Israel Gonzales doesn’t mind traveling under the radar. He isn’t the type of singer-songwriter who needs attention. In fact, he isn’t even the type who asks for money. He may be a Christian and he may have a message, but he’s not out to proselytize, either. Gonzales just wants to make music.
The 28-year-old Fort Worthian has been writing and performing songs for nearly a decade. He bought his first guitar at 19, “and it has been green lights ever since,” he said. His current catalog hovers at around 15 wonder-tinted originals — he’s not in any hurry to spit out the hits. Expressing the complex factors that make him who he is “sometimes takes time,” he said. “I like to change [the songs] every time … until they are perfect.”
At times the music does flow perfectly from note to note, but real life rarely does. Three years ago, Gonzales’ younger brother Gilbert succumbed to a congenital heart defect. “It gave me a new perspective,” Gonzales said about his brother’s passing. “Everything I do is small potatoes. I put it all on the shelf and picked what was important. Music was obviously one of those things.”
During that difficult time, Gonzales found shelter in the church. Now an unabashed Christian, he relies on his faith in bad and good times. In his song “Blue Sky,” Gonzales sings about the higher power that sustains him. “When I’m falling down / There you are / To help me up / Never let me overflow.”
Singing with peaceful clarity, Gonzales directs listeners’ attention to his words, delivered in a lullaby-style cadence.
A solid guitarist and subscriber to the Dave Matthews school of acoustic-style playing, Gonzales doesn’t crunch his fingers into awkward fret formations or execute flashy solos, but he has a good understanding of how major chords encourage melodies and give way to hooks.
And if his hooks are happy-sounding, well, fine. Gonzales is not not trying to make the often-bleak world a little more colorful. The catchiness of his songs is due mainly to his clear singing style and dedication to streamlined, solid sonic themes. For instance, in his song “Tongue Tied,” Gonzales imagines all of the ways in which he could describe the emotion of being overcome to the point of being unable to speak. He uses the verses and the bridge to explain his simple yet effective chorus. There’s no doubt what he’s singing when he sings, “I get tongue tied / Trying to describe / All the crazy times / That I’ve had with you / And I’ve spent days and nights / Only just to find / I’m at a loss for words / To say about you.” He’s just doing what feels natural to him, however. “I’m not trying to write a hit,” he said. “I’m just trying to complete a thought.”
When it comes to marketing himself, Gonzales follows the same low-key approach that he takes with his songwriting. “I try not to be bothersome,” he said. “It’s a blessing when people want to listen.”
For his recent EP, Gonzales employed a friend, multi-instrumentalist Brandon Gaines, who has a studio and donated session time in return for Gonzales’ playing in their church band. Gonzales also is happy to hand out copies of the disc. He even mailed a burned copy across the country for a fan.
Gonzales also sometimes plays for free. He supports himself by working at a Euless mini-blind company — paying gigs and tips are nice extras. Lately, Gonzales has been sharing a Tuesday night residency with Stella Rose’s Stephen Beatty at the Red Goose Saloon in Sundance Square, and he has been touring coffee shops and pizza joints. He just likes to play. “If you keep a humble heart,” he said. “People will listen.”
