After Silence since 2019, starting with the release of their first EP entitled “The Awakening”, made of 5 songs full of energy and ferocity. The purpose of this band is to promote Mexican metalcore.
Interview conducted July 21, 2021
By Dan Locke
After Silence is promoting their new album entitled “Origins: The Root of All” made of 8 brutal songs. In the same way they are preparing to create a tour throughout Latin America, Europe and the United States.
After Silence’s members are:
Raúl Garcciani (vocalist / guitar)
Jimmy Almonte (guitar)
Alis Emerson (Drums)
Hugo Cantú (bass).
What is your upbringing?
Raúl Garcciani: We were all born and raised in Mexico and let me tell you, it is a difficult place to live! But fortunately, we all come from normal family backgrounds and values that made us be kind and empathetic towards everyone. Most of us have always been considered misfits and outcasts from society and we find that music connects on a deeper level, so we focus our lives entirely on it.
How did you discover music?
At a young age, in the 90s-2000s when MTV promoted good music instead of reality shows. Also, we massively found new artists back when Napster, Ares, and LimeWire were still functioning. The genre that most influenced us at that time was Nu-Metal, obviously later we went further into the history of music. We listened to everything from blues to progressive metal. We all had our cycles within our musical journey; traveling back in time and listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, mainly acknowledging all the music that our past legends made in the 60s and 70s.
How did you start to write music?
We consider it a calling since we reached clarity about our purpose. We navigate closer and closer to that purpose each time we improve ourselves. We try to defeat any obstacle that lies ahead. So, our purpose is to inspire! The purpose is to give voice to the solutions of our problems. Our life experiences become universal and that’s when we can connect with others. Resonance within a community is necessary for us.
How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?
Jimmy: “When I was 13 years old, the first guitar I had was an Ibanez Gio with EMG pickups, but I live in Mexico City, so it got stolen right away. After that I managed to get a Gibson SG at the age of 15, and I still have it! “
What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?
Jimmy: “Now I’m in the process of transition from a 6-string to a 7-string guitar. Nowadays I play with an ESP Ltd with active pickups.”
How did your band form?
The band was officially formed in 2019, starting with the release of our first EP entitled “The Awakening” made of 5 songs full of energy and ferocity.
How did you get your band’s name?
After Silence was Hugo’s idea, we all shared many different options but finally we considered “After Silence” to be the best of them. After Silence for us means clarity after chaos; it is that precious moment when silence comes and gets rid of all the noise in our heads.
Describe your music.
After Silence is characterized by heavy guitar riffs, melodic arrangements, very complicated drum patterns, a solid bass that keeps all the elements on the ground, and a monstrous guttural voice that also combines beautiful clean vocals throughout the songs.
What was your first performance like?
We are a band that was formed a few months before the pandemic. So, we haven’t had a chance to play live yet. However, we did several presentations online, but it is obviously not the same. We need that live energy that only fans can provide. Obviously before this band, we all have toured around the world with other bands.
What makes a good songwriter?
A composer must have the ability to share their experiences in a way that resonates with humanity. If there are no teachings in the lyrics, what is the use of sharing it with the world? We are certain that our music changes lives somehow, that is our greatest desire anyways.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?
First song we ever recorded was “Not Falling Down” and people still love it til’ this day!
What is the process of writing your music?
First, we all share ideas and influences from our favorite bands at the time, bands such as: Architects, As I Lay Dying, Crystal Lake, Impending Doom, August Burns Red, and more. Then, we produce our songs musically and then we mix it and master it with our friend Caleb Geller.
Tell me about your new album “Origins: The Root of All”?
This is the first concept album that we have done. The lyrics and concepts were defined and written by Jimmy Almonte. The music and production were provided by Caleb Geller and Raul García.
Tell me about the making of the video for “The Maniac”?
The music video was recorded by Caleb Geller and directed and produced by Jimmy Almonte, and it explains the two extremes of love; the kind of self-sacrificing love that keeps you moving forward, but at some point, that same intense love drives you totally insane. In order to depict this, a story was created based on symbolisms and situations that visualize the topic in the best way. The production was aided by the participation of great artists, such as: Tavo Betancourt, a recognized influencer with more than 4 million followers. EseRobert, a YouTuber with incredible acting skills. Tarro, a renowned drummer and member of the famous rock band QBO. Solar, who acts as the bride, and Lalo Hernandez “The Punisher,” who put forth a great effort on beating the members of After Silence.
