By Esther Sanchez
2015 CVMA nominees in the category for best metal band, Robotic Humans are in it to win it. With skilled musicianship, solid vocals and a growing catalog of original songs, the trio has created a melodic vibe that is a bit of a throwback to good 90s-style grunge-rock for the alternative purist with splashes of heavy-metal done right. More than mere bandmates, these Coachella raised rockers are former classmates and childhood friends who feel as though they were brought together and are driven by the spirit of competition.
Alex Maestas (bass): “I am definitely a competition-based musician. I want to be better at what I do than everyone else. I have no doubt that mentality was sparked by a music teacher at CVHS whose name is Mr. Antalik. He made a huge, permanent impression on all three of us. I took this guy’s class every year of high school and can honestly say that I wouldn’t be the musician that I am today if it weren’t for him. He was one of those teachers that, if he could sense higher potential in you, he would push you really hard. He loved to stir up competition amongst his students which would fuel our determination to keep improving. He would sort of trash-talk about who was the best guitar player or drummer, etc. because he knew that would drive us to work harder and continue to grow as musicians.”
The boys from Robotic Humans have definitely watched each other mature as musicians and beyond during their years growing up in the East Valley. Friends since middle-school, Joey Zendejas (guitar/vox) and Luiz”Lalo”Carranza have been playing music together for most of their lives.
Carranza: “When we were 13 there were drums set up in the band room at our middle-school and I remember being in there one day pounding away on that set and Joey walked in and plugged in his guitar. He started playing a System of a Down song that I knew. That led to us, doing a lot of S.O.A.D. covers and eventually writing our own stuff which evolved into multiple projects over the years.”
Zendejas: “We started getting serious about music while we were in High School and I can attribute much of that to a competitiveness that started brewing inside of us when we were hit with the reality of what our skills were compared to those at a higher level. It’s not like there were a lot of kids who had bands in middle-school but that changed when we got older. It was an eye-opening experience for us to realize that in High School there were plenty of other musicians that were better than us. We came to know musicians and bands amongst our peers that inspired us to bring up our game.” One local band that made a big impression on Zendejas and Carranza while they were CVHS freshmen was called, “The Feedback” and just so happened to belong to Maestas who, at the time was a CVHS junior.
Maestas: “Back in 2004-2006 I started throwing concerts for mine and other’s bands out on my grandma’s property in Coachella. It’s basically 17 acres that contained a warehouse and a date-orchard. Eventually I had a stage, lights, a proper sound-system, you name it. They were free shows and there was usually an average of 3 girls to every guy in attendance which was great. Those shows became known as ‘The Grandma’s’ and during that time, grandma’s was the place to be.”
It was at a Grandma’s show where Carranza and Zendejas first saw Maestas perform and they were blown away by what he could do with a bass. Zendejas: “He was up there playing and had this huge row of pedals like a snake and I was like, ‘I want to be like that!”’
Eventually, that guy who they looked up to would become an integral part of their sound. Carranza: “It’s been really difficult for us to find and keep a good bass player. Within the past year Alex came in, took initiative, learned the songs and added in his signature style that has taken our sound in a really good direction. He filled in the gaps the way a good bass player should”
Keeping in mind how the spirit of competition has molded Robotic Humans, I asked them how they felt about their first CVMA nomination and was amused by their hesitancy as the 3 of them stared at each other for several seconds as if not sure how to respond. Zendejas: “It’s cool…I mean we really didn’t expect it at all. Some people at my work started congratulating me about it and I had no idea what they were talking about until they sent me a link so that was pretty crazy. I really like the idea of being able to be put out there to see how we measure against the best bands in the Coachella Valley.”
Follow Robotic Humans:
reverbnation.com/robotichumans
