Sergio Gutierrez / Music & Art

Blending art and music into one experience, guitarist and painter Sergio Gutierrez has put together a unique stage show that has brought him acclaim around the world. On July 24 he will be performing at the annual Caddyhack Golf Festival / Boys To Men Mentoring fundraiser being held at Fairbanks Ranch Country Club.

Gutierrez arrived in San Diego circa 2007. “I’m not a native San Diegan but I’m starting to feel like one after 16 years!,” he said good naturedly. “I moved out from Albuquerque, NM to Hollywood, CA in 2007 to follow my passion of performance art. I had an original band called Axson and we fulfilled our dream of performing at the Whiskey A Go-Go and other well-known LA clubs.” He soon found himself heading south. “I personally like a more laidback vibe. When I visited San Diego after only a month of living in Hollywood, I packed my bags once again and made the move to this beautiful city.”

What inspired him to combine art and music into a performance? “I started my art career in 2011 after doing a casual sketch of my dad next to a horse.,” he recalled. “My parents live in New Mexico and I was simply thinking about my parents when I did this sketch. It came out better than expected. So, I sought out some painting materials and watched endless videos on how to paint.” After 6 years of painting and 15 years of music, Gutierrez felt like he had to choose one release to be an experience, something that you can’t just replicate by streaming it.” Prof. Miller considers the album to be a complete work of art. “As such, a ton of time is spent on it. Thinking of the clever tie-ins, designing them, sourcing them, etc. It’s not enough for the elements to be cool, I want it all to play into the theme of the album. Further the story.” He’s willing to go the extra mile for albums. “Sometimes it’s a challenge trying to source stuff that will fit flat inside the 12” LP jacket,” Prof. Miller noted. “We actually needed to get special jackets with a slightly larger spine to accommodate the puzzle thickness. And I usually do short run vinyl lathe cuts, but the parallel grooves prevented that, so we had to get this one pressed which probably quintupled the cost. I do art for other bands all the time, so when I do my own albums I get to use all those crazy ideas and budget doesn’t really matter and there’s no label saying no. I just want it to exist in the world, and if other people appreciate it, that’s awesome.”

Halfway through the current series of albums, what’s Prof. Miller’s favorite thing about Have an Existential Crisis? “Hearing the humans sing our songs,” he said. “It’s such a trip. I love how every one of them came out. It’s wild creating a piece of art and collaborating with someone who takes it someplace further than you could have on your own.” www.satanicpuppeteer.com or the other. “I quite literally had an epiphany at age 30, one particular morning. When I woke up, I was to decide to go forward with putting energy into one or the other and all I heard was, “do both.” I was confused - at first. Long story short, I did my first live painting plus live music show in 2017. It was a huge hit!” The audience loved the mix of live art and live music. “I played some Beatles songs, instead of taking a break I painted Paul McCartney to a Beatles playlist, sold the painting, brought a unique show to the people, and went home with a bigger vision for per year.” the show. Now I travel the world doing it and help society with several charity gigs www.sergiogutierrezmusic. com

Gutierrez is particularly happy to be involved with the Caddyhack Boys to Men event in his adopted hometown. “It’s always important to give back,” he remarked. “I’ve always believed that we are born with certain talents and skills so that we can all help one another through the journey of life.” What’s his favorite thing about being a performer? “It’s the connection,” Gutierrez noted. “Whether it’s a song or a painting, there is always a connection, a perspective, and a conversation about the art,” he said.