Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Ibarra And Celeste Cadena.
Hi Kristen and Celeste, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It was in 2020, when everyone’s creative juices were flowing, that we decided to embark on our own creative journey through our shared love of music and art. One pandemic day, as we sat out on the back porch watching the squirrels munch on our newly-planted succulents, Celeste suggested that we should start a curated pop-up vinyl shop. Our idea evolved into something a bit larger as I thought about what sways me to buy a record from an artist I haven’t heard of yet. Yeah, sometimes I’ll go for an eye-catching album cover, but most of the time I need to pull up my Spotify and take a listen. Celeste doesn’t need things like that…she knows everything about the artists she loves! She has a whole catalog of artists in that head of hers. Though our music styles can be grouped by a Venn diagram, we both agreed that we wanted to offer as much insight to an artist/specific album as possible, to grab the interest of potential vinyl purchasers. It just so happens that the artists we are big on supporting and of whose vinyl we wanted to sell are either female, Latin, Hispanic, local, poc or lgbtq+. I’ve always had big ideas and y’all can thank my mom for that, so I convinced Celeste to let me learn how to book bands, because…why wouldn’t bringing the band of which you have vinyl for sale be a good idea?! Even if we booked a smaller artist that doesn’t have vinyl yet, perhaps this would be an opportunity for them to grow their audience and one day have vinyl to sell! We began curating records and once we were able to travel again, we brought back vinyl from artists you’d never find in Texas from places like Mexico, Spain and France. In November of 2022 we officially produced our first vinyl-signing with La Doña at Tony’s Siesta and co-promoted our first show at Paper Tiger. We have since produced unofficial SXSW spillover showcases in San Antonio with Latin artists such as local shero Vanita Leo, Estevie (LA), Juanpalitoschinos (Mexico), BALTHVS (Colombia), Cancamusa (Chile), Desta French (London), Tita (Guatemala) and beyond. We’ve been able to support and include local artists and vendors through our live music events which has only been achievable with community support and enthusiasm.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Heck no! Did you know that it costs like…a lot of money to book and produce live music events?! Initially, Celeste said that the booking part of Vinilious would be mostly my project, so I did the thing that I most despised…I asked questions. My parents like to gamble and growing up I would always say, “I’m NEVER gonna gamble!” Turns out booking bands is an even bigger risk to take. Joke’s on me! There’s the artist guarantee, equipment and room rental, marketing, and lodging and hospitality (if you’re generous enough or can afford it). Thankfully, my skin has grown tough and I continue to ask questions and ask for favors even after I’ve been given a million “No’s”, “Will they sell tickets?” or “How much can you pay?” Apart from Celeste being THE BIGGEST supporter of the music booking side of Vinilious, we’ve gained so many generous and supportive friends in the community near and far, who are willing to give their time and resources to create loving and welcoming spaces for us and the artists we cherish.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I (Kristen) am a full-time speech-language pathologist that works in Early Childhood Intervention and Celeste is an Educational Technology Coordinator with SAISD and a former elementary school teacher of 14 years. We have devoted our lives to helping others and wanted to take some time to delve into our musical interests, at the same time, continuing to give voice to independent and local artists who generally have to fight harder for similar opportunities. We are very proud to have grown so quickly in such little time. 90% of the artists we’ve booked have been Latinas, many of them also being part of our queer familia. We have also been able to book some Texas tours for a few artists free of charge, as we know being an independent artist is enough of a struggle.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
You can find us at one of our shows, selling a curation of vinyl based on the artist that will be playing or on Instagram (@vinilioussatx). We will also be hosting an official SXSW showcase in 2025! Our hopes are that we can find some sponsors that can help us further our mission to support a diverse group of artists from around the world and here at home.
Contact Info:
- Website: Vinilious.my.canva.site/vinilious
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vinilious
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@viniliousrecords