What is your favorite track on your album?
We gave a lot of love to each of those songs, but our most favorites are definitely the ones we released as singles from that album: A New Horizon, Lost in Faith, The Maniac, and The Root of All.
What are you feeling about streaming music?
It is a necessity now, although it is not the best method to make money, considering that they only pay us around 0.0040 cents per stream. It is not enough for emerging bands and it is difficult as there is too much competition dominating most of the market.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Both, digital brings the best modernized sound of any song, only if it is mixed and mastered correctly. Vinyl has a great etheric feel, it feels like it has a soul.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
“Because” from The Beatles, could also be considered as a moment of clarity, the after-silence effect. It expresses how blissful it is to just appreciate the simplicities of life.
Are you ready for the Metal in the Mountains Music Festival to happen next month on Aug. 27th?
We were more than ready to play there, but sadly we had to postpone it for next year, hopefully they will still consider us! We live in Mexico, so the Covid situation here is still tough, only 20% have received the vaccine and there are still many concerns when traveling to another country.
Do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus is going to affect the music business in the future?
It has not killed the music, the music will never die, even the birds sing every day. The pandemic reinforced the importance of music and live events. We believe that people now appreciate more than ever all the effort that goes into festivals and behind the scenes; by that we mean that they appreciate more the work of Promoters, Sound Engineers, Stage Managers, Stage Hands and all the staff that is in charge of setting the stage.
Do you think that Covid-19 has been a plus to an artist career?
We think it really improves exposure possibilities by perfecting the digital experience while still performing live. It was also a reality check for many musicians, do they really want to make a living from music? Only the truly passionate remained standing, but many projects ceased to exist. It was also difficult for those musicians who were only dedicated to playing covers in bars; they realized the importance of playing authentic music since at least you can monetize from it.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
We have been focusing on working out and improving in our own jobs and hobbies. Also, we have done a lot of new music for 2022!
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
We have just tried to be more proficient at what we are passionate about doing. Alis Emerson has grown bigger with her clothing brand called Killgomita Merch, clothing created for drummers around the world. Hugo has improved his skills as a musician and psychologist. Jimmy has created more songs than he ever has and has gotten better at managing bands on his “Enigma Records” label.
How was it to be a part of Escena Vivientes3 on May 22nd?
Being part of Escena Viviente 3 was just amazing, sharing the digital stage with so many national bands is like a dream come true.
Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on livestreamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses. The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will includes [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook and YouTube?
We will always find a better and new way to share our music, nothing can really stop any of us. There are so many different platforms that welcome artists to perform as much as they want.
How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merchandise to them at the show?
By connecting with them from afar, we try to create content that resonates with them, which is why in a pandemic we decided to create music videos and a full album.
In the past, if a musician stopped doing music, they found a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) voice-over work for SpongeBob SquarePants. If you can’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
We all have titles and jobs in different areas. Jimmy is a business administrator and works as General Coordinator of massive events, he is also a professional photographer and producer of different artists. Alis creates amazing clothes and is very well known in Mexico, which is why she always appears in television segments and series due to her skill with the drums. Hugo has a master’s degree in Psychology, so he continues to provide therapy to those in need.
Red Hot Chili Peppers are about to sell their entire song catalog for $140 Million. In the past year a lot of musicians such as Stevie Nicks ($100 Million), Bob Dylan (over $400 Million), Taylor Swift, Journey, Def Leppard, K.T. Tunstall, and Shakira have sold their catalog rights within the last year. Bob Dylan sold his entire catalog for a reported $300 million. Neil Young sold 50 percent of his worldwide copyright and income interest in his 1,180-song catalogue to Hipnosis Songs Fund limited. Once you get to the age of about 70. Publishing is far more lucrative than the mechanical royalties paid to artists based on sales, airplay and streams. A good example of this is Michael Jackson brought the rights to the Beatles catalog in 1985. And in the late 80’s the Beatles Revolution appeared in a Nike commercial.
