Today we’d like to introduce you to Maury Buentello.
Maury, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started making music in 2007/2008 while I was still in high school in Rockdale, Texas. Some very close friends made music together and I was always around, so I decided to hop on an instrumental. Eventually, that developed into burning CD’s to distribute at track meets and a MySpace Music profile. Sharing music in high school to a captive audience of classmates and peers was an introduction into a world of connections that would be made through music and live performance.
My first ever performance was in Austin, Texas and from there I was able to branch out to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Houston. I was able to open up for the SuicideBoys Tour in 2015 which was a really big step in the direction I wanted to head in.
Heart N’ Hustle Texas Tour with Gavlyn, Reverie and XBValentine in 2019 (El Paso, Houston, Austin, Fort Worth) was another very monumental time for me because I was able to open up for artists that I had been looking up to since the beginning.
During the pandemic, everything kind of froze for a minute but after the pandemic, I was able to hop back on stage in the DFW area and Co-headline with Mike Jones, a Texas Legend in June 2021.
Establishing GermsOnMyBody – a creative avenue to expand the reach of my music through merch, shows, photography/video, etc. – led to many collaborations with artists of all genres across Texas. I have been interested in photography since I was a child. I always had a disposable camera in hand. My dad gifted me a camcorder when I was in junior high that he had won at work and since then my love for capturing the moment began.
Things that I loved as a child are things that I am still doing and I think that’s what keeps me going and keeps me happy.
After a couple of years on pause from organizing events during covid, the opportunity arose to coordinate an event in Houston in October of 2021. The name Texas Fest came to mind because I knew the event was going to feature artists from all over Texas. We are still actively organizing GermsOnMyBody events and have expanded beyond Houston, targeting every major city and small town that welcomes us. Our events have had an enormously large response, demanding we grow as business owners and constantly question what we can do better for our artists and ourselves.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always challenges along the way, from finding like-minded collaborators to navigating the world of brand managing & marketing. There are frustrating logistics obstacles like when a GermsOnMyBody event venue falls through at the last minute. Our challenges, though, force us to learn and inspire creative solutions. We welcome them and are thankful from them because we are able to grow from them.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a rapper, performer, writer, producer, photographer/video and co-owner of GermsOnMyBody. GermsOnMyBody is a company that organizes events throughout the state of Texas and hoping on extending nationwide. I am very proud of how long we have came in the time that we have been organizing events and attending events and capturing the moment. I think that what sets us apart from other companies that are similar to us is that we are so involved in every aspect of all the work we put out.
At an event we throw, Callie is our graphic designer so she makes all the flyers, takes photos and shoots video and also works the door. My youngest brother, Yahir, is our Dj. I take photos and shoot videos from the stage, and ill usually help the dj introduce the artists and host at our GermsOnMyBody events. I collect the footage and we edit the photos and throw the videos together for a recap and is uploaded to our instagram and other accounts.
At our events, we of course have live performances by the artists but we also love to bring out vendors. We invite all sorts of vendors from the city we are throwing the event at. The vendors are usually small businesses willing to come out and set up shop and their tents at the shows. We love having the vendors and truly make our shows better with food, merch and art.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I am a big fan of YouTube for its murder mystery channels or funny content like Charlotte Dobre, and I love the app for catching interviews of my favorite artists, their music videos & vlogs. I also cherish my Kindle stocked with non-fiction books or thrillers from authors like my favorite Harlen Coben. Some of the authors I have been reading this year are Karen McQuestion, Lucinda Berry, Jess Lourey and Natasha Preston.
Contact Info:
- Email: jellomauri@gmail.com | management@jellomauri.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jellomauri
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/jellomauri
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/jellomauri
Image Credits
@yographicigirl
@dtxvenom
