Venice, California, tempts many people—with sandy beaches and year-round sunshine, it is obvious why folks from around the world flock to the destination. Josh Soto has lived there, and he moved on. He now calls Omaha home.

For the sake of Omaha’s music scene, Soto traded Southern California’s serene climate for volatile weather and bitter winters. He relocated five years ago, and he has been a fixture ever since.

Almost immediately after coming to Omaha, he started playing bass for a local band called The Scene, and he worked at Guitar Center. “I played in the Scene for about five years, and just from working there (at Guitar Center) I got to meet everyone and kind of integrate myself into the Omaha music scene,” Soto says.

Soto says Omaha feels so much like home it sometimes seems funny to think he came from a completely different place.

“It’s been a slow build, and it’s kind of funny how many people think I am from here,” Soto says. “I am a total gear junkie, so it kind of helped when people would come to me for advice, or just pick my brain about different things as a Guitar Center guy.”

After more than five years working at the shop near Oak View Mall, Soto is now the general manager of Ground Floor Guitars in the Blackstone District. He says Guitar Center customers often complained about the long commute to West Omaha. Ground Floor is a solution to their problem.

“I was approached by Phil (Schaffart, Ground Floor’s owner). He wanted to do a guitar shop in Blackstone, and it just made total sense,” Soto says.

According to Soto, Ground Floor won’t be the shop that has everything, but they will have the basics.

“We are going to have the essentials, so if you need a new pack of picks, or strings, an amp, or a new guitar, it’s all going to be right here,” Soto says.

Soto has a lot of love for the Omaha music scene, and he sees this new adventure with Ground Floor as a way to give back. “I think it is going to allow me to better serve my friends in the music community right here in the neighborhood,” he says.

He recognizes how meaningful it is for a good guitar shop to have caring and attentive employees who build relationships with customers. For Soto, the notion even carries a hint of nostalgia.

“I knew a guy named Josh that worked in Guitar Center back in Hollywood, and he always took care of me, from when I was a 15-year-old idiot kid who had no money to when I actually started being in bands and playing shows,” Soto says.

Soto says he wants to be that person for other guitarists: the guy who always takes care of you, your “man on the inside.” Soto wants people to know they can count on him to take care of their needs.

“It’s sweet that the people of Omaha have trusted me and kind of adopted me,” Soto says with a laugh. “I get a lot of personal satisfaction in being able to help people. I love talking about gear, and I am very fortunate that I can do what I love for a living.”

Just like his employment at Guitar Center, Soto’s band, The Scene, was bound for change, too.

“We did a lot of really cool stuff. We toured a lot, we played Maha in 2012, and we played the opening ceremonies for the College World Series two years ago,” Soto says. “That band just recently ended.”

Soto briefly played with several local bands before joining his current group, High Up. Soto says his first rehearsal with High Up carried a very surreal realization.

“I’m playing with all stars,” Soto says. “That was one of those pinch me moments where I thought, ‘I’m playing with these guys?’” The rest of the band consists of Christine and Orenda Fink (vocals), Greg Elsasser (keyboard), and Eric Ohlsson (drums).

High Up got together just over a year ago and the band is sure to remain in the Omaha music scene for some time—much like their bassist, Josh Soto. Encounter

Visit highup1.bandcamp.com for more information.