Working to the sound of the beat

It is the coffee and the late-night snacks that initially attract students and faculty to him. Dario Guerra works as a General Services Representative at Trojan Grounds, the 24-hour cafe at the University of Southern California. But it is Guerra's music that keeps people begging for more.

"As far as music goes, if I can manage making a living off of it, not needing the fame and all of that, then I would do that, I would do that definitely"

Dario Guerra's passion is music. But he does not just make any kind of music, but rather, experiments with a variety of sounds.

"My genre (is) bipolar, it's mixed up really," Guerra said. "Because it's acoustic guitar, I pretty much thump on the guitar like I'm playing drums and sing and make a little attempt at a hip hoppish flow."

But in order to make a living, his day is filled not with the sounds of his own music, but rather, the sounds of an espresso machine. He is responsible for restocking the freezers, maintaining the appearance of the store and making drinks.

"I’m trying to get out of Trojan grounds," Guerra said. "Somewhere where I have an opportunity to move up, somewhere where my work is recognized."

But at least working at Trojan Grounds can be entertaining. There’s one incident Dario says he will never forget. It involved a student who eventually ended up ransacking an on campus food court.

"He's coming up to me asking me, 'Bro bro, let me talk to you about God. Do you believe in God, what do you believe in?' And I was just at work, not really trying to have that conversation," Guerra said. "And he just had this intensity in his eyes, he like really needed to talk to someone about it. So when I didn’t talk to him, maybe he got upset, next thing I heard, he stripped off his clothes, was running across campus and broke into the lot, destroyed some things, sprayed the fire extinguishers, and jumped out at DPS, full frontal.

But semi-nudity seems to be not too out of the ordinary in Guerra’s work at Trojan Grounds.

"I’ve caught some hanky panky in the back," Guerra said.

With all the chaos at Trojan Grounds, it gave Guerra an idea to work for the Department of Public Safety. He might, one day. But what keeps Guerra coming back to Trojan Grounds are the students – well, the ones that keep their clothes on.

"That is rewarding for coming here, just meeting people all around the world, from all over the world. It’s just one little store and thousands of people, like imagine the traffic coming in and out of Trojan Grounds and I stay in one spot so I get to meet so many people."

Guerra met recent USC graduate Kwame Boateng in 2007. Boateng said he considers Guerra to be a good friend.

"I see Dario and I’m like 'hey whats up, how are you doing?' I don't really see Dario as a Tro Gro employee," Boateng said. "Too many people judge people by what they do for work, which is quite boring. The fact of the matter is what you do in your free time signifies who you are. I remember Dario for being a cool guy to hang out with and at the same time being a great musician. I hope that he focuses on his music and he could definitely be on the radio or something like that."
Guerra hopes that he will be on the radio one day.

"Slowly but surely, any and every move I make towards music I’m hoping is going to be progressive," Guerra said. "I’d like to make a living off of music, but before I make any decisions like that, I need to maintain whatever structure I have…and right now the only one I have is Trojan grounds."