Classically Trained Guitarist Brian Lopez
By Stacey Gregory
Musician Brian Lopez is living the dream. This born-and-raised Tucsonan has recently returned from his first headlining tour in France, promoting his new album, TIDAL. The classically trained guitarist-turned-crooner-style singer has been crafting the sound of the Southwest indie scene for the past two decades. What makes his rise to fame that much more special is it wasn’t his first passion.
“My dad coached the men’s basketball team at Pima Community
College, so my brother and I both played basketball,” said Lopez. “I wanted to play professionally but I wasn’t 6’ plus, so that wasn’t looking like a realistic opportunity, so I pursued the second-most unrealistic profession. Music.”
He enrolled in an advanced-placement music theory class at Tucson High School not knowing how to read music. He not only passed the class, but he also earned a classical guitar scholarship to The University of Arizona and began a journey that led to his deeper appreciation of the Sonoran Desert and all of its magical mysteries.
“The first time I left Tucson, I studied abroad in Barcelona as a U of A student,” he said. “That return flight opened up everything for me when I saw how exotic Tucson was for the first time from the sky.”
After college, he toured with his first indie band, Mostly Bears, before becoming a hired gun for the likes of KT Tunstall and Giant Sand. His music led him all over the world, meeting folks with romantic ideas of what Tucson is from old Western films. He’s become a bit of a tour guide to a widening circle of international friends.
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So, we asked him to share his favorite things in Tucson with you.
From Sunsets to Sweets
“My musician friends from Italy, France, and Germany want to see our interesting part of the world,” said Lopez. “The first place we go is Gates Pass at dusk. It blows their mind to see the beauty of a Sonoran sunset.”
Of course, the food is next on the list—at the top is Mexican. He frequents El Torero, a family-owned and operated Sonoran-style Mexican restaurant that’s been here since 1956.
“The whole menu is great. I always go back to the carne asada tacos, which are basically two gigantic tacos. They’re delicious.”
He can walk to EXO Roast Co. on Simpson Street, in his Barrio Viejo neighborhood. Not only is the place cute, but he can satisfy his sweet tooth with a pastry and an Americano before enjoying the stroll through Barrio Viejo on his way home. This old neighborhood is a tourist attraction all its own, as evidenced by the people he’ll see taking photos in front of old buildings and dilapidated structures.
A Few of His Favorite Attractions
Of course, a musician will know where to go for live music. The new jazz club at Hotel Congress, Century Room, has musicians performing 365 days of the year, and it’s close to a wide variety of eateries and bars. Across the street is the historic Rialto Theatre, a 1,400 -square-foot performance theater and concert venue that hosts a slew of artists of just about every genre.
When he needs to get away from it all, Bisbee, Arizona, calls. Not only is it cooler there, but he comes at least once a year to explore the antique stores, thrift shops, bars, and cafés. On the way, he always has to stop at Big Nose Kate’s in Tombstone, Arizona.
“No matter when I go, there is always the same guy playing the piano and singing, and we get an IPA before heading to Bisbee. It’s tradition,” he said.
