Victor Villarreal

Victor Villarreal
Origin	Chicago
Genres	Indie Rock, emo
Labels	Joyful Noise Recordings

Victor Villarreal is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his role as guitarist in Cap'n Jazz, Owls (band) and Joan of Arc. He is known for being inventive and incorporating elements of classical, indie and emo genres in his own music.

Victor Villarreal, often referred to as a "legendary guitarist," has a solo career working with Joyful Noise Recordings in Indianapolis to release albums, "Sleep Talk" and "Invisible Cinema." Referred to as "one of the most respected guitarists on the indie rock scene," Villarreal often has large swatches of surreal guitar solos and instrumentals in his music. Getting into guitar with his skater friends at age 12, Villarreal soon became a virtuoso guitarist, playing in many bands with Tim Kinsella, his childhood friend. After their careers starting and taking on bands like Cap'n Jazz, which was referred to has having "almost mythological status," and Owls, the friends took on Joan of Arc. Villarreal also had Joan of Arc bassist Erik Bocek perform in Villarreal's own group, Ghosts and Vodka. After some time continuing from Owls to Joan of Arc, the guitarists decided to take a break from music and start a dog-training program called "Everything Canine." Villarreal used his training at a dog hospital to better assist his pursuits. When asked about his passion for dog training, Villarreal responded, "The more time I spend with them, the more I’m convinced that they secretly have life by the balls." Villarreal returned to making music after his brother died, citing his solo album "Alive" as "a gift for my family after my brother passed away." Villarreal has continued his music with albums "Invisible Cinema" and "Sleep Talk."

When asked about his most well-known project, Villarreal said, "I’d say I get asked about Cap’n Jazz the most. As for whether the people are referencing it back to the reunion or pre-reunion, it’s really hard to tell. Second most would be Joan of Arc or Owls." Victor Villarreal often features cantaloupes in his music and album artwork. He has also said that he's influenced by Iron Maiden and Rush. Sound Colour Vibration referred to Villarreal as the "Chicago musical godfather."

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