By Eric The Red
“Aggressive, Melodic, and Passionate.” This is how Jacob Garcia chose to describe his band, He Films The Clouds. Utilizing a sound that melds together multiple styles ranging from the ambient wall of noise you’d expect to hear in shoegazing and alternative, to mind blowing sweep picking reminiscent of technical metal bands such as Necrophagist and The Faceless, He Films The Clouds is ready to set the world ablaze with a style all their own.
The current lineup for He Films The Clouds is Jacob taking care of all instrumental duties and Gavin Benes handling all lyrics and vocals. Based out of Yucca Valley, this band has recently fallen on some tough times, having most of their members part ways. This hasn’t stopped Benes and Garcia though. They’re determined to press on. When asked to elaborate on their biggest challenges, Benes stated, “Probably getting back on our feet after losing all the members. It’s really tough finding light in dark places. Before, we’d practice every day together. Long hours of just stage presence, and then rehearsing the music. It was really like a business before, but we’re looking to change that now.”
Aside from their troubles, HFTC is already looking to the future and how they can help to improve the state of metal and hardcore in our area. “I love seeing dedicated musicians coming over to my place and putting their hearts in stuff they believe, and I think a proper studio with awesome gear and with properly trained engineers, this place could blow up!” stated Garcia, on the subject of having a dedicated metal recording studio in the valley. With an interest in recording and production, HFTC could set the standard and assist in the advancement of metal bands from all over the Coachella valley.
“Maybe some better advertisement would help. I know a handful of very hardworking bands out here that would kill for a shot at a career in music. It really blows knowing people won’t work with [metal] bands out here, or even look really.” This statement arose as Benes answer to what he feels could improve our music scene. Furthermore, he said, “I’m from Yucca, up in the hills, and generally when you say you play music, people assume you’re in a Bluegrass, or some kind of Stevie Ray Vaughn band. But the Sludge and Doom scene practically owned this place for a while, taking generators out to the lake bed and playing as loud as they could, in an uncontrolled environment. Basically what I’m getting at here is that as much as musicians take a chance with their passions, promoters/booking agents/companies should be as open armed about their investment, and no matter where you’re at, there’s talent.”
Having already dealt with one of the worst possible situations for a band, losing every member, He Films The Clouds has nowhere to go but up from here. When asked what advice they had for anybody looking to start a band, Garcia stated, “Be different! Listen to a bunch of music and have inspiration in everything, not just metal.” On the subject of upcoming shows, Benes said, “We’re on the lookout for a drummer, so as soon as that [lines up], we’ll be all over the place playing shows !” As a final note, Garcia announced, “We plan on doing some big things pretty soon, stuff that the valley hasn’t heard yet, and hopefully that’s sooner than later. Just stick with us and stay updated on our Facebook page!” Check out He Films The Clouds on Facebook at facebook.com/hefilmsthecloudsband.
