About Anthony Vasquez
Anthony Vasquez is a Charlotte-area musician, songwriter and bandleader whose sets blend Latin music, Latin rock, blues and pop. He plays guitar, bass and drums, fronts his own band, and works festivals, cultural celebrations, restaurants, private events and community gatherings across Charlotte and beyond.
He was born in Matthews and has been part of this community his entire life. He started singing at around four, performing at local festivals and community events, and by his own account that was when he learned music was how he connected with people rather than just something he liked.
The turn toward instruments came during the pandemic, when he finally had time to teach himself guitar. Bass and drums followed. Becoming a multi-instrumentalist is what let him hear arrangements from several sides at once, and it is where the genre-crossing in his sound comes from.
What You Get
| What You Get | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Latin, Latin rock, blues and pop | A crossover set drawn from his cultural roots and the music he grew up on. |
| Multi-instrumentalist | Guitar, bass and drums, plus vocals and songwriting. |
| Full band or solo | He leads his own band, often performing alongside his younger brother Alan. |
| Festivals to private events | Cultural celebrations, restaurants, community gatherings and private bookings. |
| Guitar instruction | He teaches guitar, worked as an instructor at Guitar Center, and later helped musicians choose instruments and equipment at Music & Arts. |
Meet Anthony Vasquez
His father, Alvaro Vasquez, introduced Anthony and his younger brother Alan to music early, and manages the projects now. Alan is a musician in his own right and shares the stage with him. Their mother has backed the whole thing from behind the scenes, through the performances and the setbacks both. Anthony describes it as a team rather than a support system, and counts it as part of what makes the act distinctive: a working band built on family.
The performance he names as his proudest happened at The Fillmore Charlotte, at a Juanes concert. He had long admired the artist, so he brought a poster to the show that read, "My dream is to play with you," and held it up during the set. Juanes saw it and invited him on stage to play. He was the first fan Juanes had ever brought up that way, and the story traveled well past the room, picked up by Charlotte news outlets and later by media in Colombia.
In Their Words
His takeaway from the Juanes night is the thing he now tells other people: dreams become reality when you put your heart into what you do. He says it keeps him growing as a musician, keeps him sharing the music, and is what he wants other people to take from hearing him play.
Explore More on Strolling Ballantyne
- Read the Partner Spotlight on Anthony Vasquez
- Shop and dine local in Local Business
- See what is on this month in Living
- Meet your neighbors in Neighbors
Anthony Vasquez is a Strolling Ballantyne Preferred Partner. This profile is drawn from his own words.