at a high level of influence. How do you guys deal with criticism?
Handling Criticism and Closing Thoughts
Speaker 3that's a. That's a good thing you brought up that question, martin. It's actually very refreshing to actually get into that, because I, on my part, handling criticism, it still is a challenge yeah especially when having and when I describe myself as like having an old soul and a childlike heart.
Speaker 3One of the challenges I face when facing criticism is yes, I tend to have pride in what I do, especially with self-imposed standards, but and overthinking too, which does result in self-imposed confusion and my mind, it could become a hot mess, believe it or not yeah, I believe you, I believe that yeah yeah, and down down from time to time.
Speaker 1Yes, um, there, there were times I was prideful, but then, um, I had this kind of like feeling of sonder. So the meaning of for those that don't know, like feeling of sonder. So the meaning of for those that don't know the meaning of sonder, is like it's, it's feeling you are. You thought you're kind of like your center self, but it turns out there's like billions of people who are living in the same planet as you. What is it that? What is it that you're really going to do? You never know. That person next to you at the bus stop is going to be like see, it's going to have a doctor's appointment.
Speaker 1You never know if the next one broke up, you never know what was. You never know the next one's going to get married. You never know. Yeah, that's the feeling of sonder. So that's where, for me, taking the criticism is more like, yes, take it, but don't, don't come off harsh and don't don't brash it. And yes, there were times I was like that and it's hurt. It's hurt and it has burned some bridges. So over time, I'm actually grateful that I learned from from those bridges being burned. So I've come off with better relationships. And yet you, you put yourself in a position where you're like, okay, instead of like justifying what you're saying in criticism, instead just listen, because, because you never know what's what's gonna come at you, you never know what you're gonna learn from it.
Speaker 3Yeah, yeah, that's pretty common, especially in the industry that I'm focusing in yeah, in this, in this music industry too, it is very competitive, and I've always been told, too, that everybody is replaceable, and every time I told that, I'm like, well, okay, I just need to settle down for a minute, I just need to settle down for God knows how long, and even then, if I were to take okay, I could take constructive criticism more easily.
Speaker 3I'm not going to lie, but I mean I like it when it's destructive criticism, that total opposite. So for me, that's when I get, that's when I go crazy, and, and that's um to the point where, where I'm like, okay, I, I don't even, I don't even want to give a shit about what people say about me. So, yeah, that tends to be me, but overall, I do welcome constructive criticism in ways that can help me grow, and I've had people along the way that has helped me grow, not just with how I sing, how I write songs, everything else in life, though, and it's all connected to it, and I've had people, too that gave me brutal reality checks, and that's those are needed too yes and especially last year too, when, um, I remember that was a time where, yeah, I was so confused about having an old soul and yet sometimes be connected to more older adults, and I remember last year you gave me that reality check, martin.
Speaker 3So I'm very appreciative for it. Oh can you tell me when? That was last year? I think that was November, I think that was March, april. I think it's somewhere in the middle of 2024. I think April, if I'm not mistaken.
Speaker 4But I mean, I do remember that, yeah we message a lot, so that's how I get confused.
Speaker 3That's how I'm gonna go, oh yeah. So that's why I mean I do remember that still, kind of like to remind me like hey, don't get confused about who you are. You sometimes you need to step back, like I need to step back for a while and really build the foundation all over again yes, yes, now that you bring that up, yeah, yeah yeah, because it's hard.
Speaker 4I mean we all get confused and we all get caught up in a lot of things yes for sure. And then you know some people see that we're, we're being vulnerable, we're allowing ourselves to be shown, yeah, on the camera, and some people will look at you and be thinking of you know they might be thinking that they're high or something like that, you know on a higher level, I guess yeah and it's just like. No, it's not the case. At the end of the day, I'm still human.
Speaker 4Yeah but, then I have to develop that thick skin of letting that those comments, letting that criticism come towards you and just brushing it off that's right.
Speaker 1no, I love how you put. Especially sometimes we need to get off our high horse. Yes, yeah.
Speaker 2Yes, I like it guys I love that too.
Speaker 4Good conversation. Yeah, you guys are great man. I really loved it, you guys are such good conversationalists.
Speaker 3I still struggle with social skills too, not going to lie.
Speaker 2No, you guys did great. Oh my gosh, I wouldn't have known.
Speaker 1Wow, thank you so much for having us here.
Speaker 4Thank you for coming on here and being your guys' selves.
Speaker 1Thank you so much, martin, and thank you for being yourself. Thank you.
Speaker 4Thank you, it means a lot.
Speaker 3Thank you two for really oh my gosh for lots of things.
Speaker 1Brain fart.
Speaker 3I count a lot of brain farts too. You're thinking too fast, we're thinking too fast, I think too fast and I overthink a lot. So, yes, so be it. But hey, to put it simply, thank you, Martin, for having us here.
Speaker 4Of course, man, of course. Well, go ahead and plug your guys' socials, tell the people what you guys got going on and don't hold back Coolio.
Speaker 3Okay, so to start off with me, follow me on Instagram at TheNikoVargas underscore 8035. I know that's very long TheNikoVargas underscore 8035. And I also have Facebook too. I know some people don't have facebook, but it so be it. But if you want to follow me too, then go check me out there. I also have spotify, apple music youtube. My music is on there too, so stay tuned for more great music and almost my youtube channel, nico vargas, for more great content, y'all amazing.
Speaker 1So of course nico has great material oh, not to mention.
Speaker 3I also want to give a shout out to my bandmates and eminent groove. I don't want to forget that. So follow our eminent groove band instagram page at eminent groove band, also on facebook. So check us out and stay tuned for more gigs and for more. For more gigs and more good and more good times. So book our band leader, margo. If you want something for your special event, let us know. Get your groove on, yeah.
Speaker 1Perfect. So for my handles, simply I'll put down Instagram, so it's at NE10music. So that's pretty much it, and I have further links kind of in the bio, so it kind of goes on from there. The facebook page is still in development, so I will keep you guys up to date for that and so with that, I really appreciate it just for you having me here and also like oh, also spotify soundcloud. All of it is under ne10, it's actually ne10, that's it, and so you can check out any other page in terms of that with the YouTube channel and such. Definitely. Thank you so much for having us here.
Speaker 3Thank you guys for being here, man and thank you guys, thank you listeners, thank you everyone who's been supporting us along the way, and we want to thank other people in advance in our future who will be a part of our journey.
Speaker 4And thank you so much guys. Yeah, wonderful episode, remember? Guys, go ahead and check their them out. I'm gonna make sure to leave their information right in the bio. Um, and I love you guys. Thank you, guys for being here for another episode. Don't forget to check out brook boys at brook boys underscore ff on tiktok and on instagram. Much love y'all. Have a good one.
Speaker 3Peace, peace, peace.
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