Oblivious Signal

Their strong sense of melody and lyrical storytelling, metal roots and international inspirations have led Oblivious Signal to where they are now: a group on the edge of just about anything.

2010 is shaping up to be the year of Oblivious Signal. The recent announcement of securing management from the infamous John Tovar (The Mavericks, Marilyn Manson) was immediately followed up with the news that Austrian born, international touring drummer Dam Hammler has replaced their former drummer and will now be a permanent part of the female-fronted melodic metal band.

Lead guitarist and founding member Nick Orisino has surrounded himself with professional musicians to form a kind of super group, including not only Hammler, but also former pop vocalist Cristina T. Feliciano, whose Puerto Rican heritage allows her to sing in both English and Spanish, opening them up to broader audiences and increasing numbers of fans worldwide.

Oblivious Signal spent much of 2009 playing notable shows including the 2009 Rock the Planet Festival at Revolution Live, Florida Power Metal Fest, Femme Fest, and Hot Topic In-Store Performances regionally, along with other noteworthy shows including a performance all in Spanish at the Bayside Marina Stage in Miami. They have opened for some of the heaviest names on the scene including Developed, Ekotren, Money Code, The Material, Hilary McRae, and Circle II Circle, and also showcased at the Viper Room for the prestigious NAMM conference.

Hammler's experience adds to that with performances including playing with Tristan Clopet, opening for Inner Circle and playing SXSW; Donauinselfest 2007 (biggest Open Air Festival in Europe), Vienna, Austria; Opening Act for Hatebreed & Unearth, Vienna, Austria; NCL Jade, Mediterranean Sea & Atlantic Ocean; and Noche De Paz TV Show.

While Oblivious Signal's 2008 demo featured Feliciano's metal screams, the new music is instead a melodic metal. Songs from Into The Night still featuring heavy riffs, but the screams have been replaced with strong edgy vocals and smoky sensuous hooks.

How do you describe your music to people?
Cristina: We describe our music as Melodic Metal/Hardrock. It has a progressive feel to it, but it has passion in the lyrics. The heavy dramatic riffs Nick provides to the music bring the listeners through a journey in which the lyrics accompany with emotional storytelling.

Tell me about how you originally got into your craft.
Cristina: I started playing music when I was 14. I originally started playing acoustic guitar, and then got encouragement from a local skatepark to actually lead their music dept. I started playing and singing on my own, and then I had a band and started doing Flyleaf covers as well as some other positive mainstream music. From there on out, I joined a couple of other projects until I landed with Oblivious Signal in 2007. I had also taken vocal lessons for about 5 years, which helped me sing most types of music, and also helped me land a gig doing background vocals for Luis Salazar who ended up producing both our Demo and Album.

Nick: I started playing guitar at the age of 12 because I wanted to be Metallica. But I have been into music from a very early age. By the time I was 4 years old I was singing LA Woman by the Doors.

What is your favorite thing to do in the whole wide world?
N: Writing music and playing to thousands of people around the country. It is what we live for.

C: I have to agree with Nick. I have to be performing. It is my passion and is what I want to do for the rest of my life. In order to achieve that though I know we have to work VERY hard.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your business?
C: Keeping everyone on the same page! Our band manager talks to the band leader, usually me, and I have to relay the same call to 3 different people in the band...somewhere along the messages somehow get misunderstood during all of this. Now with John Tovar as our manager and Kate Davenport doing an awesome job on our PR, running the band business has been a bit easier, but it does not take away from the tons of other work that needs to be done. Schedule conflicts and black out dates for band members are the worst. If an important date falls on a black out date, you can really see who is willing to sacrifice and give it their all to be a part of this project and go the distance. Communication is always key, and is the biggest challenge in any band business.

When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
N: I thought I was going to be a football player. Unfortunately I had a shoulder injury and shifted my interest to guitar, and here I am today.

C: I thought I was going to be a biomedical engineer. I know, it sounds dorky, but that was [my] major in college. After my school lost accreditation for the program I fell back on to law school and then finally said, screw it, I am going to do something I like and I have a passion for, and that was sing!

In what way has your community impacted your development as a musician?
South Florida does not have the best rock scene. Our community and culture down here is very hip hop, Latin, and pop oriented. This has made us shift our music style to a more mainstream approach. But when we rock out in other states where rock is the main choice of music, we tear it up. In a way we feel being in this awesome state unfortunately has hindered our growth, but we tough it out, and pack the van or U-Haul and go where we are told to showcase by our manager wherever it may be. Florida or not.

What other artists out there do you love?
N: Metallica, Amon Amarth, Pink Floyd, Alice in Chains, Led Zeplin

C: I like everything from Arch Enemy, Pink Floyd, Alanis Morrissette, Laura Pausini, Carrie Underwood...I like all styles of music and try to incorporate it all into what I do with Oblivious Signal.

What does your future hold?
Hopefully more tours, new material, killer live show suprises, and the band expanding and reaching out to a larger audience. Our year already has been going great with the addition of our new manager John Tovar, formerly Manson's manager, so we feel as soon as we are settled to perfection with the new line-up again, we will be striking back with a force.

Revolution Live - September 23rd, 2010
100 Nugent Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
Tickets Available at Ticketmaster!

Churchill's in Miami - September 26th, 2010
5501 Northeast 2nd Avenue Miami, FL 33137

Miami Music Festival - November 12-14th, 2010
Stay tuned for our schedule!

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