Priscilla Hernandez
INTERVIEW
06.25.2008
By Jennifer Lane
Editor - 9 of Swords Magazine
You have a lot going on right now and are experiencing much success! First off I want to congratulate you on winning “New Age Album of the Year” at the Independent music Awards! That is a huge accomplishment. You must feel ecstatic!
Priscilla Hernandez: Thank you very much, It's been indeed a great asset for Ancient Shadows and I'm quite happy with the award.
How long did it take you to put together “Ancient Shadows?”
Hernandez: Well, Ancient Shadows is in fact a compilation of tracks that I've written during all my life... it features songs from my childhood, teenager-hood and latest works... still all around the same mood and inspiration. So it's a sort of "best of" thing, but seriously on the making took about two years when we put ourselves to record it and work for the release. Before I had released some demos, and even collaborated in some cds and soundtracks as a guest... but I had to make a proper release on my own. I had the bad luck of losing some precious time dealing with labels that really didn't want my product but compromising it.. and finally decided to set up my own and go the humble indie way... my way... my music... Indeed I do not regret, and every little success is reward for me.
Your sound is absolutely beautiful and ethereal, yet dark at the same time. What inspires you?
Hernandez: Since early age I had a fascination for fairy and ghost tales... That eerie spectral atmosphere that often carries a hidden message in the shape of metaphors and warnings... I grew up in the canary islands, absolutely thrilled by the howling of the wind in my windows, and in fact I was a little girl consumed by night horrors and a wild imagination. To add more I was diagnosed a sleep disorder called "sleep paralysis", because of a disfunction in the onset/offset of dream and awareness... most people have undergone this without realizing what it is... but in severe cases it can render hallucinations, visual or even tactile of rather complex nature.
On your website it says that every song has a story, which I found very interesting. Clearly, you are an extremely multi-talented singer/songwriter, storyteller and illustrator! Which talent did you discover first, and how long did it take to perfect your talents?
Hernandez: Well I started to write first just right from the beginning I liked to make sketches for my stories, even with 10 years I used to write rather thick volumes, though I never intended to get published at all. I admit that I had nice ideas, but maybe I was not good enough as a writer and clearly got easier for me to illustrate my stories. I see it all like a movie in my head... and thus writing a story and putting images into it was the closest thing I could do... What next?? The soundtrack? Of course... and thus I got involved in music. I had a toy piano when a little child and messed a few notes, but really worked first my writing and illustration. Used to conceive the songs as poems rather than intending to make proper songs. Then left all these artistic facets for quite a while during my university studies... but something in my spirit revealed and thus I uploaded a song into the internet looking for a vocalist... people encouraged me... and I got caught... I love it, I can't conceive my life without music and art. I feel indeed like a storyteller and I was nourished by illustrated fairy and ghost books and movies... they left a deep footprint in my spirit and shaped my artist persona.
What are your favorite mediums to use for your artwork?
Hernandez: I don't like to feel restricted. I admit for me pencil and colour pencil is the easiest thing for me to sketch. I like acrylic too. In Ancient Shadows I also feature quite a few watercolours, though I prefer pencil and acrylic media. With the digital revolution of photography I also started to work in photo-manipulation to make fantasy photography, and it's something I do enjoy, and even have commissioned some photographies of friends in this mood. Then I discovered digital painting and it allows me to reach a level of detail that I can't conceive with pencil, still I prefer the non digital media, but I'm enjoying investigating the possibilities for it, at least for colouring, I always start from a pencil sketch that I scan into the computer anyway. No 3d still so far.
You will be featured at the BAD FAERIES MASQUERADE at Faerie Con SATURDAY OCTOBER 11TH: 8PM-1AM: At The Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. Are you excited? Nervous? Is this your first U. S. performance?
Hernandez: Well, it will be my premier on the East coast, previously in August I'll be attending the Faerieworlds festival on the West Coast which is also organized by Faerieworlds LLC. In the Faerieworlds (Eugene, Oregon) I'll perform with my partner Héctor Corcín and with the help of musicians from two bands (Woodland and Trillian Green). I'll play both on the good and bad fairy day my two sets, the fairy (light, new age) and the ghost (gothic, dark mood). In the bad faeries masquerade will be a mix of it :) and I'll share the night with the dutch band Omnia. I want to thank deeply Robert Gould and Woodland for bringing me to the States and giving me this wonderful opportunity to "experience" their festival. In the process I've been gaining also some friends and I'm loving the experience from now. It's quite complicated because we have to rehearse in the distance as we´re not bringing our usual hired instrumentalists.
