Modern Mimes

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Modern Mimes

Interview conducted on December 13, 2020

By Dan Locke

Modern Mimes is an American music artist trio from Fort Lauderdale, FL. The trio consists of Adi Elcida Hernandez on vocals/guitar/sampling, Ernesto Paez on the double neck guitar bass and Justin Perez on drums.

What is your upbringing?

Ernesto Paez: We all grew up in separate parts of the United States.
Ernesto is from Miami, Fl Adi is from Ridgefield Park, NJ and Justin is from New Orleans, LA
We all had music inspire us one way or another.

How did you discover music?

I (Ernesto) discovered music at a very young age. My father is a guitar player and was in bands when I was growing up. Adi discovered music through her family, MTV and radio shows. Justin also discovered music watching MTV.

How did you start to write music?

I (Ernesto) started playing drums when I was three years old. When I turned twelve, I joined my first band and decided to start playing guitar. I felt like I could be more of a songwriter playing guitar rather than drums.
Adi remembers just starting to sing one day at her grandparents’ house one day out of nowhere. She was thirteen and had started Journaling. One day she decided to put a melody to the words.

Describe your music

Our music is hard to describe but if we had to say anything about it, we’d say its honest, vulnerable, dark but empowering, motivating and deep.

Adi-How did you get your first guitar, and do you still have it?

Adi got her first guitar at the guitar school that she went to when she was sixteen. She still has it. It’s a black Jackson guitar.

What is your guitar of choice now? Year, make and model?

It would have to be the acoustic classical guitar. It’s an Esteban and it’s her second guitar. Nothing fancy but it’s been with her for a very long time and she has developed quite a connection with it.

Ernesto- Why did you pick double neck bass/guitar?

Since we started writing and performing as a duo, I wanted to be able to cover a lot of ground and still sound like a full band. So, I told Adi that I wish I could play bass and guitar at the same time and one year for my birthday, she bought me my first double neck.

Adi- tell me about your band Meridian Sky?

It was the second band I had ever been in. It wasn’t a very consistent thing but we played together on and off for a long time. I’m still good friends with those guys.

How did you form your band?

Adi and I(Ernesto) have known each other for over fifteen years and have always played in separate bands. We are also a married couple and began writing music together in 2016. We recorded an album with Justin and asked if he wanted to join the band. The rest is history!

How did your band get it name?

It basically just came out one day. It was supposed to be a song title but we turned it to the name of the band.

What was your first performance like?

Our first performance as a band was better than we thought it was going to be. It was in a very hot place with no air conditioning and Adi wore a long sleeve dress that she quickly regretted wearing.

What makes a good songwriter?

Somebody that can make the listener feel understood. As well as, inspire the listener and make them feel like they can relate to the song/lyrics.

How do you go about to create your music?

It’s always different. Sometimes Adi will write lyrics or a melody, other times I (Ernesto) will write some guitar riffs or bass lines. Then we record it and send it to our drummer Justin.

Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP?

Yes! We belong to ASCAP

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

Adi- My first original song was called Breathe. I recorded it once when I was fifteen.

On your cover of type O Negative “I Don’t Wanna Be Me”. How you heard any feedback from the Type O Negative camp?

We absolutely did. They loved it and shared the video on their social media platforms.

Tell me about the creation of the video “Paranoia” This was the second video you have done with your fans sending in photos of themselves?

Yes, we did a fan video for our single “Stare” before. We love including our fans and friends in some of the videos. With Paranoia, we wanted to honor Halloween as well, so we had our fans send us photos in their costumes.

Tell me about your new release “Karmic Fortune”?

Karmic Fortune is about the blueprint of each individual’s life. We are all here for a reason and we have a duty while we’re on this planet. Everything is predestined and people sometimes get lost in the excess of the human experience.

What is your favorite track on the album?

We all have different tracks that we enjoy on the album. It’s hard to pick one. We haven’t played the new songs live yet but when we do, then we’ll have a better chance of picking a favorite track.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

We try not to eat too much fast food. We try to exercise a bit before shows and drink plenty of water.

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

We enjoy physical copies of albums better but streaming seems to be the way of the music world right now. Although it is convenient to stream music, we miss the days of going to a record store and picking out a record or cd.

Digital vs. vinyl?

We enjoy both but there’s definitely something special about vinyl.

Is there 2 United States?

No. There is only one. Although we may seem divided at times.

What is the mental health situation of the United State? How can the public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?

We believe that people here are afraid and kind of in a panic due to every that’s happened in the last few months. We feel like in order to help, we all have to be as safe as possible and take care of one another.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?

Considering everything that’s happening in politics and the riots and protests that happened lately, our song “Apes” comes to mind. It basically speaks for itself when it contains lyrics like “Always fighting for the thrill of fighting” and “We should know better”

You last show was March 09^th and then the virus hit. Did you think the lockdown was going to last as long as it did?

No, we thought maybe it would last a month or two. No idea it would have spread so much and so quickly.

Both Pfizer and BioNTech have conclude Phase 3 Study of the Coronavirus vaccine. With the vaccine it takes two shots. How many people do you think will take it and how many will forget to take the second shot?

I think there will be people that are so worried that they’ll take both right away. Of course, there will people that won’t trust in the vaccine and not take it at all.

Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

Absolutely. It already has quite a bit.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

We’ve been writing, recording demos, shooting music videos and learning more about audio and recording.

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

Adi actually started a vegan cupcake business and I (Ernesto) started getting into paranormal research.

95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?

We watch Netflix and YouTube quite a bit.

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 include [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?

We believe bands and artists will find a new way. Facebook is NOT the only outlet. Although it has been the most used in the last decade, we strongly feel that there will be more platforms for artists to explore.

How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?

By using social media to their advantage and possibly including their fans more in their projects.

Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means thinks like playlist on the internet?

Yes, it is. Unfortunately, there are a lot of investments to be made when it comes to any type of band promotion. As long as bands invest wisely and market themselves, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work to their advantage.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

That would be quite interesting! We’d try anything once.

Are you ready for “Rock Fest 2021?

Yes!!! We’ve been looking forward to this festival for a long time.

If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?

I know Adi would definitely like to be a business person. I(Ernesto) would probably be doing martial arts or something with the paranormal. Justin would probably be running his own business as well.

Anything you would like to say in closing.