Born out of a makeshift praise and worship band of preachers'
kids, leader Nick Gonzales has no qualms in telling of Salvador's
humble beginnings at their home church in Austin.
But, a little perseverance and a lot of practice paid off.
Before long, the trio of Nick, older brother Art Gonzales and
cousin Josh Gonzales had become Sunday regulars, leading their
fellow church members in worship in a way that would make any
preacher proud. This new generation in a long line of charismatic
preachers and singers proudly continued the tradition of making
a joyful noise. As their popularity at church grew, the talented
group expanded their member roster and ventured outside of their
church, taking their unique sound around the coffeehouses in
Austin, and soon to larger gatherings around the country. Eventually
bigger and bigger concerts came their way, including music festivals,
youth conferences, and an invitation from evangelist Nicky Cruz
to bring their musical fire to his crusades.
Salvador's membership grew to include conga-player and percussionist
Eliot Torres, who had previously played in another Austin-based
band, and keyboardist Adrian Lopez, who claims he knew joining
the band was "the right thing" to do after meeting
Nick.
An appearance at a gospel music festival in Lukenbach, TX,
won the now local-favorites band a new fan--manager Michael
Smith of Nashville, TN. Smith, who hadn't even planned to attend
the concert originally, couldn't leave the room once Salvador
started their set. Captivated by the band's raw talent and electric
energy, he offered the wide-eyed Texas lads a management contract
on the spot, and within a mere two weeks, Salvador had also
signed agreements with Myrrh Records, Word Publishing, and the
Jeff Roberts booking agency. In the year that followed, Salvador
finished work on an independent live recording and performance
video, taped at their city's world famous "Austin City
Limits," while Myrrh began the process of mining for the
gold within them.
Ranging in age from a mere eighteen all the way to twenty-nine,
the men of Salvador might like to party, but they are also truly
your boy-next-door charmers. The group's striking young frontman,
Nick, 22, grew up in the church and in fact, finds spending
time with his pastoring parents one of his favorite things to
do. His brother Art, 29, gave up a full-time job, and even made
a temporary move with his wife and three-year-old daughter back
into his parents' home, to help start building the Salvador
dream. Josh, 19, a cousin to the Gonzales brothers and fellow
PK, is another church boy, who considers faith, his family,
and music to be the three most important things in life. Twenty-four
year old percussionist Eliot Torres adds a "Puerto-Rican"
rhythmic flavor to his Mexican compadres' sound, and shares
his bandmates' love for the church. Keyboardist Adrian Lopez,
18, who ventured from his San Antonio home to join the Austin
ensemble, was already serving as a praise and worship leader
in his own home church before lending his talents to Salvador.
Together, the best friends of Salvador have created something
of a phenomenon. Taking the popular musical sounds they've loved
(including a "Christian-music-only" house rule while
growing up) and some of today's hottest musical styles, Salvador
brings the idea of vertical pop music to a whole new level.
