This California progressive metal band has only been together as unit for a few months. They have one powerful track released and are going to be releasing an EP this year. Get to know Lucrecia:
What this the first band you were in?
Frankie: “I was in a few bands before this. The most recent of which I was in was called Plagues of the Armada. It was a progressive death metal band.”
Jacquie: “This is actually the first band I’ve ever been in. I was in orchestra when I was younger. I played violin for many years.”
Daisuke: “I started off with a pop punk band in high school.”
How did you guys get together to form the existing line up of Lucrecia?
Frankie: “Jacquie always wanted to pursue music so we started writing together while I was still in Plagues. That band started slowing down due to the members having to dedicate more time to their real jobs, etc. James was actually in Plagues with me and he began writing with Jacquie and I. We wrote and recorded “Rhapsodos”. It was really different than what we played before and we all really loved it.”
James: “Frankie and I would always talk about doing a project after our last band didn’t work out, we were really happy with how things went and decided to go with it.”
Daisuke: “They saw my videos on Instagram and asked me to join!”
Where do you find you draw most of your inspiration from?
Frankie: “With the most recent song a lot of it came from video games, actually. It always depends on what I’m feeling and what the song feels like. “Rhapsodos” had a really epic tone to it so I looked to a lot of games with that same feel. The song we’re currently writing has a lot more melodic feel to it. More of a happy vibe, so the writing will change accordingly.
Jacquie and I write the lyrics, but I always want to make sure everyone in the band has a fair amount of input. That’s not always the case being in a band. If anyone has an idea they can always share an opinion and we can change things.”
Jacquie: “I try to take a lot of pointers from Frankie. He’s a lot more experienced than I am in the realm of making music. I think lyrics are really important so I try to draw a lot from my feelings and my experiences. Whenever I feel upset I try to sit down and write. I like to write from other people’s perspective sometimes. It helps me get into their shoes and understand what they go through. I’m really inspired by Keyshia Cole as a singer. Growing up that’s all I sang was R&B. I really like Jonny Craig and Tyler Carter. The emotion they convey through their singing is incredible.”
James: “I draw inspiration from many great progressive metal bands especially Periphery and The After Image to name a few. I love how theyre so expressive with their instruments.”
Daisuke: “My biggest source of inspiration are the people around me. The people in my band, my friends from back home all inspire me in many ways. D’Addario coordinated a tour/clinic for Animals as Leaders last year and I won an audition so I played with them at live clinics. They were incredible musicians and great people. So they inspired a lot for my music and personally.”
What’s the underlying theme of “Rhapsodos”?
Frankie: “It’s set up as a story. Everyone in the band is really into video games and this particular song actually was inspired by Final Fantasy 7. The band itself is named after Lucrecia Crescent. There’s a play in FF7 called ‘Loveless’ and it’s a story about three characters. One of the characters from the prequel to the game, Genesis Rhapsodos, was really obsessed with that play, ‘Loveless’.
So that particular song follows the story of that play in our own words.”
Jacquie: “Obviously Frankie talked about where the song came from. I’m beyond influenced by video games. I don’t know who I’d be without them. I love listening to video game composers. I remember saving money to buy an iPod and filling it with video game soundtracks. I love Final Fantasy and Metal Gear Solid, Zelda those are probably my favorites.”
What are you listening to right now?
Frankie: “I really like DGD’s ‘Instant Gratification’, the new After Image album, I’ve always really like Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza, and Reflections. I listen to a lot of hip hop as well. I like a lot of 90’s stuff like Bone Thugs and also things like Diabolic and Immortal Technique.”
Jacquie: “The new Erra record. The new After the Burial. When I’m at work I’ve been listening to a lot of 90’s R&B.”
James: “A Day to Remember, Erra, and Tesseract. In the world of electronic music I like Washed Out a lot and other music that has that same chill, yet meaningful and authentic vibe to it. For Hip Hop I’d have to say Death Grips is super neat, I’m a huge fan of how they convey such raw emotion, and their electronic rhythms are very cool.”
Daisuke: “Paledusk, Animals As Leaders, Architects, The Afterimage, In Her Own Words, Northlane, Volumes, Burning Down Alaska, Kaera Kimura.”
If you could play a show with anyone who would it be?
