Exclusive Interview: Sebastian Tenorio-Vallejo on Touring Alongside the All-American Rejects, Being a Freelance Musician, and Navigating the Industry

The name All-American Rejects is likely one that’s familiar to any music lover. But behind the band these days is a name that might not be; Sebastian Tenorio-Vallejo is currently serving as one of the touring musicians for the legendary rock band, spending night after night playing hits like “Gives You Hell” and “Dirty Little Secret” while also living out of the spotlight as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. Sebastian also has many other musical tricks up his sleeve, from stints as a tour manager to being a freelance musician, all of which he’s gathered while navigating the industry as a Colombia-native US immigrant.

CREDIT: PRESS

Fresh off backing the Rejects at Innings Festival in Tempe, Arizona, Sebastian joined us for a Zoom call to talk about everything from how Paul McCartney inspired him to pursue a career in music, the best advice he got as a new professional musician, his mantra for DIY musicians, supporting his family, and how he landed the gig with the All-American Rejects. 

Before titles like ‘freelance musician’ or ‘tour manager’ ever appeared on his resume, Sebastian was just someone who gravitated to music in all forms. After recalling picking up jingles as a kid, he credits the LimeWire era as his first experience of dreaming of being a musician. “I knew that music videos were a thing already because I’d see them on MTV or VH1 or something, but I started going like ‘Okay, I’m really into bands, I can watch these videos all the time now.’ At the time, I had just discovered Guns N’ Roses, and I downloaded the ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ music video. It’s just them rehearsing in a warehouse, but I thought it was so cool.” In talking further about moments when he felt drawn to pursue music professionally, Sebastian shares about the crossroads he experienced in college. While pursuing a business degree and performing in a band simultaneously, he recalls seeing Paul McCartney at Bonnaroo Music Festival. “I remember as I was watching him, I was like ‘Man, I need to just lean on music.’ Just put all my eggs in that basket instead of just keeping one toe in, one toe out.”

Despite his obvious love for music, Sebastian’s pursuit of music as a career wasn’t as simple as just putting all his eggs in that one basket. Sebastian immigrated from Colombia to Florida when he was six years old and became a DACA recipient after starting college. As he started college, he made a last-minute decision to pursue business rather than music since his legal status at the time prevented him from receiving financial aid or scholarships. The merging of his business degree and ever-persisting love of music pushed his interest in the business side of the music industry throughout college, which aided him as he started work as a freelance musician and tour manager shortly before graduating with his business degree. 

"I was like ‘Man, I need to just lean on music.’ Just put all my eggs in that basket instead of just keeping one toe in, one toe out." - Sebastian

“Up until the last couple of years, I was my own manager, I was my own booking agent, I was my own accountant - all of those things.” Sebastian has balanced it all, but he’s fully aware that musicians don’t just get by on talent. “It’s called the music industry for a reason. I’ve seen incredibly talented people fail by no other means than just money didn’t work out.” As he thinks back to how he navigated his early career, he mentions a conversation with a local booking agent at a gig that changed his frame of mind towards being a self-funded musician. “He was like, ‘How long have you been doing this?’ And was like, ‘Oh, I’m like a year in.’ He’s like, ‘Cool, what do you do with your tips?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know, buy dinner I guess? A beer?’ And he was like, ‘Don’t touch them. Take all your tips and pool them. Eventually, that can be like, when taxes come through, there’s your tax payment. If an emergency comes through, there it is.’ And, boy, has that rung true.” Sebastian personally takes pride in his own achievement of fully financially supporting his parents on his musician compensation, which he simply sees as a return on their investment in him. Now having been in the industry for a decade, Sebastian continues to see the value in the early advice he received about the business side of the industry as a means for protecting all musicians. “That’s a really gross topic in music, talking about money. It’s really hard for people to talk about it and I totally understand, but I do believe that at times it’s not talking about it that’s ultimately screwing musicians over.”

He was balancing it all and doing it all when the gig with Rejects entered his field of vision. “I was playing for Ballyhoo! and tour managing for the first time with Gipsy Kings.” Sebastian’s merch manager from very early in his career had landed a role working with the All-American Rejects, and she called to ask him about his skill level playing piano. “I was like, ‘Uh well, I don’t gig on keys. But like, I know music theory so I know what to do with a keyboard.’ She was like ‘Well, Rejects is looking for a new multi-instrumentalist. The gig is keys heavy, and you have to play bass on a few songs, guitar on a few songs, saxophone on a few songs. They want you to sing.’” So he took the shot. He lived and breathed the band’s music for weeks, looking for potential piano-heavy B-sides from the band and embodying a piano player rather than his usual guitar-player persona. He recalls sitting in a coffee shop when he got the call that his audition went well and the band liked him enough to offer him the gig. Sebastian even jokes that after starting to play with the Rejects he probably ended up in the band’s top 1% of listeners as he absorbed their music in every way that he could.

Playing with the All-American Rejects seems to be a place where Sebastian is happy to be spending this era of his career. But the music landscape is ever-changing, and Sebastian still has his eye on the future. While Sebastian’s roots and current gig are as a musician, he also shares a love for the tour management side of his experience in the industry. “My experience tour managing has been awesome. Being on the other side of it is very stimulating in a weird way that I don’t get from being a musician. As a musician, I don’t do bookings for things, aside from gigs. I don’t book hotels for a band, I don’t book a tour bus or sound, or any of that stuff. I get to use the other side of my brain.” Sebastian has crossed so many of the lines of the live music industry, but he makes it very clear that above all, he remains that person who goes all in on every chapter of his career, honors those who have had his back, and leans on his love for music to guide him forward.

Watch All The Things Music: The Podcast x Sebastian Tenorio-Vallejo here.

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