VANYESSEL

WHY NOW?
VANYESSEL (PRONOUNCED "VAN-YESSEL") IS A FUNNY LITTLE TALE...
BUDDIES JAVIER GONZALES AND CHRIS STEIN HAD STARTED HANGING OUT PRETTY HEAVILY THE LAST FEW YEARS, IN FACT PRETTY MUCH MORE THAN EVER IN THEY'RE TWENTY YEAR PLUS HISTORY. SKATEBOARDING HAD ORIGINALLY RE-CONNECTED THE TWO, BOTH OF WHO WERE TRYING TO GET IT TOGETHER AGAIN SKATING WISE. SADLY, GONZALES SUFFERED AN INTENSE INJURY TO HIS KNEE SKATING AT THE SKATELAB IN SIMI, MAKING IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO SKATE ANYMORE. THIS PUT A DAMPER ON THE REFRESHED SKATE SCENE THEY HAD GOING (THEY HAD GONE AS FAR AS BUILDING A PROPER MINI RAMP IN JAVIER'S BACK YARD).
FOR A NEW OUTLET, GONZALES EVENTUALLY EXPRESSED GREAT INTEREST IN PLAYING THE BASS GUITAR AGAIN. "AGAIN", BECAUSE HE HAD WRESTLED WITH ONE MANY YEARS AGO BUT SOMEHOW LOST THE FOCUS. STEIN NATURALLY TAPPED INTO GONZALES' INTEREST, AND EVENTUALLY OFFERED TO GIVE HIM SOME LESSONS IF HE WAS REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT IT. "I WAS HAPPY TO SEE JAVIER GET THIS EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING AGAIN. THE WHOLE THING WITH HIS KNEE, IT WAS HEAVY ON HIM, SO I NATURALLY WANTED TO HELP HIM IF HE WAS INTO IT." GONZALES ISN'T EVEN SURE WHAT BROUGHT ON THE MUSIC BUG. "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I CALLED (LONGTIME FRIEND) CHRIS JOSOL AND ASKED IF I COULD BORROW HIS OLD BASS, BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BUY ONE UNTIL I WAS SURE I WAS SERIOUS." STEIN STARTED GIVING HIM LESSONS A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK, SHARING FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS AND INTRODUCING HIM TO VARIOUS SCALES. "I JUST STARTED SHOWING HIM THE THINGS THAT I WAS FIRST SHOWN WHEN I GOT STARTED." THIS SCHEDULE CONTINUED ON FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. "I WAS GETTING TIRED OF RUNNING THROUGH ALL THE THEORY AND EXERCISES, ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO ADMIT IT WAS GOOD REVIEW FOR ME. I TOLD JAVIER THAT IF HE REALLY WANTS TO PLAY BASS, HE NEEDS TO JUST START JAMMING WITH PEOPLE, OR AT LEAST A DRUMMER."
"I FUCKIN' SUCK," GONZALES ADMITS. "I DIDN'T THINK I WAS READY TO PLAY WITH OTHER PEOPLE." IN A WEIRD TURN OF EVENTS, GONZALES'S BROTHER OMAR MOVED OUT OF THE HOUSE, LEAVING HIS OLD PEARL DRUM KIT BEHIND. STEIN UTILIZED THE DRUMS A LITTLE IN THE BEGINING. "AT FIRST, I WAS JUST GRABBING OMAR'S HI-HAT OUT OF HIS ROOM, AND JUST PLAYING THAT TO JAVIER SO HE COULD LEARN HOW TO COUNT AND SEE HOW THE BASSLINE WOULD FIT INTO TIME." GONZALES ALSO PURCHASED HIS FIRST BASS. "I BOUGHT JOSOL'S P-BASS OFF OF HIM, AGAINST THE RECOMMENDATION OF STEIN. I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO HIM BECAUSE I ENDED UP TRADING THAT THING IN PRETTY QUICKLY. IT NEVER FELT RIGHT." STEIN RECALLS, "JAVIER TRADED IN THAT P-BASS PRETTY MUCH RIGHT OFF AND CAME OVER TO MY PLACE ONE NIGHT WITH THIS JAZZ BASS, AND IT WAS OKAY, HE SEEMED TO LIKE IT ALOT AT THE TIME."
