Vic Fuentes

Vic Fuentes

Vic Fuentes performing in 2013
Background information
Birth name Victor Vincent Fuentes
Born (1983-02-10) February 10, 1983
Origin San Diego, California
Genres Post-hardcore, progressive rock, experimental rock
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1998–present
Labels Equal Vision, Fearless
Associated acts Pierce the Veil
Isles & Glaciers
Cinematic Sunrise
Before Today
Website www.piercetheveil.net
Notable instruments
Gibson Explorer, Fender Toronado

Victor Vincent "Vic" Fuentes (born February 10, 1983 in San Diego, California) is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of post-hardcore band Pierce the Veil. He also plays the keyboard on some Pierce The Veil records. He plays in the band along with his brother Mike Fuentes. Both brothers attended Mission Bay High School.

Biography

Vic Fuentes was born on February 10, 1983 in San Diego, California to Vivian K. Fuentes and Victor Gamboa Fuentes, a former Mexican jazz musician who now works as a painter.[1] He has a younger brother, Mike Fuentes, two half-brothers, and one half-sister.[2] He is related to Nick Martin, who currently plays in Sleeping with Sirens.[3]

At age 7, Fuentes learned to play guitar.[4][5] After attending Mission Bay High School, he attended San Diego State University, where he studied graphic design. He quit studying after his former band Before Today was signed to Equal Vision Records.[6][7]

He wrote the song "A Match Into Water" on their third album, Collide with the Sky, for his former girlfriend who was suffering from breast cancer.[8]

He is in a relationship with Danielle Perry, who was the cover model for the Black Market album released by Rise Against.[9]

He is friends with Curtis Peoples, who was co-writer of the gold single "King for a Day". They played together in a band called 3 Simple Words while attending high school.[10]

Musical career

During his time at Mission Bay High School Fuentes played in a local punk band called 3 Simple Words alongside Curtis Peoples, who later worked together with Pierce the Veil on some songs, including "King for a Day".

In 1998 he formed a band called Early Times with his younger brother Mike.[11] After releasing three EPs the band was forced to rename due to copyright violation. The group changed their name to "Before Today". After signing a recording contract with Equal Vision Records the band released their only album, A Celebration of an Ending, in 2004 before breaking up two years later.[12]

In 2007 the duo integrated bassist Jaime Preciado and guitarist Tony Perry and released their debut record, A Flair for the Dramatic, with the newformed band called Pierce the Veil. With this band Fuentes released two more albums, Selfish Machines and Collide with the Sky. He toured in North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Europe several times, played at big music festivals such as Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Reading and Leeds, Warped Tour, Soundwave Festival and Slam Dunk Festival. On concert tours Fuentes shared stage with acts including Bring Me the Horizon, All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, Tonight Alive and A Day to Remember.

Alongside his brother, he was involved in the short-lived supergroup Isles & Glaciers with musicians including Jonny Craig, Craig Owens, Brian Southall, Nick Martin and Matt Goddard. After playing only one show at SXSW 2009 and releasing only one EP (The Hearts of Lonely People) in 2010, the band broke up.[13]

Fuentes was also a session guitarist for a short North American tour with the short-living pop punk band Cinematic Sunrise.[14]

Songwriting

Fuentes has written songs with the likes of Tom Denny, Curtis Peoples and Dave Yaden. He doesn't have a concept for writing his songs but gains inspiration from familiar situations, personal experiences in relationships, touring and friends.[15]

I try not to really go with any sort of concept or anything like that. Some bands are very political; some bands only write about love. Our band is always about what has recently happened, whatever is happening in our families, in our lives, our relationships, our tours and our friends. Whatever is weighing heavy in our minds is going to come out.

“
”

Vic Fuentes in an interview[15]

'Bulls in the Bronx' has a crazy story to it. It’s a sad story, but it inspired the song. It’s about this girl who is 16, and her friends wrote to me and said she recently committed suicide, along with a link to her Tumblr page. It was one of the most haunting things I’ve ever seen. It’s so sad because she was such a sweet-looking girl too. There were things on there where she would say how she thought she was worthless, ugly, and all this crazy stuff. That whole thing really stuck with me for a while, and I wrote this song about her.