The lump sums being offered by publishing firms are more tax friendly concerning estate planning. Someone who was totally against selling his rights was David Crosby. He did not want to sell his publishing rights.
And it was not an easy thing for him to do. But by making a deal with Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group, it took a big weight off of his shoulders. He could pay off his house and cover other bills. And now he doesn’t have to work for a living. It should be noted that David is battling tendinitis in his hands which hurts his ability to play guitar.
Do you think you would be willing to sell your back catalog if someone like Universal is willing to buy everything, such as all the rights to all your songs?
Yes of course! The music is for humanity, the message is still there. But we live in a capitalist model, there are debts that need to be paid, assets that must remain standing for our future generations. We are talking about millions; we would put all that money to good use for sure. Our descendants must have the opportunity to enjoy our wealth as well. Obviously, we would love to be paid millions for our previous music, I doubt we are up to that point yet. We continue to age, I doubt that when we are of much older age, we still have the energy to do tours and create music, maybe by then our priorities will be different. We know that in the long term it is difficult to get that amount of money, what better than receiving it in advance? Obviously, we would reach an agreement that all material that we want to create in the future is not within the contract, but only the music that we have made until then, without having to enter into exclusive contracts with anyone as a brand.
Spotify’s ‘Stream On’ event on (February 22), the company confirmed that more than 60,000 new tracks are now being ingested by its platform every single day. This means people are added new tracks uploaded to its platform every 1.4 seconds.
The figure, announced by Spotify’s Co-Head of Music, Jeremy Erlich, means that across the course of this year, approximately 22 million tracks will be added to Spotify’s catalog. Spotify confirmed in November last year that its platform now played host to around 70 million tracks.
Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that, by the end of 2021, SPOT will be home to over 90 million tracks. And that in the early part of next year, it will surpass a catalog of 100 million for the first time. Still back at the beginning of the year Spotify deleted 750,00 songs, mostly from independent artists.
What do you think that could mean to independent artists?
The competition is fiercer today more than ever. Before it was almost impossible to create alliances with a producer who had the financial resources for a recording studio. Now everyone can record music from their laptops. Artists like Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas managed to win 7 Grammy Awards, simply by creating music from their laptops! This means that the quality that is made musically has to be supreme, since it is necessary to stand out much more than the others. It’s not Spotify’s fault, but now we all have access to the same tools as the big producers, that has become a blessing and a curse. To stand out we have to focus on creating only masterpieces and we believe we have the talent for that.
Over half a billion active users around the world share their favorite music on TikTok either with something like a dance challenges and lip-sync videos or creating a funny skit or candid camera moment.
TikTok has become a great platform for music promotion, sharing songs, and finding new listeners. In which it has become a place for music artist to earn revenue when people use their music. In many cases the daily promotion on TikTok has led to hug boosts on other platforms like Spotify, Facebook and YouTube.
TikTok does this with the Finnis algorithmically generates a feed of content for each user, which you see as the displaying of #. The more a user engages with content, the smarter TikTok gets at guessing what kind of videos the viewer wants to watch.
Because a song can go viral because of this. Sony Music and Warner Music Group-, The ByteDance-owned video app revealed that it has struck an “expanded” global licensing agreement with Universal Music Group. Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by all three major record companies, will you start using TikTok more?
We are not a band that likes to dance and momentarily please the masses with absurd challenges. We prefer the mysticism of the unknown, that’s how icons were created before when people couldn’t have such easy access to their artists. We believe that Tik-Tok could disappear quickly, just as Vine did since the content has no essence, it cannot transcend. Tik-Tok is just another popular trend that will vanish soon, it is amazing at pleasing the general population, but we are more married to our own niche.
With more and more live music happening. And the virus is still here. Are you willing to play large concerts and festivals and what precautions would you like to have in place?
Yes, it is necessary to reactivate the music industry. It is also necessary to take all preventive measures so that we do not affect the health of any life or our own. Also, that all those who attend the concert are vaccinated and do not present any symptoms of the covid at the moment. We need to apply rapid tests to verify that the person is healthy.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
We want to thank UnRated Urban Magazine for the support! We really had a blast while answering all these questions! Most of them were really interesting and made us really share what we think about overall. Please come to México when you can, we will make sure that you enjoy your time here.
