We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful F R E Y C U S. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with F R E Y C U S below.
F R E Y C U S, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
[Chuck] I can honestly say I’ve developed this craft through my life experiences. I mean, you can just go to YouTube, look up a “how to” video and go from there; but to me, I incorporate a lot of my emotions and visual imagination when creating and understanding the craft that I’ve acquired. I like to write music that not only defines meaning and depth, but also send the audience into a trance when they listen to our music with their eyes closed. I don’t know if that’s some sort of skill you can learn, or if it’s something you’re gifted with; but when you can grab someone’s attention like that; you’ve got something special.
Knowing what I know now? You wanna know what I could have done to speed up the learning process? To me, every artist/musician/creative is different. We all learn and experience our craft in our own way, and we do it at our own pace. That’s what makes us all unique. If I can advise what skills were most essential in my experience; I wouldn’t call it a “skill”. It’s more like a habit to be honest. Then again, it may just be a skill for some people. Plain and simple, don’t be lazy. If you want to learn something; there are so many resources out there. If you don’t know how to start looking for those resources? Don’t be afraid to reach out to those that are already doing it, because they were once in your shoes too.
Self doubt is a HUGE obstacle for me. You have to continue to push yourself; even if you think you’re not doing enough, you’re going to be one step closer to where or what you want to be in life. Remember, it’s your life; not anyone else’s. You do what you have to do, and don’t be intimidated by those that are already doing it. They had to start somewhere too, and if they can do it, then why can’t you?
[Donny] The way that I write drum parts is very methodical. I take a lot of inspiration from Alex Rudinger. He usually programs his drum parts and then transcribes them to sheet music. I really like to play around with all the possibilities in order to discover what’s best for each song. I developed this method through practice. My friend Nema from the band Mosaic (check them out!) gave me some songs to experiment with earlier on in my development. This helped me learn how to compose, transcribe, and perform my own written drum parts. I also picked up some drum editing techniques along the way. I think the most essential skill for this method is the ability to read music. Giving yourself a visual representation of what you’re learning helps it sink in even more.
[Z] Learning to play strange and unconventional scales and time signatures is something that’s always come naturally to me… or I’m just terrible at counting properly. Before getting into prog, I was (and still am) very into nu metal and grunge, since I grew up when this genre was quite popular in mainstream metal. The bands I enjoyed listening to and learning from their songs the most, were bands like Alice in Chains and Mudvayne, which incorporated dissonant sounds and odd time signatures.
I think more structured practices would have helped me develop better technical skills. I now struggle unlearning certain bad habits I never considered years ago, which continue to haunt and hinder what I am able to play today. That being said, I now feel more than ever this deep concentration to enhance my technique to play more cleanly and thus be able to play what I hear in my head.
The one skill I find most essential is the skill of enjoyment. I would find myself comparing myself to others while I played, and I found it really distracting from just being able to enjoy my instrument without needless comparison. Everyone plays differently and that’s okay. You don’t have to be perfect as long as you are having fun and constantly trying to improve for yourself.
Life is a huge obstacle. Sometimes I don’t pick up my guitar for days and it feels terrible like I’m neglecting my child. Some days I’m not home until I hit the hay and some days I’m just recovering from the day before and end up doing nothing at all. My own stubbornness and frustrations also stop me from learning more. If I can’t get a section right, sometimes I’ll say F this and do something else. I think it shows that I care though.
[Uri] From a young age there was a desire to learn to play the guitar. The initial passion came when I watched the movie La Bamba as a child. But how I learned to play started with me taking lessons at the Music and arts school, a local non profit arts organization in Los Angeles. As a child of 6 or 7 learning music theory seemed impossible to me, and sight reading was forever out of reach. But where I didnt excel, I made up for with a strong ability to memorize chunks of music at a time, and essentially becoming able to play by ear. These skills have been invaluable to me, along with perseverance. Music’s the long game. I’ve learned patience because of it. I’ve learned to keep challenging myself. That you can’t stay comfortable for too long. And also most importantly, you have to enjoy the process.
F R E Y C U S, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
[Chuck] I knew I wanted to be a musician the moment I started learning the guitar. It was 2003; I was 15 at the time. Great, now you all know how old I am, lol. As a musician, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many people like myself. It has been such an experience that I feel I can honestly keep doing this. It’s not easy, and it has brought some challenges over the years. Like, with Freycus. I’ll never forget the many people that were let go. It started off great in the beginning, and then boom, something happens where you can no longer work with them. I think what’s heavier about that is, after they’re gone, you hardly keep in touch with them anymore. You keep your head up though, and move on. One of the proudest moments throughout this whole journey is finally releasing music to the public. It’s such a trip to see your songs on these streaming platforms.
