After playing in his fair share of bands since the mid-90's, EJ Maldonado ventured on his own at the end of 2006. He came out of the gates running with a host of shows in the local area and became involved in the Spring Forward Campaign put forth by local alternative radio station, 100.9FM KRZQ, which gathered local bands/artists to raise money for local non-profits. EJ raised the most money during the campaign, which garnered him some attention with the community-at-large. He also started to...
After playing in his fair share of bands since the mid-90's, EJ Maldonado ventured on his own at the end of 2006. He came out of the gates running with a host of shows in the local area and became involved in the Spring Forward Campaign put forth by local alternative radio station, 100.9FM KRZQ, which gathered local bands/artists to raise money for local non-profits. EJ raised the most money during the campaign, which garnered him some attention with the community-at-large. He also started to notice his music and his voice had started to turn some heads and garner its own attention as well.
In early 2007, Maldonado released "Safe Behind These Walls", a five song EP he felt was necessary to release to get his music out to the public. It featured songs like "Beg Me To Stay", a song which was in regular rotation on KRZQ for a period of time in the summer of 2007. Maldonado finished the year playing shows and writing feverishly with anticipation to record a full-length album.
And so it was... during the last two weeks in December 2007, Maldonado filtered through 20 songs, worked on arrangements, and finally decided on 12 he truly liked. He set up his home recording studio with two microphones and began to record "a/wake", a full length album done in the style of old school recordings: live takes, no overdubs, and no studio tricks. The result is a powerful and emotional album that spans the range of both Maldonado's voice and songwriting ability. "a/wake" was released February 2008 to a snowy but successful release party (it must have snowed 8 inches that night).
Personal tragedy hit Maldonado early March 2008 with the passing of his father. It was an unexpected loss and one that left him isolated and out of the music scene for the better part of 2008.
On November 20th, Maldonado returned to the scene with an intimate show in downtown Reno with local musician and friend Mr. Vague. On the very next night, he played a benefit show at the Nugget Celebrity Showroom and shared the night with 17 other talented local bands/musicians.
The future remains bright, as plans for a new album are set for early spring 2009. Not to mention, Maldonado plans to return to the scene with more shows and to broaden his fan base.
EJ Maldonado also continues to give his time to the community through benefit concerts and by remaining an active humanitarian in the community.
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