Formula Indie Sessions – Interview with Loco Tranquilo

Introduction of the project

I’m Julián Armando Gervasi, an Argentine-born musician, songwriter, and producer based in San Francisco, California. Loco Tranquilo is my independent musical project, built around freedom, experimentation, and the idea that music doesn’t need to belong to a particular genre to have its own identity.

I grew up in Buenos Aires, and my journey eventually took me through Hawaii and California before I settled in San Francisco. Those experiences have shaped both my life and the music I make.

Musically, Loco Tranquilo moves between Latin alternative, indie rock, post-punk, psychedelic pop, and folk, combining my Argentine roots with influences from different musical traditions.

I recently released my new single, “Sueño,” on September 25, with the official music video arriving October 5. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for the project, with a darker, more immediate, guitar-driven sound.

1. What is your earliest memory connected to music?

When I was around 10 or 11, I lived with my father, who had a record collection and was very protective of his vinyls and instruments. One day I started listening to Led Zeppelin’s D’yer Mak’er on repeat while he was at work, and I taught myself the song entirely by ear.

I’d wait for him to leave, listen to the record over and over, practice, and then make sure everything was back exactly where I’d found it before he came home. When I finally showed him that I could play the song, he was surprised and really proud when I told him I’d learned it just by listening.

My father didn’t formally teach me much about music, but he gave me access to the tools, and that experience taught me how much I enjoyed figuring things out on my own. In a way, secretly teaching myself that song was the beginning of how I still approach music today: listening, experimenting, and trusting my ear.

2. How did your passion for creating music begin?

I never had a conventional musical education. Most of what I’ve learned has come from listening, experimenting, making mistakes, and following my curiosity.

I think my passion for creating music developed from wanting to express things that I couldn’t necessarily communicate through words alone. Picking up a guitar gave me a way to explore those feelings and eventually turn them into songs.

Over time, music became much more than a creative outlet. It became a way of navigating life, particularly during periods of uncertainty and change.

What continues to excite me about making music is that there’s always something new to discover. I don’t think that process ever really ends.

3. What’s the story behind your current music project?

The name Loco Tranquilo came from two different parts of my life.

Growing up in Buenos Aires, loco was a word my friends and I used constantly. In Argentina, it’s a very common and affectionate way of addressing someone.

Years later, while living in Santa Cruz, California, I had a chance encounter with Devendra Banhart, who told me, “Tranquilo, man.”

Somehow, those two words came together. What initially started as a joke eventually became the name of my musical project.

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that those words represented something much deeper: chaos and calm, restlessness and peace, two seemingly contradictory states that coexist within us.

That contradiction became the philosophy behind Loco Tranquilo.

The project has evolved alongside my own life. I left Argentina at a young age, traveled through Hawaii, and eventually settled in San Francisco. There were periods when I had very little, slept on beaches, hitchhiked, and relied on the kindness of strangers.

Through all those experiences, music was the one thing I kept coming back to.

Loco Tranquilo is ultimately about embracing those contradictions, following your instincts, and having the freedom to create without feeling obligated to fit into anyone else’s expectations.

4. How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I’d describe Loco Tranquilo as a genre-fluid alternative project with Latin roots and a strong guitar-driven identity.

My music draws from indie rock, post-punk, psychedelic pop, garage rock, folk, and different alternative traditions from Latin America and beyond.

I love the idea of combining sounds that don’t necessarily belong together. A Latin rhythm might meet a distorted guitar, a folk melody might evolve into something psychedelic, or a dreamy atmosphere might suddenly turn into something raw and energetic.

My latest single, “Sueño,” leans more heavily into alternative rock and post-punk, with sharper guitars, darker textures, and a more immediate, full-band sound. Interpol, The Strokes, and Joy Division were important influences for this particular release.

Ultimately, I’m more interested in creating something that feels authentic than in defining exactly what genre it belongs to.

5. What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

Learning to trust my instincts and understanding that not everything needs to make sense immediately.

For a long time, I think I approached certain creative decisions by questioning whether something was right, whether it belonged to a particular genre, or whether other people would connect with it.

Over time, I’ve learned that some of the most interesting ideas come from allowing yourself to experiment without knowing exactly where you’re going.

“Sueño” is a perfect example. I wrote it almost entirely on instinct, in Spanish, without thinking about what genre it should belong to or what kind of audience it might reach.

I simply followed the feeling and allowed the song to develop naturally.

I’ve come to realize that the less I try to control every aspect of the creative process, the more honest and interesting the results tend to be.

6. What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

The Fender Jazzmaster and classical guitar are probably the two most important instruments in my writing process.

I use the Jazzmaster more for exploring sounds and building the guitar-driven side of the songs, while the classical guitar is something I naturally gravitate toward when I’m writing and working out melodies or ideas.

I’m not someone who needs a huge amount of technology to start a song. A lot of ideas begin very simply, sometimes just with a guitar and a feeling.

For recording and developing ideas, I use pretty simple setups with GarageBand and Ableton. I also spend a lot of time experimenting with guitar pedals—reverb, distortion, and synth pedals in particular.

I like using effects almost as another instrument. Sometimes a pedal or a particular texture can completely change the direction of a song.

The important thing for me is having enough tools to experiment without letting the technology get in the way of the instinctive part of writing.

7. Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Right now I’ve been listening to The Serfs, especially Sounds of Serfdom, and Wine Lips, particularly Mushroom Death Sex Bummer Party.

I like artists that have a strong identity and don’t feel overly polished or predictable. There’s something about that rawness and sense of character that really connects with me.

I’m always drawn to music that feels like the people making it are following their own instincts rather than trying to fit into a specific scene or formula.

8. How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

I think my personal experiences have shaped almost every aspect of my artistic identity.