[Donny] I got into drumming through the band Tool. I had never focused on drumming in music until I heard Danny Carey. It really opened up a curiosity in me that I couldn’t ignore. When I joined Freycus, it was very exciting to find people that wanted to explore similar genres. We eventually found ourselves in the progressive metal category. What makes us unique is the inspiration that bridges our music together. We each infuse our specific tastes into every song and it has developed into a very cohesive sound. I am extremely proud of the singles that we’ve released so far. It took us a long time to get here and it feels great to share our creations with the world.
[Z] The first instrument I attempted to play was the bass actually, but I was so young and tiny that the bass was just too big for me, so I switched to guitar. I took classical/acoustic lessons for a few years before finding another teacher who taught me electric guitar. My classical teacher taught me such valuable techniques that has completely shaped my playing such as finger picking, which enables me to learn hybrid picking techniques with much more ease. My electric guitar teacher was all for heavy metal, and at the time, all I wanted to do is learn Metallica songs.
Eventually, when I got to college, I took a music class to learn note reading and met another guitarist who I eventually made my first band with. This was my first jump into the scene and I loved it. But that’s a history lesson for another day.
[Uri] I initially got into this industry when I attended East Los Angeles college. I was taking some music courses and sound production was one of them. My plan was to record student films and become “The sound guy” at a smaller level and work my way up to bigger productions. Having played music my whole life was a passion and it stopped me from wanting to turn music into a career. I was worried I’d lose the passion.
I had few musician friends, so when some of them wanted to do a Jam session I had the idea to record it. The jam band didn’t work out, but through those connections I reconnected a year or so later with a couple of those musicians to record and become their sound guy. That was the early years of Freycus for me. Many roster changes later there was a need for a bassist. And I like to think that we take the doors that open for us. And I already played guitar, so I decided to hop on board. And now through hard work and dedication, we get to release music to the world.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
[Chuck] I think one of the things that non-creatives struggle to understand is how much mental instability a creative goes through during this journey. For me; I battle with depression and anxiety every day. I have to juggle a lot in my life all while trying to publish our creativity out there in the world. There is a lot of self-doubt from time to time, and you ask yourself, “Is THIS really what I’m supposed to be doing with my life?” To move past those feelings you have to look back at why you started this journey in the first place. Then, you’ll become at ease and more clear headed to keep going.
[Donny] One thing that comes to mind is the amount of technical work that is involved. In order to create impactful art, you must first develop the technical skills required to express yourself. This process can feel very uncreative at times, but it is extremely necessary.
[Z] I think being a creative ultimately means being your worst enemy too. I heavily critique everything I create, eventually warping in my head what I originally thought sounded good into another riff in the garbage pile. I’ve learned, however, that simplicity with sprinkles of technicality and skill are the best combination for me as a creative.
[Uri] I’m not sure “non creatives” exist. I think like most things in life, it’s ultimately a spectrum. But to those who don’t heavily lean to the creative, I believe they have a hard time understanding the passion one feels in creating and having created art. The desire to create is beneath the surface driving you always. It’s hard to ignore and difficult to understand. You’re helpless to it and powerful for having gone through it. Creativity is its own frustrating reward.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
[Chuck] It’s more like I had to RE-learn rather than UN-learn what it truly means to be a leader. Back when Freycus was just starting to make some footprints many years ago; I wanted things in my direction. I wrote the songs, the lyrics, communicated with venues, made the flyers, marketed our name and events on social media… I felt like I was doing everything. And, when things weren’t going my way with certain members or the whole group in general, I felt like I was alone and no one was on the same page (or level) as I am. Communication definitely helps during these moments, and I think being a good leader requires you to set your ego’s aside and listen to those who you work with in order to synergize to get to your goal. You also have to step back once and a while to let someone else take the helm, and that’s honestly what’s currently driving Freycus to this day after 10 years of going through and many ups and downs. I’m very grateful for everything that has happened, and with whom I’ve experienced this journey through these years. Right now with Z, Donny & Uri; we’re the driving force for each other and the group, and that’s such an awesome thing to have.
[Donny] One of the lessons I had to unlearn is related to my previous response. When I began my drumming journey, I think I put too much focus onto the technical side of music. The interesting thing about art is finding the balance between technical ability and creativity. I still think they go hand in hand, but sometimes you need to let go and just let it happen! Art is emotional and imperfect, and that’s what makes it beautiful.
[Z] A lesson I had to unlearn is how to work with others. Sometimes we won’t always see eye-to-eye, and compromise is ultimately the best thing. I’ve struggled with that in previous bands, but ultimately I feel much more comfortable in Freycus to compromise on my beliefs and let things happen naturally.
[Uri] Having been a guitar player and jumping on the bass, I had to check my ego. Less strings does not equate to an easier instrument. The bass had its own techniques I needed to learn. The bass served a different purpose in the structure of the song. I needed to think and compose differently. Learning and then implementing these changes took some getting used to. But it only served to broaden my abilities to understand the different roles instruments play in a whole composition.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hyperfollow.com/freycusmusicla
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freycus/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@FreycusOfficial?feature=shared
- Other: SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/4RvDq TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freycusband
Image Credits
Image credit: Imelda Almero