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The Sunrise Movement Open Mic in Long Beach

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By / May 10, 2024 / , , , , , , ,

In early January 2024, our band member Isaac told us about an open mic event , for the sunrise moment in Long beach. It was our first live performance in a long time. So, it was a great opportunity to brush up on our live performance skills. However, our live performance went poorly.

There was a welcoming crowd. People were very insightful about their views on the environment.  A few artists went up to perform for the open mic. Some did poetry, others creative visuals and others had speech. It was great to see people give a damn.

When it was our time to perform Edgar, Isaac and I went up on stage. The location looked like a middle school gym converted into an assembly hall. It was a throwback. All we need now is a backyard show.

On stage, I did not find a reason to worry. I felt confident. We had set up our instruments before our performance, but I forgot to set up other essentials. A chair, a mic stand and sheet stand to hold the lyrics. I wanted to replicate my practice space at home. So, I could reduce any mistakes

Then 

We checked our instruments  

Did a half assed sound check. 

And began the set 

which consisted of three songs: 

Born into this

Promises

The End of All Things

Born into this began strong. 

I felt we were in it. But then the song became a mess half way through our set. Our timings and tones were jumping around like atoms struggling to escape a boiling kettle. It began to sound like we didn’t rehearse. As the audience began to clap with us during a vocal repetition. The song did end well. So, I am thankful for their support.

. 

Afterwards it was the song Promises. It went well. Out of the three, I can say we delivered for anybody listening. Which was great, because after this track  I felt warmed up.

The last was the track was the  “End of All Things”. It is the oldest song from this set of songs. I did not believe we would struggle, but we did. I did my best to play it off, but I could tell the audience knew better. Their expressions said more than I could describe. Some eyes cannot lie lol We said our thank yous, walked out and were greeted kindly by people there.

In retrospect, our January open mic performance at the Sunrise Movement in Long Beach hurt us. But I think it was a necessary reality check. Its put a lot of things in perspective for myself. However, it also was a wonderful experience. So thanks to everyone at the “Sunrise Movement in Long Beach”. We look forward to the next show.

Cheers,

Ed from Relentless

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Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / By / April 1, 2023

Expectations And Reality: A Year Later

On March 31, 2022, we released our EP Expectations and Reality on all the streaming platforms. 

A little bit of background/history: Sometime around late 2019, Ed reached out and asked us to jam again. Since we had been on hiatus since 2015, getting the band back together was exciting and fun. It felt right. We caught up with each other’s life journey, jammed out, and kicked around some old songs. What really captivated us was the new material Ed had.

Then 2020 hit, and we all know how that went. After the initial lockdown, we tried to build a bubble in order to keep up the momentum. But since most of us are eSsEnTiAl WoRkErS, we kept having to quarantine.  It wasn’t until after the vaccinations came out that we were able to get serious.

Our next obstacle was scheduling, and ultimately we ended up getting a 24-hour lockout at Bedrock Studios. We had a 3-4 month run where we would just meet up and hammer out the sounds and details we wanted for this project. It’s unfortunate what ended up happening there not even a year later, but Bedrock, you will be missed. https://www.bedrock.la/

Outside of Bedrock Studios
Isaac and his master pedalboard
Edgar (bass) Ed (guitar) Marcos (drums)

When we were ready, we started looking on soundbetter.com to find a recording studio. Bedrock itself had a recording studio, but it was a little bit out of our price range. After visiting a couple different studios, we ultimately decided to go with Chris at The Patch studio.

 https://soundbetter.com/profiles/32877-chris-c-audio The Patch is a home studio located in Sherman Oaks. Built out of a converted garage, the vibe is instantly nostalgic and inviting. It feels like going over to a friend’s house after school and jamming out on their couch.

We laid down the drum tracks all in one day. It was intense. Over the next couple of weekends we added the bass, rhythm, and lead guitar tracks. And Ed took a straight week recording the vocals to finish up the EP.

Ed and Edgar ( record at The Patch)
Chirs (audio engineer)

After that it was pretty much out of our hands. Chris ended up mixing the EP as well and we used AirGigs to find Shai Fishman to Master our tracks. https://www.airgigs.com/user/shaifishman

We had a couple of meetings about the logo and cover artwork. After we came to a consensus, it was just a matter of waiting for everything to launch.

And now a year later, I posed some interview questions for the band members.

Reflection

So what were your Expectations and what was your Reality?

