Luis Chavez graduated with a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology in 2018 from UC Davis.  He holds the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music from California State University, East Bay. 

He currently lectures at Sacramento State University.

While at Cal State, he studied classical guitar under Marc Teicholz and Gyan Riley. His master’s thesis, titled “Los Tastoanes en Juchipilla: Examining the Role of Dance and Music Within the Festival,” explored how dance and music express regional culture in the Mexican town of Juchipilla. Chavez spends his summers in Mexico conducting fieldwork on the Tastoanes festival. His musical interests range from classical to anarcho-punk.