Tunage: Where did the band name come from?

Hernando: We had started with a different name which was The Scenic Route and then a band got signed with that name so we were just throwing out ideas at our practice and it was a conglomerate of a bunch of different things. Basically when it comes down to it, our name represents us just being normal people that have our moments of heroism. It means adding a little something good to the world.

DD: We wanted to be Crosswalks but someone else was already Crosswalks, Hernando wanted something with the word heroes so that’s how it was formed.

Brandon: Alright, you guys are both wrong. (Everyone laughs.) My friend Chaz and I were talking on Facebook and I said, “Alright, we have to change our name.” He came up with Heroes & Villains, I think, and I brought up that name with the band because I thought that was the coolest name out of everything else he gave me and I thought we could work with it. The only thing we stuck with was the heroes thing so… you guys are liars. (Everyone laughs again.)

Hernando: I told you it was a conglomerate of everything! Alright, come on, next question! (Laughs.)

Tunage: What is Youth Martyrs? Is it a representation of a group’s beliefs or is it simply just a band of average dudes just trying to make some music?

Hunter: Well, Gonzalo describes it as this sort of effort to bring back the older sound that our youth seems to have lost touch with. This is not to say we are the only ones doing this, but that we fully support this movement and enjoy playing this type of music.

T: How does Youth Martyrs stand out from the vast sea of local San Diego bands?

H: I suppose our sound stands out because it is a collection of various genres. It seems that each of us is into completely different music, but we all share a deep respect for unfiltered and unedited rock and roll. I find River listening to 80's new wave stuff like Siouxsie and the Banshees and Gonzalo is off listening to old blues and country music like Led Belly and Willie Nelson. I'm into everything from hip-hop to old punk music and Thomas and I both share a love for "Gun Club.”

Tunage: How did you get so involved with music?

2B: My parents were musicians when I was a little kid and they kind of influenced to be into music. After I started listening to music, I began to play it. I started playing drums and stuff and that was pretty inspiring. My parents were definitely one of the things that got me into music.

T: Good! What instruments do you play?

2B: I play drums mostly. I can play guitar, bass (not so well), and I'm learning piano.

T: What are your favorite genres of music?

2B: The main genre I like is hardcore music. That's what I play the drums to. I also listen to electronic music; it's mostly the music that I DJ. I also listen to alternative rock, metal, and anything else like that.

T: Nice. Who or what are your inspirations?

2B: As a DJ, Skrillex was the first dubstep DJ I ever listened to. I thought that his image as a former punk rock musician and then turning into a worldwide DJ was pretty awesome. It inspired me to do this.

T: Have you had a lot of support from friends and family?

2B: Yeah, my family provided me with jobs and they gave me the opportunity to make money so that I could afford my equipment. All my friends at my school support me, all my friends that I met at events support me, and it's just been awesome.

T: It's clear that you have a lot of people that support you. Has your outlook on music changed throughout your life? Is it more meaningful than when you were a few years younger?

2B: Yeah, when I first started listening to music it was the popular music that everybody listened to. Generally, a while later I began to start exploring different genres which is how I got into electronic music. I got into hardcore because I was playing drums to bands like Green Day and punk rock bands. Since I was able to play it, it was getting boring so I wanted to incorporate new techniques like the double-bass pedal.

T: Why did the band go from Captain! Captain! to Headway?
Bryson: We lost a couple of members forcing CC to quit and we wanted to start fresh with a new band and new members.

T: When you all got together, did you agree on the kind of music you wanted to play?
Bryson: We never really chose a specific style to write, but the chemistry we all feel when writing together is unreal.

T: What inspires the music?
Bryson: Everything in our lives from music to something heard in class or read in a book.

T: Who writes the lyrics to your songs?
Bryson: I write the lyrics.

T: Are there any special meanings behind certain songs?
Bryson: Here and there. I try to add depth and passion to what I am singing about. It makes the music way more fun to play live.

T: When you play a show, what are some of the ways that you like to warm up?
Bryson: Some of us do warm-ups like I do for my voice. We also just mentally prepare.

T: What do you encourage show-goers to do when they see you guys play?
Bryson: Check out all the bands playing and support any that you liked!

T: What is your favorite venue to play?
Bryson: Our favorite venue is our house in Encinitas called The Broken Arrow. We throw a lot of shows there.

T: Is San Diego a good location for a booming music scene?
Bryson: It could be, but more kids need to go to smaller venues around SD.

T: What are the band's plans within the next year?
Bryson: We are hitting the road to tour again in the spring and our goal is to make it our lives and go full-time. That'll happen within a year.

Keep up with HEADWAY with the links provided and give them a listen!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/headwaysd
Bandcamp: www.headway.bandcamp.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/headwaysd

Photo Credits: Nesha Torres

Written by Jordan Mafi

- Tunage

         Here at Tunage, not only are we focused on the greatest music of San Diego, but we
also focus on those behind the music—people like Derek Roy. Derek is a recording engineer
who studies at the Art Institute of California in San Diego. He’s very involved with music—he’s a
sales associate at Hot Topic, one of the only popular music and fashion retail stores around SD,
and he also created his own recording group. D.R Studios, as he calls it, has worked with bands
like Darling You’re Stunning, Ditches, Savage, Nick Gegan, Canavar, H Street, and Dave Owens.
D.R. Studios’ mission is to supply quality recordings for your budget.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to record music or do the techie stuff at live shows?
In this article, you’ll learn just what Derek does and where he got the tools to do it.

