We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hector Rivera. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hector below.
Hector, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
A meaningful project I have been engaged in for the last 12 years is the release of the first album of the band I am a part of: No Matter What!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a Professional Musician, Producer and writer. I started playing drums at an early age. My dear Grandma bought me my first drum set at age 14. Later, I picked up a six-string that my Grandpa kept in a closet. He used to play it as a hobby in his younger years. I was able to learn quite fast. In the meantime, my older brother shared with me English Rock music that he was listening to, and my desire to become a musician was born. I would practice drums for hours on end. As far as the guitar goes, after learning a few chords my mind became overwhelmed with ideas for songs and lyrics that started flowing naturally and effortlessly. A few years would go by before I joined my first band while attending college in Mexico City. It was a cover band and we played Top 40 Rock and Pop songs. Later I joined a Band named “Nopal Salvaje” (Wild Cactus) as their drummer. We played Original Blues and Rock tunes in Spanish. They agreed to include a couple of my songs in our repertoire. Around that time I met Debbie, an American girl visiting Mexico City on vacation. We hit it off, finding we had similar interests. Eventually, after getting my MBA with a double major in English and French, I left the city to go back to live near the Ocean. I had been raised in the Mexican Pacific Riviera and that is where my heart belonged. In Puerto Vallarta, I continued writing songs although not playing with any band. A couple of years went by and a torrid long-distance relationship with Debbie prompted me to come visit her in Los Angeles. A few months later we got married and I wound up staying in the USA. While working several Office and Service jobs I got a drum set to continue my musical aspirations. I took some lessons and started playing with a few local Rock Bands. I was offered an audition for a major University Gospel Choir and discovered in the process that I was not as good a drummer as I had thought. I was fired before I even got started! This motivated me to perfect my Musician craft and I took a sabbatical to attend Music School. I majored in Drums and Percussion with one of the first classes of then called “Los Angeles Music Academy”, today “Los Angeles College of Music” in Pasadena, California. My mind and musical knowledge was greatly expanded. After graduating I started playing with many different bands in all styles and making money doing something I loved. All the while I continued writing songs and playing my six-string guitar as a hobby. After 11 years of marriage, Debbie and I decided to call it quits and I became single again. Several years went by before I would meet Mona Seda, a gifted Trumpet Player, singer and songwriter from Switzerland. We started dating and after a few months of friendship we became a couple. We discovered that we had a very similar eclectic music taste and started writing music together. Eventually we formed a band with a group of amazing friends we met along the way. Our band name is No Matter What! We wrote one song, then another, etc. At that time, I took up Sound Engineering. Taught myself to record and started the production of what would eventually become our first album. And that is the part of the story I am here to tell, the meaningful project that Mona and I embarked on…
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect is the creative process itself. It is exhilarating to let an idea flow through my mind and then see it transformed into something tangible. Another aspect, equally rewarding, is collaborating with others in the process and being open to incorporate their ideas into mine. The result is always as beautiful as it is original. The freer the collaboration, the richer the end product.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal with art has never been to become “successful” in the commonly accepted Social meaning of the word. Fame and Money do not drive my creativity. Instead, saying something meaningful and honest has always been my priority. As a musician, my greatest joy is to see listeners have a great time, dance, and maybe even have a memory rekindled through a song I play. To touch their soul. I also play with a Jazz band nowadays: “Blue Quatro”, and it gives me great joy to see people enjoy what I am being allowed by the Universe to provide.
The album I have been engaged in producing all these years is called “People Power”. It is a Concept Album that combines several media. It is comprised of 14 songs that Mona and I wrote. Later, I wrote a story around the songs. What started as an illustrated Comic, with the help of my dear friend Danielle Hebert doing the illustrations, later became an animated Episode Video Series. My dad, who has an incredible radio announcer type voice agreed to record the narration part of the story which, combined with the songs, tells a tale of common of people living separate lives in a society wrecked by cultural divisions and intolerance. They find each other and discover that they have a greater purpose than they ever imagined. A story of Courage, Tolerance, Love and The Pursuit of Peace, Justice and Freedom. It is set in a large metropolis, in a not so distant future. All elements have a Spanish Language version as well: “Poder Del Pueblo”.
Our release is set for November 11, 2023. Exactly twelve years after we released the first No Matter What! single called “Don’t Take It No More on 11/11/11. While the songs are mostly Rock, from Punk to Metal, there is also a sweet Latin Jazz instrumental tune within the mix.
We are very excited to finally release our creation for the world to see, read and listen to. The comic will be available through major bookstores and the albums and videos in all major streaming services. All will be best watched and enjoyed in our fully revamped website at NoMatterWhatBand.com
Contact Info:
- Website: NoMatterWhatBand.com
- Instagram: nomatterwhatband
- Youtube: @NoMatterWhatBand
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@No_Matter_What_Band Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-4942485 Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/nomatterwhat/ Odysee: https://www.odysee.com/@NoMatterWhat:1 Vimeo; https://vimeo.com/nomatterwhat Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/UyWSQ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0X2vRWCUKZigFAQn2ICU58?si=XJ1nNfksQiGMmI6Md_rfxQ YouTubeMusic: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCiRw7kBdaC8rom_rGw-ckIg Amazon music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B0CKC2NS3F/no-matter-what Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/no-matter-what/1710147085 Pandora: https://pandora.app.link/2e9wBEP2QDb iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/artist/no-matter-what-38103644/ Amazon Books: https://a.co/d/ccEW8Cw Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144274724?ean=9798986983301