Isaac: Grammy for best new artist! Or maybe a record deal. At the very least I expected to start raking in some money from Spotify streams. But I think like a lot of new bands we thought the music would speak for itself. The reality was that we didn’t promote it enough when it came out. I think because we worked on recording this through the pandemic, we were a bit burnt out. There was a lot of juggling of schedules and rehearsing after/before our jobs.

Marcos: I expected us to record the EP. I had the mindset of just having fun and getting it done. Reality exceeded my expectations and we created an EP that I enjoy listening to. I’m proud of the band.

Ed:The expectation was to record a three-song ep. The reality is we recorded a five-song ep.Yay.

Edgar: I expected some shows! But pandemic and schedule issues made it hard.

Which one is your favorite song from the EP?

Isaac: I really like The Storm. I like the tone/effects on my guitar, and because the tuning is dropped, the song sounds pretty heavy. I remember when Ed showed it to us I immediately heard what I wanted to play. The bass and drums really compliment each other. The conflict of letting someone drown is also pretty powerful to me. I think it’s been one of the better songs we’ve written.


Marcos: Favorite to play: The Storm. Favorite to listen to: Promises 

Ed: Promises. It just sticks in my head. Promises promises

Edgar: All of them!! But if I had to choose well… Disperse in 2.

Anything you wish you could do differently?

Isaac: I think the only conflict I had during recording was a guitar part I wrote for the chorus of Disperse in two. We ended up axing it because I couldn’t play it the day I recorded my parts for it. It also muddied the mid range a lot, so ultimately it was a good thing we didn’t include it. I guess I wish I could’ve at least played it correctly that day. Also, I wish I had recorded the settings I had on my pedals! I haven’t found the same dial settings for some of the songs!

Marcos: Sometimes I feel like I could’ve played things differently, set aside more time to practice, or even just be there for more parts of the recording.

Ed: Manage money better. But you live and learn. So, it’s okay.

Edgar: I wish I could’ve used some effects on the bass but I’m a noob. Some music videos would have been cool.

What was something you liked about the recording process?

Isaac: Definitely Chris, our sound engineer. He was very cool and definitely put us at ease. I went last with recording my parts so I thought I was gonna do one take and be done with it but I got really nervous! Also he made a lot of good recommendations for the solos and bass lines.


Marcos I liked listening to the playback of recordings through the studio monitors. Also, feeling completely focused on playing while being recorded. It’s a surreal feeling compared to just regular rehearsal or demo recording.

Ed:I liked working with a mixing engineer. It was different from the usual recording process. It was a learning experience.

Edgar: The recording process is awesome!! Although the work up to it is just as exciting.

Who would you like to thank?

Isaac: Chris, our sound engineer, for being kick ass at his job. Besides the technical stuff he also helped us get into the mindset of recording. 

Mary, my wife, for supporting me in this endeavor and putting up with a lot.

My parents and family for supporting this hobby when I was younger. They put up with a lot of nonsense growing up.

Bedrock Studios for their lockout we used for a couple of months. Meg is a real G!

Eastside Rehearsal for providing a chill spot to rehearse. Thanks Tony. 

Marcos, Edgar, and Eduardo for sticking it through. We could’ve given up at any point but we stayed RELENTLESS through it all.


Marcos: First and foremost I’d like to thank everyone in the band for all of the time, energy, and funds they put into this whole project. As a drummer without a drum set I appreciate being given the opportunity and support to be part of this. Thanks to our producer who made the recording process wonderful. Friends and everyone who listened to the EP. My girlfriend.

Ed: Here’s a list:
My mom, sister,
Andy, nieces, and nephew.
Troy, Cleo.
My bandmates,
My Aunt,
My Grandma,
Shaggy,
Mary,
Maggie,

Chris,
Adrian,
Eric,
Tip Top Magoo,
Rene,
Melissa,
Bedrock studios,
Anthony,
Panda, Gus,
Papa Gus,
Momma gus,
De La Rocha Family,
Vazquez family,
The Villalvazo family,
Brenda, Taylor,
Jose,
Jessica
Magali
Curved,
El Comal,
Greymeng,
Gary,
Mylothicc,
El Vato Pato,
Roselyn
Mia,
Michelle,
& Yoshi

What’s next for you?

Isaac: We’re trying to take this music live. We recorded this music with almost no public feedback. We have some new material that we’ve been working on and I’m excited to see what the  audiences’ reaction is like. Will it affect the music? I don’t know, but I wanna find out before we go back to recording.


Marcos: I think I’ll be a Chef 

Ed: A smoke, a drink, and a shower cause this interview is over.


Edgar: More Music!!! And some effects too. Making music with you guys is an awesome experience. I miss the jam outs we would have.

Relentless
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