Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Posted by Anonymous |


How did you get into hardcore music?

Well... when I started to listen to music I did listen to a lot of thrash and metal. I have an older brother who while we grew up he played guitar and did listen to a lot of Anthrax, Slayer, Pantera and Metallica so at a really young age the music was really appealing to me. Then as I grew up I started to hang out with a lot of people and they were really involved in bands and they did show me a lot of music and that's where I did discover punk music... and I did relate to it and started to find out more, and then I discovered bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, etc. and instantly knew it was "my kind of music"... I joke about the Dimitri Costas picture, where there's Keith Morris, Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins as "The Holy Trinity" and yes, I have to thank those three for making such awesome music and inspiring me.


Did you understand English before you started listening to American hardcore? If not, how were you able to overcome the language barrier in order to fully appreciate the song lyrics?

Yes, I did but even as I did understand the lyrics there's always a cultural and language barrier... at least I see it that way and the situation in my country is not the same as in America so there's always something you won't be able to catch entirely, that did happen to me before, but over all it wasn't a problem to me. I started to listen to American Hardcore and as I did listen to it I tried to find bands that sang in my own language... there are awesome bands like El Eterno Enemigo, Vieja Escuela, Los Crudos and some from my own country.


Discuss the past and present hardcore scenes in your home country of Guatemala.

The first time I went to a hardcore show here in Guatemala, I loved the fact that everybody knew each other, they were all friends and hung out together... I like that sense of unity and of course there are great bands here... most of those bands have been straight edge, I'm not straight edge myself but I have mad respect for the people that are... there were bands back then like Fuerza X, Sangre Joven, Rivalidad, Nota Suicida, Residentes and some other more. Like in every scene, there are kids that just show up to pick up fights and be all stupid... beating up others as if they were trying to prove they were better, meaner and stronger... to me that's idiotic, totally takes out what hardcore is really about. The positive thing is having great bands like Venganza, Creo En Mi and Volver that are still out there making awesome music. If you want to check out more Guatemalan music you can go to this site - http://bajopresionrecords.bandcamp.com/


Discuss the bands that you've been in.

Well I've been in different bands and in bands that had different styles from one another. The first band I was in is a band called Evilminded, my best friend's band... he does really awesome music that mixes a lot of electronic industrial sounds with grindcore, punk, metal so I did sing in it for some time, it was an awesome experience cause I could experience a totally different sound and my friend always challenged me (and still does) to be a better singer. Then I joined a local punk band called Los Hijos De Su Madre for a really short time... great friends of mine, but I was finishing school so I feel like I didn't give them the time they deserved so I ended up getting kicked out. I spent several years without being in a band, then last year I got together with two girls and a guy and we formed La Reina Está Muerta, we did a few shows because Dani (the bass player) goes to school in the States so we didn't have a lot of time in our hands but we did manage to do a lot with the time we had.


As a singer and a songwriter, who/what are some of your influences and why?

My influences... I can say that who shaped me as a singer and as a person would be Henry Rollins... I think he's a very smart and awesome person... that made me to be a very outspoken person. Other things that influence me, as it is the case of other writers, are my everyday situation, the things that happen around me and how I need to vent about it. I see writing as a release and a way to express all that I think and feel. Now, the bands that have influenced me are Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Minor Threat, Fugazi, Black Flag, Trial, The Smiths, Ceremony, Refused, Outspoken.


Discuss your internet radio show, Liberation Frequency.

Well, Liberation Frequency did start after my friend Mike Celis and I tried to start a powerviolence band and didn't find a drummer so one day we were talking and we just came up with the whole concept of the radio show: to play music we like and wanted to share. So we make playlists, one hour long each and that's where the magic begins. it's on Wednesdays from 8 to 10pm CDT. http://liberationfrequency.listen2myradio.com/


You play an extremely varied mix of music on Liberation Frequency but are there any genres of music that you will NOT play (besides, obviously, any music with racist/sexist/homophobic lyrical content)? If so, what genre(s) and why won't you play them?

Yes we do play a lot of music, we play grindcore, hardcore, sludge, powerviolence, post-punk, screamo and sometimes Mike plays some hip-hop... I'm not into it and I will never play it myself but he can play anything he wants on his playlist.


How did you get into photography?

I'm a Graphic Designer and I took photography one semester and I fell in love with it. I don't consider myself a great photographer but I take pictures of what I consider to be appealing or that catches my eye. I've been doing it for a long time and I'm not planning to stop doing so. This is going to be shameless self-promotion but here's the link to my blog http://luciaxmacip.tumblr.com/


As a photographer, who/what are some of your influences and why?

My influences aren't other photographers, music and life in general inspire me. I might sound lame but I'd rather do my own thing and see where I go from there but I can tell you... I'm a fan of Ross Farrar's work... really awesome pics.


Do you have any plans to make your photos available in some kind of a hardcopy form? If so, please discuss. If not, why not?

If someone wants them I will do it for sure, you can buy them or trade me some music... the last one sounds better and will make me a really happy girl.


How long have you been vegan and why did you become vegan?

Well before being a vegan I was a vegetarian for 7 years. I've always been an animal lover... I can tell you I like animals more than I do like people. So I was thinking about doing it for years but I thought about it and saw it as something hard to do... so I've been a vegan for 5 months and I'm loving it, I made the right choice.


Living in Guatemala, how much of a challenge is it for you to maintain a vegan diet?

Well at first it was hard for me... I didn't know where to buy stuff, but I did meet some other vegans and there are several in the hardcore scene so I did ask around on what to eat, how to do it and where to buy stuff and now it is really easy for me... plus, veganism made me fall in love with cooking again so it might seem like a bit of a challenge but it is something that can be done.


I'm a staunch animal rights supporter and a very proud caretaker of 3 rescue dogs. However, I'm also a lifelong red meat eater and while I could certainly see myself giving up the more expensive red meats (i.e. steak and filet mignon), I just don't think that I'll ever be able to completely stop eating ground beef in one form or another. As a vegan, what are your thoughts and opinions on this conflict of mine?

Well, I think veganism is a personal choice, and I don't think less of people who do eat meat... I'm glad to hear you love animals and give love to three dogs... I have three dogs as well :) about the meat... if you think you can't do it, just have days where you don't eat it, and try to do it less... plus, it's good for your health and your pocket. ;)

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