Meet Gabriel Lariza

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gabriel Lariza. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gabriel below.

Hi Gabriel, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

My friends. I’ve been humbled so many times and I feel like I’m constantly in awe of the people around me. My cousin Marc Encabo in particular who I’ve played music with as a child has been a massive champion for me, my musicianship, everything. I felt I could never fully commit to music full-time and I was so enamored by the thought of it. I scared at my inability to meet the expectations of what a musician “should be”. He’s someone that challenges me. It’s so key to have a person like that in your corner. I feel like now I’ve developed into my own artist. I’ve found my own sound and it’s really thanks to him, as well as my bandmates and brothers who speak good things behind my back. Shoutout to you JLR boys.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

By day, I work as an ancillary scheduler for oncology at Scripps. I’ve been at this company for almost 12 years, and it feels like time has flown by so fast. I like to think that healthcare and serving others is my first love and passion. I really love being around patients, working with them, finding out about their lives and doing the small things that makes their lives easier. I truly find fulfillment in making someone’s day, which sounds so cliche honestly. Theres no other feeling like it. Music however has grown to be something new and fresh these past few years. I started pursuing music professionally around the start of lockdown around 2020 when covid was running rampant. Working at the hospital and trying to figure out ways to treat our patients in the middle of lockdown felt like a gigantic mountain to climb.

Marc referred my name to my dear friend and brother Travis Thomas, a guitar legend in the San Diego/San Juan Capistrano area. We played a gig at the Jazzy Wishbone in Oceanside and Trav was losing it because he didnt know Marc had a cousin in San Diego that happened to “play bass”. I gave it a shot! Trav and Rashaad Graham (drums) saw me when my musicianship was at my absolute lowest. Just enough to keep up but it was hard. These two are cornerstones in the SoCal music scene and I felt I needed to be better just so I could hang with the big guys. They’ve been so good to me and we still play together to this day.

Right now I’m focusing on this fun little group called Gabe’s Karaoke Party. I’ve been hosting monthly events at Fox Point Farms for the last year and a half and its been such a fantastic journey. Marc had a hand in naming the band GKP and its been addictive to play and sing in this band. I love connecting people together so I feel like these shows lately have been fun and whimsical, but at the same time great for others to really get incredible contacts for other musicians. I typically have a crew of about 9-10 people spanning from keys, bass, guitar, percussion, drums, and multiple guest singers. It’s been absolutely joy to be able to run and host these events.

On top of this I lead a band called Japanese Lunchtime Rush with my close friends. JLR is a mix of fusion, jazz, gospel, neosoul, video game, and anime soundtracks all wrapped up in a neat little bow. We frequent the con circuit, and this coming January I’m proud to say that we’ll be participating in Anime Los Angeles 2026 closing ceremonies! We’ve played main stage here a few years in a row so its been an honor and a blessing to share out love of music and anime with these amazing attendees and prolific actors, producers, writers, cosplayers, and artists.

Lastly, I’ve been a bassist for my brother Jon August based in LA! We finished recording some new tunes, so I hope you look forward to hearing what’s coming down the pike. Every group is literally my same roster of friends that have grounded me and kept me humble, all while being absolute shredders on their instrument.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

First, You gotta have a good attitude. You could have the best skills in the world, but if your attitude offsets your ability, no one will call you. One of my best friends Lawrence says “A rising tide lifts all ships.” You can’t live life thinking that everyone has it better than you. You gotta make yourself stick out in the crowd. Make people feel good, whether its through your playing, or lifting others up. I always move with positive energy. I want people to go, “Man, I really need to work with that guy.”

Second, you need to value other people’s time. A thing that really plagues the music community are cats who are chronically late. It’s the musician thing to do. You need to develop the time maturity to assess when you need to get to the gig. You can’t stare down a clock, an hour away from your gig, and youre looking at the time five mins before your call subconsciously thinking “I got all the time in the world” There are leeways and exceptions to this but for the most part, be timely and people will call you.

Third, pursue growth! Grow in whatever way that needs to be your path, for you. If it has to do with working on your craft, then don’t settle or stagnate. Work on the things that are hard. Face your difficulties slowly and acknowledge the hardship, but look at yourself through a different lens. What is a way I can positively impact my day? How do I get myself out of the mud? Do I need help from friends? Is therapy something I really should consider? Be persistent in your path to growth. Somes days are always going to be harder than others. It’s so important to value yourself and love yourself while also challenging what you can accomplish, even in the midst of difficulties and life. Eat something good, spend time with loved ones, attend a concert. work hard and play harder. SLEEP. (note to self)

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

If I had one more decade of life, I’d probably keep doing what I’m doing. I’m already around people I love. I’m already working with more incredible artists each year, the doors are opening every single day without me realizing. I love playing music and seeing people smile. I like making people sound like the best versions of themselves. I’d plan a tour with my friends and play music I love every night across the country. I’ll find an onsen (hot spring) in Japan that’s okay with tattoos. I’ll travel around the world, maybe visit Korea, Bali, Vietnam, or Europe, and eat good food. Sharing food is the biggest we show how much we are about you. It’s such a massive part of filipino culture. I feel like I’ve been embracing the pinoy side of me more, and I never thought the pride of being filipino would seep down to my bones as much as it has now, in my adulthood.

I’d look at what impact I could make with the people around me. How do I help someone? Can I cook something good for a person I love? I can only season things in big batches. If I cook something, I need to cook it for fifteen people or I forget how to cook.

When it’s time for me to move from this world to the next, I would absolutely love a celebration of life. I want my family and friends to feel full and not empty so everyone needs to eat. I want to donate my organs if they can be used for someone in need.

I don’t want people to mourn me. I want people to remember me for how I lived and how I impacted them. I would be over the moon if that was the way I could choose to leave this earth. I want people know how much I loved living life. God has truly given me so many blessings and its such a privilege to share that with others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/gabelariza
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabelariza
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@japaneselunchtimerush9

Image Credits

Brian Figueroa
Angie Sort