GONZALES CLEANED OFF HIS BROTHER'S OLD DRUM KIT AND SET THEM UP. "I THINK CHRIS KINDA' KNEW HOW TO PLAY DRUMS ALREADY, SO I PUT THEM BACK TOGETHER SINCE MY BROTHER'S OLD ROOM WAS EMPTY." STEIN HAS BEEN PLAYING BASS IN PUNK BANDS FOR THE LAST SIXTEEN YEARS. AT FIRST CITIZEN DOWN, AND FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS WITH SACCHARINE TRUST, EVEN SQUEEZING IN A FEW YEARS WITH CARNAGE ASADA. "WELL, I'VE BEEN STANDING TWO FEET AWAY FROM DRUMMERS FOR OVER HALF MY LIFE. BEING A BASS PLAYER, I ALWAYS FEEL REAL CLOSE TO THOSE GUYS, LISTENING REAL CLOSE TO ALL THE NUANCES, AND I GUESS SOME OF THAT HAS RUBBED OFF ON ME. I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO PLAY DRUMS, BUT IT'S ALWAYS BEEN JUST OUT OF REACH. PLUS, I'VE BEEN TOO BUSY JUST PLAYING BASS."
STEIN ASKED GONZALES IF HE COULD COME UP WITH A BASSLINE THAT HE COULD REMEMBER AND PLAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN. GONZALES MET THE CHALLENGE, AND THE NEXT TIME THEY GOT TOGETHER, IT WOULD INADVERTANTLY BE THE FIRST VANYESSEL PRACTICE. "JAVIER THREW THIS BELLIGERENT BASS LINE AT ME. IT WASN'T FANCY OR ANYTHING, BUT MY DRUMMING WAS PRETTY TIMID, AND IT WAS A PERFECT TUNE FOR ME TO DIG INTO AND TRY GETTING SERIOUS, WORKING OUT THE DIFFERENT PARTS. MAN, WHAT A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE!"
"WORLD ENDER" WOULD BE THE TITLE OF THE NEW "TUNE". "CHRIS JUST THREW THAT TITLE OUT, AND I LAUGHED." GONZALES WOULD CONTINUE TO SHOW STEIN NEW BASS LINES, AND THEY WOULD TRY THEIR BEST TO WORK THEM INTO SOME FORM. "JAVIER COMES UP WITH MOST OF THE BASS LINES ON HIS OWN. SOMETIMES HE'LL JUST BE FUCKING AROUND, BUT I'LL TELL HIM TO REMEMBER IT. JUST LATELY I GAVE HIM A SONG TO TRY. I'D RATHER HIM DO MOST OF THE WRITING THOUGH."
GONZALES EVENTUALLY TIRED OF THE JAZZ BASS AND FOUND A TRIPPY TELECASTER BASS IN THE VALLEY. "THE JAZZ BASS WASN'T WORKING FOR ME EITHER, IT FELT TOO LIGHT OR SOMETHING. I SAW THAT TELE BASS ON THE WALL AND KNEW I HAD TO HAVE IT." STEIN SHOOK HIS HEAD AT GONZALES' IMPULSIVE MUSICAL PURCHASES. "JAVIER HAS HAD ALMOST AS MANY BASSES IN ONE YEAR THAN I HAVE HAD IN FIFTEEN. WHEN HE SHOWED ME THAT HOT RODDED TELE BASS, I LIKED IT ALOT. BUT THAT THING IS SO FUCKING HEAVY! ONE OF THE HEAVIEST BASSES I'VE EVER HELD. I WARNED HIM THAT IT'S GOING TO HAUNT HIM." GONZALES WAS UNPHASED. "I FUCKING LOVE MY BASS."
THE LAST STRAW THAT OFFICIALLY SEEMED TO LEGITIMIZE VANYESSEL WAS WHEN STEIN PURCHASED A NEW SONOR DRUM KIT. "OMAR'S DRUMS WERE MORE COMMUNITY. I WANTED TO JUST HAVE A KIT I COULD CALL MY OWN, AND I FOUND A STEAL ON THOSE SONOR'S ONLINE." GONZALES WAS SHOCKED. "WHEN STEIN BOUGHT THOSE DRUMS, IT RAISED THE BAR FOR VANYESSEL. IT WAS LIKE, OH MAN, THIS IS GETTING SERIOUS NOW."
STEIN'S ATTITUDE IS SIMPLISTIC. "I SAW HOW HARD JAVIER WAS WORKING AND STRUGGLING TRYING TO LEARN BASS AND I THOUGHT, MAN, I'LL JUST STRUGGLE WITH HIM AND TRY TO FINALLY LEARN THE FUCKING DRUMS FOR REAL. TO ME, THAT'S WHAT VANYESSEL IS ALL ABOUT. PARALLEL STRUGGLES."
VANYESSEL IS JAVIER GONZALES ON BASS AND CHRIS STEIN ON DRUMS. RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE A PRETTY SHORT SET. THEY ALSO HAVE PLANS TO RECORD AND RELEASE THEIR FIRST ALBUM IN 2007. CONTACT THEM IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING THEM PLAY LIVE. HOPEFULLY SOME SONGS WILL BE UP ON THE PROFILE SOON.
THANK YOU.
Profile Edited by MPS MySpace Editor 2.0