Leaving Buenos Aires, traveling through different places, and eventually building a life in San Francisco exposed me to different cultures, people, and ways of understanding the world.

My time in Hawaii was particularly transformative. I spent periods sleeping on beaches, in cemeteries, and in strangers’ homes. I hitchhiked, moved from place to place, and gradually lost or gave away almost everything I owned.

At one point, I nearly lost my guitar to the ocean.

Those experiences taught me a lot about uncertainty, independence, and the importance of holding on to the things that give your life meaning.

They also changed my relationship with music. Creating became a way of processing experiences and making sense of things I didn’t necessarily understand at the time.

My latest single, “Sueño,” comes from a more introspective place. It was born during a period when I was questioning my identity, my sense of self-worth, and what happens when you become so consumed by love that you begin to lose yourself.

The song explores the idea that healing requires confronting pain and that self-love is something we have to practice continuously.

I think my artistic vision is ultimately a reflection of those experiences: embracing uncertainty, remaining curious, and finding a balance between the chaotic and the peaceful parts of life.

9. What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

I hope people find something in my music that allows them to connect with their own experiences.

I’m not particularly interested in telling people how they should feel or what they should take away from a song. I prefer leaving enough space for listeners to discover their own interpretations.

With “Sueño,” I wanted to explore identity, vulnerability, perseverance, and the importance of reconnecting with yourself.

There’s a line in the song, “Sueño al despertar, sueño un corazón,” that captures a lot of what I was trying to express.

For me, it’s about understanding that our dreams don’t have to disappear when we wake up. They can become something we actively choose to pursue, even when life becomes difficult or uncertain.

If someone listens to my music and feels a little less alone, finds the courage to embrace who they are, or feels inspired to keep pursuing something meaningful to them, that’s incredibly rewarding.

10. What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Perseverance, and the importance of staying true to yourself.

Building an independent musical project while working to support yourself isn’t always easy. There have been plenty of moments when progress felt slow, resources were limited, or I questioned whether I was moving in the right direction.

But music has taught me that meaningful things take time and that the creative process itself is just as important as the destination.

It’s also taught me to embrace uncertainty. You can’t control how people will respond to your work or predict where a particular opportunity might lead.

What you can control is your commitment to the music, your willingness to keep learning, and your ability to remain authentic throughout the process.

I think that’s a lesson that extends far beyond music.

11. What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Dream festival: Levitation. Dream venue: The Fillmore in San Francisco.

Levitation would be a dream festival for Loco Tranquilo because of the kind of music and community that surrounds it. I love the idea of being part of a lineup where psychedelic, alternative, garage, and experimental music can all exist together.

And The Fillmore is a different kind of dream for me because it’s right here in San Francisco. It’s such an important part of the city’s musical history, and being able to play there with Loco Tranquilo would feel incredibly meaningful.

I’ve already had the opportunity to play some great San Francisco venues, including The Chapel, Great American Music Hall, Rickshaw Stop, and Bottom of the Hill, so The Fillmore would feel like a very special continuation of that journey.

12. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

There are a few different directions I’d love to explore.

Devendra Banhart would be a very meaningful collaboration for me, especially for something more experimental and intimate. I could imagine working together around vocals and classical guitar and creating something that doesn’t necessarily follow a traditional song structure.

There’s also a different side of Loco Tranquilo that I’m moving toward, which makes me think about artists like Ty Segall or Wand.

I’d love to collaborate with them on something heavier, more psychedelic, distorted, and guitar-driven.

Those would be very different collaborations, but that’s part of what I like about Loco Tranquilo. I’m interested in exploring both sides—the intimate and experimental side as well as the louder, more visceral direction the project is beginning to move toward.

13. Where can our listeners follow and support your music?

Website, Spotify, Instagram, links

You can find Loco Tranquilo on all major streaming platforms and social media.

My latest single, “Sueño,” is available everywhere, and the official music video premieres October 5.

The best way to support the project is simply to listen, share the music with someone who might connect with it, follow Loco Tranquilo, and come to a show whenever you have the opportunity.

Website: www.locotranquilo.com
Instagram: @locotranquilo
Spotify: Loco Tranquilo
YouTube: Loco Tranquilo
Bandcamp: Loco Tranquilo
Apple Music: Loco Tranquilo

14. Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

My immediate focus is continuing to develop the new chapter that began with “Sueño” and bringing my upcoming EP to life.

I’m excited to explore the more immediate, guitar-driven direction of this release while continuing to experiment with different sounds and influences.

I’d also love to take Loco Tranquilo beyond San Francisco, connect with new audiences, and create opportunities to perform internationally, particularly in Europe and Latin America.

Having built this project independently for years, one of my biggest aspirations is to reach a point where I can dedicate myself entirely to creating, recording, collaborating, and performing music.

But beyond any particular milestone, my dream is to keep evolving as an artist without losing the curiosity and creative freedom that made me start this project in the first place.

15. What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

I hope they’ll discover that Loco Tranquilo is a project that’s constantly evolving and that I don’t feel the need to limit myself to a single musical identity.

I’m interested in exploring different sounds, emotions, and ideas, and I want each release to represent an honest reflection of where I am creatively and personally at that particular moment.

I also hope people discover the human side of the music: the experiences, contradictions, vulnerabilities, and dreams that exist behind the songs.

At the end of the day, Loco Tranquilo is about finding a sense of freedom within all the chaos and uncertainty of life.

And if there’s one thing I’d like people to take away from my journey, it’s that you don’t necessarily need to have everything figured out to keep moving forward.

Sometimes, you just have to trust your instincts and keep dreaming.

16. Representative YouTube Video

Loco Tranquilo “Sueño” (Official Music Video)

Release date: October 5, 2026