“
”

Vic Fuentes in an interview with Mind Equals Blown[16]

He has written songs inspired by fans, such as "Bulls in the Bronx", on the album Collide with the Sky. This was written for Olivia Penpraze, who committed suicide in April 2012. Her friends wrote a letter to the band about what had happened. Penpraze had been a fan of Pierce the Veil.[17] The band dedicated one song on Collide with the Sky to the young Australian, but it isn't sure definitively whether it is "Bulls in the Bronx" or "Hold On Till May".

"I Don't Care If You Are Contagious", from the second album, Selfish Machines, was also a fan-inspired song. The musicians said in an interview with music magazine Alternative Press that a young girl had contacted the band, writing that her boyfriend had died in a car accident,[18] and that they had met for the first time during a Pierce the Veil concert.[18] Fuentes wrote this song as a present for her.[18]

"Million Dollar Houses (The Painter)" from the same record is dedicated to his parents. The song is about their parents, who never separated even in a time when the family had almost nothing.[18]

Many fans thanked the band for the songs they wrote. They certify their lyrics would a have a ″healing effect″. Some listeners prevented self-harm while listening to his lyrics.[8]

Vocals

Vic Fuentes is well known for his high vocal range, which was compared to Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambria by Elmar Salmutter, writing for the German Metal Hammer magazine.[19]

Accolades

Discography

Before Today

Pierce the Veil

Isles & Glaciers

Guest appearances

References

  1. ↑ Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press #296.1 (März 2013): Kings for a Day – Finally, S. 76: "Victor Fuentes Sr. still struggles with his painting business."
  2. ↑ Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press #296.1 (März 2013): Kings for a Day – Finally, S. 79: "Vivian was a teen mum in Oklahoma. Debbie (54), David (52) and Frank (50) are all from her first marriage."
  3. ↑ Aaron: Decoy Music: Interview: Nick Martin (Isles & Glaciers / Underminded / Cinematic Sunrise) Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Stephanie Castor: Guitar World: Exclusive: Pierce the Veil Premiere and Discuss New Song, “Bulls in the Bronx,” and New Album, 'Collide With the Sky'
  5. ↑ Karen Cotton: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle: "Pierce the Veil" sings need and desire, S. 4: "I get my music influence from my dad, […] He was the one who taught me how to play the guitar in the beginning. He raised me on jazz and Spanish rock. That's where I first learned to play the guitar."
  6. ↑ FUZE Magazine: Pierce the Veil - My Artwork: Würde ich keine Musik machen, wäre ich wohl Grafikdesigner, Seite 17 (Fuze #35, Sep/Aug 2012, Download)
  7. ↑ Dave Good: San Diego Reader: Pierce the Veil's Mexi-Core
  8. 1 2 Amanda Ferrante Batista: The Aquarian: An Interview with Pierce The Veil: Colliding With The Sky
  9. ↑ Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press (Ausgabe 321.2): Cabin Fever Dream, S. 74: "In addition to his clothes, toiletries, bourbon, throat spray, Tabasco, sketchbooks, candles and musical gear he had with him, his vinyl copy of Rise Against's The Black Market was something of a prized possession. See, that's his girlfriend, Danielle Perry, on the cover, face smeared with black paint."
  10. ↑ Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press (Ausgabe 321.2): Cabin Fever Dream, S. 76: "That friend, Curtis Peoples, is one of the main songwriters credited with the smash single [King For A Day] from Collide with the Sky, and has been Vic's friend since kindergarten. […] When they were in high school, Peoples invited Vic to join his band, 3 Simple Words."
  11. ↑ Allmusic: BEFORE TODAY | A CELEBRATION OF AN ENDING | ALBUM
  12. ↑ San Diego Reader: Pierce the Veil
  13. ↑ Emily: Blunt Magazine: Pierce the Veil: Interview
  14. ↑ Alternative Press: AP Exclusive: Cinematic Sunrise tour diary (part one)
  15. 1 2 Annie Zaleski: Alternative Press: Interview: Pierce The Veil’s Vic Fuentes on recording their “eclectic” third album
  16. ↑ Ridge Briel: Mind Equals Blown: Interview: Pierce the Veil
  17. ↑ Ross Coulthart: Yahoo News: When nobody listens
  18. 1 2 3 4 Alternative Press: Track-By-Track: Pierce The Veil
  19. ↑ Elmar Salmutter: Metal Hammer #2/2008: page 96, to be seen here (Rolling Stone Archive)
  20. ↑ Alternative Press: Announcing the first AP Music Awards! Get all the details and vote for your favorite artists!
  21. ↑ Alternative Press: Here are all the 2015 APMAs nominees!
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