Interview with Larry Barragan of Santa Oscuridad
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Larry! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
CV: Given so many major changes over the last decade, do you believe the music industry is a practicable and stable enough
environment for new artists to even consider making it a valid career choice? Can a level of
sustainable success really be achieved in your opinion?
Larry Barragan: Anything of an artistic nature is always unstable. I don’t think it’s ever been a valid career choice. EVER! I guess the formula would be to just get out there and play in front of people as much as possible, but I think if your goal is to become rich and famous, you’re not doing this for the right reasons. I think if you’re looking at this as a means of a full-time job then you might want to go the route of hired gun or doing a tribute band of sorts. If you’re looking to express yourself artistically then the road ahead is going to be a little bit rough with many pitfalls. I’m not saying it’s impossible, it can be done. With enough money anything can be done but there in lies the problem for most musicians is that we’re broke!
CV: What do you see as the biggest change
in the music industry since you first started out?
LB: Well, when I started out we put out physical product. We did cassettes and vinyl and CDs. Streaming wasn’t a thing. Today it’s the only thing really and that’s why a lot of bands don’t even want to bother with a label. Just put it out yourself. That to me is the biggest difference.
CV: How do you see your music separating itself from your peers and avoiding just being another cog in the wheel?
LB: I guess you just have to be true to yourself. I try not to top myself but I do try to do something different every time I write something new. It’s easy to do something that you’ve already done but very hard to do something different. I think that mindset is what sets us apart.
CV: Has the industry’s many changes affected
how you write music? Has it influenced your songwriting style in any drastic form?
LB: Not in the least. I’ve never let anyone dictate what I write or how I write. If I were to listen to every critic and fan about what I should write I would never finish writing anything quite honestly. Everyone would like to put you in a box and keep you that box forever and I refuse to be stifled in that matter. Now, I understand that every band has a style and a sound but I don’t believe that it can’t evolve into something else. A lot of fans want you to keep writing their favorite album and that sucks.
CV: Has digital technology led the way for almost
anyone to be a musical artist in your opinion?
LB: You know, I see these ads on YouTube for this chord progression software…no music theory needed. It basically puts all the chord changes at your disposal and you just combine the dots and I think to myself that’s crap! That’s the computer playing the instruments not you. So yeah, it has come down to this. You can take a bad singer and make them great with Melodyne. The performance can be enhanced by using these tools. You’re recording may sound great but what happens when you get up there and do it live?
CV: Has music
in general been broken into too many
sub-genres? Why do think there are so many classifications of music types? Can
this be confusing for an artist who is looking to build a
brand? As well, can it be confusing for the fans?
LB: Again, that’s other people trying to put you in a box. I don’t have time to sit around and try to figure what other artists genre or sub-genre is. I don’t think it’s productive. I play metal. I’ve always played metal. That’s it. Is it progressive? Is it thrash? Is it old man metal? I don’t know. I don’t care. If it’s heavy and I like it then that’s all that matters to me. I’m not trying to find a niche market. I play guitar and I write heavy metal songs. End of story.
CV: How would you define “iconic” when it comes to being
an artist or musician? What do you think makes an artist iconic?
LB: To me an icon is someone who created something new and nurtured it and gifted it to the world. ..someone who has inspired others to take that idea and push it into another direction. For me, Tony Iommi is an icon. He is the creator of metal. Dave Mustaine is an icon. He pushed Tony Iommi’s creation and it became thrash. These are artist who made an impact.
CV: Who would you consider
to be a modern day “rock star?”
And is being a “rock star” something to aspire to?
LB: Hmm, damn, when I think of a rock star I think of someone with that look and attitude. It’s not musical it’s definitely image driven. And no, I don’t think anyone should be aspiring to be a rock star. That’s the stage persona. People should be weary of buying into the hype.
CV: Does music need to have
a message to convey to the
world for it to be worth
listening to in your opinion?
LB: Absolutely not. Music is the sounds that touch the soul on many different levels. The sounds are fun and serious and scary and angry and they can pull you from one direction to another in an instant. Lyrically they can be about love and hate and war and peace and death and life and everything in between. We just have to allow ourselves to take it all in.
CV: What's next for you? What can fans
expect to see coming?
LB: Santa Oscuridad is finishing up recording a new EP and trying to pull ourselves out of this hole that covid dug for us. We had some momentum going and then the shut down…well you know what happened. Anyway, Santa Oscuridad it doing that. Helstar is also in the writing phase and looking to release sometime next year and in between that we’re going to try to deliver the metal to the masses live.
CV: Thank you again Larry for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers.
It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued success.
LB: Thank you for an enjoyable interview.
Check out Santa Oscuridad at:
https://www.facebook.com/Santa.Oscuridad.rock
https://www.instagram.com/santaoscuridadofficial
https://santaoscuridad.bandcamp.com/album/santa-oscuridad
Like The Cosmick View on Facebook at:
The Cosmick Voice
Music, Talk & Nothing But Business
www.thecosmickvoice.com
www.anchor.fm/the-cosmick-voice
Spiritual Counseling and Sessions Available
www.pamelaaloia.com
 |
| The Cosmick Voice Music, Talk & Nothing But Business www.facebook.com/TheCosmickVoice |
Comments
Post a Comment