Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Hamel.
Andrew, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In December 2020, lead singer Ashley, drummer Sean, and guitarist Ern were in a band that had just dissolved. I have been playing bass in cover bands for 15 some-odd years here in Houston but was looking for an opportunity to play guitar. Ern found my profile on Bandmix.com and reached out, partly because I am close to Cypress.
We set up an audition in late December. Little did I know they were auditioning a bassist (Michael) the same night. We met up and jammed on 6 or so songs. When we were done the band let Michael know we were auditioning together. It was pure magic! Everything clicked right away!!!
In January 2021 we circled back up and decided to name this new project “Rock Cartel”. And the rest as the saying goes “is history”. We currently book a show approximately once every 6-8 weeks. We all have families and day jobs so Rock Cartel really is a labor of love… and music therapy! 8).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Sadly our first bassist Michael had to move on due to his proximity (Rosenberg) before the end of 2021. This left us in search of a new bass player (round 1). We lucked out with another excellent bassist, Hector, who was already on our radar as he originally scheduled to audition in early 2021 but was snatched up by another band before we got to him. Hector was with us for the better part of 2021 but also had to move on (round 2).
We’re still great friends with Hector! His other band, Jukebox Junkies, often drops in at our shows and vice versa. Great guys and an awesome band. Highly recommended! As fate would have it, Mike, who was originally scheduled to audition in 2021 but had to withdraw due to work schedule changes, became available. We had Mike over and he fit right in! With our lineup re-solidified, we’ve been working hard to have a full night of hard-rock/metal music polished for our NW Side people!
The primary struggle has been that in order to put on a full-night show a band needs 40 songs on average plus a few extras for encore scenarios. That’s a lot of music to memorize. And that takes time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My professional career is in software engineering, specializing in UI (User Interface) development leveraging React – a library originally developed by Facebook. I have been writing HTML, CSS, and basic website code since 2001. I suppose kind of being a “jack of all trades”.
• I play bass and guitar and can sing. Very recently I was called “Iron Man” due to the musical projects I am involved in.
• I currently co-lead the worship team at my church and play guitar weekly on Sunday mornings.
• In my software engineering career I have had exposure to a variety of programming languages and platforms.
• My natural talent is art related. I went to the Art Institute of Houston and have an Associate of Applied Arts in Visual Communications (Commercial Art). I have extensive Photoshop knowledge so I’m “the flyer guy” for the bands I am in.
• I have had numerous experiences with basic construction projects (roofing, framing, concrete, structural steel, etc.) … equates to “I am handy” LOL
I generally have a positive attitude and am calm under pressure. Several years back, I had to assist EMS in moving a stretcher with a friend attached to it out of a tight space. The EMS tech noted, “Wow, you’re very calm given the situation.” I responded “This is not my first trauma experience.” (Several stories there 8|) The Tech replied, “You should come by the fire station!” LOL, I politely declined.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
As I matured my view on risk-taking naturally evolved. B.C. (before children) my wife and I used to rollerblade a lot for instance. Traffic was no bother (for me at least). When children enter the picture things change forever. That responsibility has an impact.
The only major risk I have taken otherwise is related to changing jobs. I remained in the technology space but moving to a new company with the software I had little experience with is quite challenging.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rockcartelhtx.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockcartelhtx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RockCartelHTX