It will be much easier to pick the most relevant herbs if you know buy canada viagra what actually causes erection problems in you. If something like this occurs, then the person must go for an instant check levitra australia prices up. There are many men who do not face any serious results.Where to buy?Generic buy cheap cialis is the most competitive on online medical shops. This is so much a harmful disease that it can cause a sudden decrease of blood pressure. generic no prescription viagra Frankie: “Personally, Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza.”
Jacquie: “There’s a lot of people I’d be happy even playing in the same room as. I’d love to play with Veil of Maya, The Faceless and Between the Buried and Me.”
James: “Playing with Periphery, Erra, or Chon would make me feel realized.” (he laughs)
Daisuke: “Volumes, Crossfaith, Animals As Leaders, & Veil of Maya.”
Where does the band record and what’s the process from your individual perspectives?
Frankie: “Our guitarists (James and Daisuke) record their parts at home most of the time. For the drums and vocals we go to Fang Studios. On our next song I think we will record the whole thing in the studio. Now that we have two guitarists it’s changed the dynamic. They write both together and individually. So we can have a lot more music get put out with two guys working on that part of it.”
Jacquie: “After James and Daisuke have their parts written, Frankie and I go into Nick’s studio to get our parts recorded. It’s great to have two guitarists now to be able to feed off of each other. They’re both so dedicated to their music so it’s nice to not have all of that work fall on one person.”
James: “For me writing I generally spend hours at the computer trying different riffs, editing my midi drums, trying to make the most captivating thing I can. It’s a lot of work for one guy to do, so I’m super grateful to have Daisuke on board now. It’s a very rewarding process.”
Daisuke: “Usually, our song ideas come from guitar riffs or drum grooves. When we work on a guitar riff, we decide on a chord progression and decide on other details as we go along.”
What’s coming next?
Frankie: “Our newest song we have all the guitar parts written and Jacquie and I are currently writing lyrics. We have a pretty good idea of what we’re going to do.”
“We try to take it one song at a time. Sometimes trying to get 5 or 6 songs done at a time can get really hectic. That idea of meeting a super strict deadline cuts down on the creative process. If we take everything one step at a time I think the songs will reflect us taking our time.”
Jacquie: “I can’t wait to finish this next song. It sounds so different from “Rhapsodos”. I love it so much and I’m really curious to see people’s reactions.”
James: “I really am excited about this EP, there’s so much promising music that’s already done and close to being released. But I guess I would just want the tracks to kind of elicit my words for me, I know it’s metal music and has harsh dynamics, but I believe every song has a story, just the way the our fingers curl around the fretboard can meaning something.”
What’s been the biggest challenge so far?
Frankie: “It’s tough to make sure everyone’s happy. To make what we love and what the listeners will love. It was really great to see so much positive feedback to “Rhapsodos”. I just want to make sure we keep that balance moving forward.”
Jacquie: “Being a girl in a metal band for sure. Not believing in myself. It’s hard to take that first step. It’s hard to come to terms with the idea that people will either hate me or love me and I have no control over it. Not believing I can do it is the one thing I have to constantly battle. I was holding myself back for a long time.”
James: “Just seeing the instrumental tracks I’ve created go out to be made into their final version, there’s always something I find myself wanting to change or tweak even sometimes arbitrarily.”
Daisuke: “I moved to the U.S. about two years ago from Japan to study music and English. I felt the language barrier and the cultural differences were some of the greatest challenges that I faced. Also, I felt like all the soft drinks here had too much sugar” (he laughs) “I still can’t get used to the taste.”
What time frame are you looking at to release your first EP?
Frankie: “We’re aiming for the end of summer to release. But again, I don’t want to rush everyone. We all have personal lives to worry about so that has to come first, also. We have a few other songs that have guitar parts done and others that are semi done. We are looking at 5 tracks that are partly done right now.”
What would you say to someone checking out your band for the first time?
Jacquie: “I just want to make people happy. But I’m not only doing this for the people listening. I’m also doing it for myself. This is what I love, and the one thing that makes me feel the most alive. I want to help people and give them something relate and bond to.”
Daisuke: “We have both a female and male singer which is something you don’t see a lot in bands like us. This adds a lot of dynamics and color to the songs. The guitar parts are very aggressive and can also be very soft and dreamy. We’re not the typical progressive metal band that you’d see around these days.”
Follow Lucrecia on Facebook by clicking HERE and stay tuned for more music from them as it it’s released. Check out their first single, “Rhapsodos” below!
https://youtu.be/3P99sYP0Hf4