2010 is shaping up to be the year of Oblivious Signal
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.
Hammler's experience adds to that with performances including playing with Tristan Clopet
While Oblivious Signal's 2008 demo
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
Nick: I started playing guitar at the age of 12 because I wanted to be Metallica
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
C: I like everything from Arch Enemy
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!
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!