Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Adrian Labra. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Adrian thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

There are plenty of stories I could tell that perfectly encapsulate the way my parents encouraged my brothers and I to see the power of our musical talents growing up. Each of those stories ultimately would help to build our confidence as musicians, performers, and people. In my own personal musical journey, there is one story in particular that I often think back on.

I was a senior in high school. I was no more than an hour into my typical Friday morning classes when I was unexpectedly called to the principal’s office. When I got there, I was told that my dad was on his way to the school to pick me up. Confused and unsure of why I was being taken out of school in the middle of the day, I gathered my things and waited for my dad to arrive. He picked me up and quickly assured me nothing was wrong, but also explained that we needed to get to work. My dad had somehow arranged for me to sing the Mexican national anthem at a professional boxing match between local hero Kelly Pavlik, and Mexican boxer Marco Antonio Rubio. The fight was being held in our Youngstown, OH hometown the next day. At the time, my dad was an active member of multiple community organizations, and had several ties to the latino community in our area. Ultimately, a friend of my dad’s who knew about my involvement in music, had asked my dad if I would be interested in the opportunity. My dad quickly agreed on my behalf, even though I had never sang the Mexican anthem publicly before, and barely knew the words at all. Although the fight would take place the following evening, I would need to briefly audition later that day to secure the gig. This was why my dad had abruptly removed me from school – he knew exactly how unfamiliar I was with the Mexican anthem, how uneasy I would feel about the short timeline, how much work we needed to do to get me familiar enough for my audition later that day, and also, how great an opportunity this would be for me to gain unique experience outside of my comfort zone and in the spotlight.

My dad and I spent the next 4 hours at home, arduously reviewing the lyrics and going over the melody. I can distinctly remember moments where I was frustrated and anxious about the situation, to the point where I wanted to give up. To quickly sum this story up – With the help of my dad’s encouragement and guidance, I was somehow able to quickly memorize the first two verses of the anthem, certainly enough to get through this gig in a perfectly adequate fashion. I was able to successfully get through the audition, and sang the Mexican national anthem the next day for a heavily attended and televised sporting event.

I can think of so many stories similar to this, where my parents gave us the proper ‘nudge’ we needed, putting us in a position to seize opportunities and gain valuable experience in front of an audience. I will always appreciate my parents for this, as it has fueled my ambition and attitude to this day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I play in and manage a high-energy Latin Funk & Soul band from NE Ohio, made up of myself, my four brothers, and two great friends.

The Labras are a musical family. This becomes pretty evident at virtually every family gathering, where, almost inevitably, someone will be playing a guitar and singing. We had strong musical influences growing up, including our grandfather, who was a touring musician in Mexico with his brothers, playing Mexican folk music. Our parents had strong musical backgrounds of their own and made sure to introduce a wide range of music to us. As the oldest, I was the first to pick up and learn to play guitar. My younger brothers followed suit with guitars and other instruments as they grew. After several years of playing and singing together casually, we discovered a shared passion for writing our own music and decided to begin more seriously pursuing writing and performing professionally. In 2014, we were able to connect with a collection of great local musicians and have been writing, recording, and performing live throughout the region since then.

We’re a family-operated Latin Funk & Soul band, focused on cultivating culture & community through good vibes and eclectic music. Our live set emphasizes smooth sibling vocal harmonies, high-energy Latin percussion, and powerful bass-driven grooves. The family element that ties us together is by far what we value the most when it comes to our music, and the Labra Bros. project that has served as a vehicle for it.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I would highly recommend “How to Make it in the New Music Business”, by Ari Herstand. This book is a great tool for anyone interested in pursuing musical success in the modern age. Reading this book opened our eyes to several different strategies related to operating a band, building a community both online and in a live setting, fine-tuning our live performance, and monetizing our music and online content – a very practical resource to have as an independent band.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Since we began our journey, we have known that it is imperative to have some kind of online presence through the several social media platforms that exist. It has only been over the last few years that we have really tried to be deliberate about growing our online community through consistent and quality content. We have definitely learned the value of a coordinated social media effort across all social media sites, our website, our email list, and more. This kind of effort is not always fun, but the results we have seen over time have been validating. I am far from an expert when it comes to online strategy, but my one word of advice for anyone who may be interested – no matter what sites or strategies a musician or band may use, consistency is by far the most crucial component. Keeping the content flowing keeps followers engaged and excited, and also creates an inviting environment for anyone who may stumble on your music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thelabrabrothers.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/labrabrosmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheLabraBrothers/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-labra-brothers/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh3KVXAKId40Y5xsM08mksg

Image Credits
Mollie Crowe – Little Blackbird Photo Christie Hayes Photography