Tunage: What exactly is a recording engineer?

Derek: A recording engineer is a person in charge of the technical side of making music. [It can
consist of] setting up microphones and capturing sound while the band is playing. It seems like
a kind of “background role,” but it is a very important role to the recording process. A lot of
the time a recording engineer even takes on the roles of producer, band manager, and outside
mediator for each session of recording.

T: When did you decide to pursue this career?

Derek: How did I decide to pursue a career as an audio engineer? I started off wanting to
become a musician, and at first thought that learning to record, mix, and master would help me
get my foot in the door of the music industry, but as time went on I slowly started recording
more and more bands and found it extremely fun, and really decided I wanted to do more of it.

T: How do you feel about the classes that teach you how to do your job?

Derek: I love learning all that I can about audio engineering, and it is amazing to be able to
have so many places to learn about it. Besides getting to work with other skilled people and my
teachers, [I learn] from classes to online videos and forums as well as all the books I read on
the subject.

T: What is it that you love about music and sound?

Derek: I think the thing I love about music is the emotion that is involved. There are people
who, due to Alzheimer [for example], have long stopped functioning normally, but when they
hear some songs from when they were young they have this emotional memory so strong
that it surpasses the limits of their mental capabilities. It is just such a powerful thing that it is
hard not to be amazed at how music affects everything in life around us. I'm always amazed
whenever I meet someone who says they don't like music. Music is just an essential part of
life.

T: What is an average recording session to you?

Derek: To me, a recording session is a chance for me to take what an artist is working on and
really make it shine. I get to take that song and inscribe it in a media where it can be enjoyed
by anyone at any time at their convenience. I like the fact that I can do that for a band and
help them do a better job as a whole.

T: What is one thing that a band can do to make the session easier and quicker?

Derek: When bands come in it is always good for them to have their songs well-rehearsed,
especially to a set tempo on a metronome. You have no idea how much it helps in the
recording and mixing process to have a band that is on beat and not flowing all over the place.
Another helpful hint to recording [well] is being able to show up on time. A lot of bands show
up late to a session due to issues such as getting a ride. What I would suggest is to always
leave an hour before any session; it gets you there on time and helps to keep us from sitting at
the studio doing nothing for a while.

T: What is the toughest thing a band can do while you're recording them?

Derek: I don't really think I've encountered too many tough things a band did when recording.
It would just be the opposite of what I said previously. If the band hasn't rehearsed and can't
play on the click, it causes lots of problems.

T: Do you have a goal that you want to achieve with your profession in the next 10
years?

Derek: In the next ten years I would really like to be in studios recording and mixing music. I
hope to have a good name while running a professional company.

T: What do you think of the music industry in today's time?

Derek: The music industry kind of sucks to tell you the truth. There are too many bad bands
making it big these days while plenty of original talented musicians struggle to get their stuff
going anywhere. Aside from that, artists really don't make any money off their music anymore
and have to get paid by playing shows. Besides that, the prices of most tickets for concerts are
absurd, having inflated insanely from 3rd party buyers and bands overcharging to make up for
the loss of money in music sales. I would really like to see less of these super famous bands
and more [of the] middle class musicians who sell their music and get all the money from it.

T: Do you believe that you are a critical part of the music industry?

Derek: I feel that recording engineers will always be an important part of the music industry
and will never really go away. As for me, I am slowly getting there by working with as many
people as I can to play a bigger role in the music industry.

T: If you had any advice to give to an art student looking for a job as a recording
engineer, what would you tell them?

Derek: I'd suggest that [they] network and learn as much as possible because opportunities
will come out of nowhere and [they] need to be able to jump on them before anyone else does.

Are you a band who wants to start recording music?
Get in touch with Derek through his info:

Derek Roy
760 533 0849
[email protected]
D.R Studios Independent Recording

You can find his stuff on Soundcloud at http://soundcloud.com/d-r-studios.

- Tunage

Written by Jordan Mafi

Tunage: How did you all decide that you wanted to play this kind of music and how would you describe your music?

 We decided to play this genre of music because we were drawn to the aggressiveness and the genuine emotion found within the vast hardcore scene. Numerous bands that we draw influence from are very passionate in their music and you can feel that energy and emotion in their live shows as well as their recordings and that's what inspires us. We don't want to put on a boring show, nor do we want to put out music that doesn't have our entire heart put into it. To describe our music, although we try to contain the same characteristics that define our genre, we also put our entire heart into every single aspect of our writing processes, thus including our artistic and individual appeal to make our music that much more meaningful. 

Tunage: Do you all believe that you have something special to bring to your genre of music?

Being in the same genre where there is a flood of bands who choose to write what appeals to the crowd rather than what they want to play themselves, the genre eventually becomes desaturated from individuality and unique appeal. We all bring our own influences and ideals to the table, thus bringing a wide range of ideas and creativity to our band. Although we are playing in a genre where heart and emotion are overshadowed by constant breakdowns and and meaningless lyrics, we are simply making music where we find passion and solidarity. 

          It's a Saturday night at Soma and The Big Show is happening. All kinds of local hardcore bands are on the lineup and the mainstage is filled with eager fans. Killing the Messenger is standing with me outside before their set, ready to go play after this next band is done. Killing the Messenger is a five-piece metalcore band from good ol' San Diego, California. Their Facebook fan page has reached over 3,000 likes from kids in SD and beyond. There are so many kids waiting inside the venue who are stoked for their set. I got to catch up with Ahren Leepier and Willie Malpica before their big performance.