Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Burlbaw.
Hi Aaron, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Music goes back in my family. My mom played guitar and sang, my grandma played piano and accordion. My great grandfather played guitar in a St. Louis band called the Kingshighway Cowboys. I actually have his 1955 Martin guitar. So mom put a guitar in my hands at the age of 10. I’ve taken private lessons my entire life. I’m currently taking Flamenco guitar and Tres Cubano lessons. You are never done learning. The more you know, the more you realize you don’t know anything!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There’s been struggles. In 2008 when the housing market crashed, a lot of places cut entertainment. Also, covid was devastating to find work. But during that downtime we built a new music project. Our Santana Tribute called Black Magic. We had the idea for a while to build an authentic Satanta tribute, but Acoustik Element at the time was performing 300 shows a year so we never had the time. When Covid happened, we lost all of our gigs and had nothing but time. Make the most out of every situation, even the bad ones.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a full time musician. I manage and lead 3 groups. My main group Acoustik Element, performs concerts, venues , and private events. We host a monthly concert series at the legendary Joe’s Cafe.
Black Magic: The Santana Experience is a tribute to the guitar legend Carlos Santana. This group travéls and performs at Chesterfield Amphitheater, Delmar Hall, the Wildey Theater, KPAC. This group is a lot of fun with it being a 10 piece group with 3 drummers/ percussionists
And there’s our newest group called Gipsy Social. We perform the music of the Gipsy Kings and also Buena Vista Social club. The music is Cuban and Latin based. Very Danceable
The same musicians are in all three groups. We’re a big family!
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
It takes a lot of Hard work – both business wise and practice to be successful. The 1st few hours of my day is spent at a desk answering emails, writing up contracts, managing promotions, etc…. I always end my day with 2-4 hrs of practice. The other key to success is Longevity. Playing with the same musicians over the last 25 years really helps as you become a well oiled machine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Acoustikelement.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BYTaJT7vy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@acoustikelement6743?si=F8G_4MulKnn5D6sL
