By Celeste Morales

For Vitor, music gives him encouragement and comfort, feelings he hopes to translate to others

through his own music.

CSUSM student Karrl Vitor started a band during the summer with his friends Andrew Velasco,

Colin Hagan and Arman Dolphin. The band was an idea that was not initially planned. Vitor

would usually meet his friends at the beach in Carlsbad or the Oceanside Pier just to play for fun.

The band’s name is The Strangers, which happened to be a suggestion made by a stranger who

saw them play together during one of their meet-ups.

”We started off as strangers but came together with a common interest and started playing,”

Vitor said.

After playing there for a while, Vitor’s friend, Josh Fowler, helped them record their first album

in his home studio.

Vitor plays the guitar and sings but everyone in the band contributes to the music in other ways.

The group brings a lot of variety to the music because each band member uses an instrument

that reflects their background such as an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, a keyboard and a

melodica.

“Each of them, however, is extremely talented and bring something different to this group, and

I’m glad that the first band I’m in is with these guys,” Vitor said.

The band’s first official performance was at the Mission Asian market in Oceanside. They

did not have a set list so instead, they improvised. They played “Saved Room,” “Happy”

and “Creep.” It was a good first experience because people cheered and danced as they played.

Vitor is mostly self-taught. His musical education started when he received a guitar at the age of

16. He began by watching videos online and reading the guitar tabs of whatever music he was

into at the time.

One of his first memories is when he learned how to play “Stop and Stare” by One Republic.

He was so proud that he succeeded at playing the song that he wanted to show his family what

he had learned. His family were the ones who initially encouraged him to play in front of others

during family gatherings or parties.

“I didn’t like it at first, but it helped me get used to playing for people,” he said.

Before starting the band, Vitor would perform at open mic nights. He played his first acoustic

show at a bar in Temecula about a year ago. This was a new experience for him because he had

never prepared for a live performance before. He had to consider things like vocal endurance and

material. The crowd was small, but he got to know the people there, which made it worth it.

The most memorable moment for Vitor was the Oceanside Filipino Cultural Festival where he

met Katherine Sinsuan, who later played with him at other shows.

Vitor plans to take a road trip with his band in the spring and hopefully play music in various

venues, as well as work on producing a second album.

Other bands such as Mumford and Sons, The Head and the Heart, Paramore and Jeff Buckley all

are part of his musical influences.

Their next performance is at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Mission Asian market in

Oceanside.

“If students want to pursue music then they need to be open and willing to explore different

kinds of music and be willing to put effort into improving,” Vitor said.

Vitor also holds meet-ups on campus for students who are interested in playing music together

in a relaxed environment. Music meet-up is designed for those who like music and who want to

share that passion by connecting with fellow musicians.

“Thursday meet-up is more of just a music jam session with different people coming over to

play,” Vitor said.

The music meet-up gathers at 12 p.m. on Thursdays in the third floor of the Arts Building on the

grass. Students can either bring their own instruments or use some of the extra instruments that

he and his friends Andrew Velasco, Colin Hagan and Immanuel Brown bring.

If you would like to know more about The Strangers, you can check out their Facebook page at

www.facebook.com/thestrangersjamband.