Meet Cristian Gonzalez | Singer | Guitarist of ORION 224

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cristian Gonzalez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cristian, why did you pursue a creative career?
My name is Cristian Gonzalez and I am the lead singer/rhythm guitarist for ORION 224. I started the band in 2016 with my little brother, Gavin Gonzalez (Drummer). We started the band with our friend and bassist Victor Perez. The three of us grew up in households where rock music was played religiously. My brother and I began playing guitar and drums at the age of 10, just like our uncles and family members before us. Music has been in our blood going back many years, so we take every opportunity we can to play music for people. With the addition of our current lead guitarist, Sean Sticker, our overall love for music makes pursuing our creative career very easy.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We feel that what sets us apart from others is our ability to captivate, and immerse the crowd during our live performances. Not only do we strive to write melodic songs that people can stream on all platforms, but we work vigorously when it comes to mapping out how our live performances will go. We are capable in doing this due to our joint love for creation, and this is what drives us to where we are today professionally. We have been a band since 2016, and if we were not all best friends, and felt the way we do about the art we make, we probably would have disbanded a long time ago. Amidst all of the challenges we have faced as a band over the years, we are stronger, and more determined than ever to have our voices heard. It has always been our dream to share the music we write with the world, and we feel with our determined work ethic, we will be able to do just that.

The most important lesson/impactful ideology we have adapted over the years, is being mindful of why we started the band in the first place. We started this band as 14 and 13 year old kids, covering Green Day and Blink-182 songs at small house parties. The reason we started the band was because we loved to play music, and the more we remind ourselves of that, the easier it is for us to always enjoy what we do. Of course with being in a band you are going to face challenges, but at the end of the day, we are still the same 13 and 14 year old kids who just want to play music for anyone who cares to listen.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being born and raised in Houston,Tx I would plan a day starting at my favorite breakfast place in Houston being Avalon Diner, in the River Oaks area of Houston. Afterwards depending if we are tight on money or not, I would want to visit the free Menil collection, which is an art exhibit here in Houston. It truly is captivating and what’s even cooler is that it is 100% free! If we have some money to spare during the day, I would recommend visiting one of a few places…

– Houston Science Museum
– Houston Zoo
– Houston Museum of Fine Arts
– Houston Aquarium

After a day of activity, I would recommend going to Citizens of Montrose to take advantage of their happy hour, where they offer discounted drinks, including my personal favorite, a .99 cent Espresso Martini! After this, I would recommend some fine dining at one of my favorite steakhouses, and in my opinion, a Houston staple, being Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. Medium Rare, Center cut filet is the only right choice here. Afterwards, I would recommend a night on the town, and specifically hitting one of Houston’s most historic and oldest nightclubs being Numbers. I love Numbers because it has such a vintage vibe, and they play nothing but 80’s club songs on Fridays! We also love it because half of the band is under 21 and they allow 18+ people in!

This is, in my opinion, a perfect way to spend a day in Houston, TX!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We would like to dedicate this shoutout to our wonderful manager, Shelby Cothren. She joined the team about a year ago, and since she has started contributing her efforts, we have grown at an exponential rate. She does more than just manage us as a band though, she does photography, and graphic design for us as well. She is extremely hardworking, driven, and adamantly displays great leadership whenever she needs to. For these reasons, we are very thankful to have her as a part of the team, and dedicate this shoutout to one of the hardest working managers in the Houston local music scene!

Website: https://orion224.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orion.224/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsLcsvH3T-NC0NOji5Je8Ew

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@orion.224 (Tik Tok) https://open.spotify.com/artist/1k6zBhXmYz9cGXaQF5afAd (Spotify)

Image Credits
Shelby Cothren Xavier Gutierrez Benjamin White