Who are your major musical influences?
Hernandez: Soundtracks. I was an avid collector. Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Hisaishi, Danny Elfman... and so many others.. I love movies and scores.. in fact I've always intended to move that way, but my skills as composer were not good enough to archieve the complexity of film music and thus I ended up using the help of the "words" and singing. In our upcoming release "The underliving" we'll departure again into the realm of
My favourite soundtrack is "The Dark Crystal" by Trevor Jones that flyes from romantic to dark and full of mystery and was a great influence in my music. When I watch to movie unconconsciously i'm analizing the soundtrack, I wish i had had formal training to be able to translate that into reality, and thus I feel very limite but willing to improve, our illusion would be to be able to hire an orchestra to record some parts of our upcoming release. But we need sponsorship for that, and thus we hope to get some interest in our performances in USA.
Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians, and artists?
Hernandez: Be yourselves... and sometimes the long way is the way... I really got the chance to have been signed for a nice ammount of money, I could say no, and decline it... maybe i'm not wealthy and struggle to earn my life as a musician, but at least I feel proud of my work. Never deny your nature and spirit as an artist, not matter how easy a shortcut looks like, most of them are not safe (yes, it's the topic of one of my new songs too). Of course you can have luck and get a decent label to market you but let's face it, in alternative genres like ours, it's quite unlikely that they want an unaltered product... make your statement first, once you demonstrate you have a solid market, public and demand, they will come again and you'll be in better conditions to deal. Be patient... dream... and enjoy what you do.
What do you think is the best way to get your work out there?
Hernandez: When I started out with my crappy demos (sorry, they were terrible LOL hahahah) in internet, and then there wasn't so many indie bands on it... now internet is so overcrowded that of course it's an awesome way to promote (and for free) but also has a counterpart... it's so easy to copy ilegally your music. It's good to share for free, I do with part of my music, but when it comes for people to support you purchasing a cd, they already have due to the internet the idea that music is free... making a cd properly takes a lot of investment in the production not only making cds and you expect that all those people that download your music for free might support and help you with the album which sometimes is not true. I think internet is the key and will be the key though, but you need still to support your release writing to publications that work specifically in your genre. The more specific the bigger chance you get in... of course you cannot start sending your cd to the rolling stone expecting to be on the cover.
What would be your ultimate goal musically or artistically?
Hernandez: To be able to make reality all that's dancing within my head, wether in images or music... So far I'm lacking the skills to do it the way I'd love it to be and that I keep myself on evolving and on the learning curve. I'm enjoying the process and feel i'm getting better with my effort. To release what's within me and share it without limitations would be my final goal. I love also fairytales and the message, and metaphors... I feel like an storyteller... knowing that I'm sharing a poem, a message, a metaphor or at least some magic is a lovely feeling and will fight to keep on going that way.
What made you decide to start your own label Yidneth and what inspired the name?
Hernandez: Yidneth is a comic project that was made late nineties and early 00´s I scripted and illustrated myself. Maybe with the wrong technique and remained uncomplete and unpublished, maybe one day i'll encourage myself to finish it and get it self-released. Now I've evolved in my way of painting and it's quite hard to get back to an already stopped project, it was a fairy/ghost cross over and in fact in Ancient Shadows there are two songs directly refering to it "Ancient Shadow" and "Lament". In my store at http://priscillahernandez.yidneth.
Who are some of your personal favorite creative people?
Hernandez: In illustrationg I've had a big influence from Brian Froud (due to "the dark crystal" and "into the labyrinth" movies) I was nourished also by other fairytale illustrators of early century like Edmund Dulac, John Bauer and my favourite Arthur Rackham. I also love the cinic humour of the illustrations of Edward Gorey, which I think inspired Tim Burton quite a lot, film-maker who by the way I also worship. In music I do have a special weakness for Trevor Jones, Goldsmith and Elfman. I also like Roland Orzabal, singer from "Tears for Fears" band, I learnt to sing with him LOL (singing his songs in the shower LOL (not kidding)) even if some people has pointed to Kate Bush or Tori Amos and Enya, thing that I take a compliment, the true is that I wasn't familiar with their music but from another ones that are never guessed like Tears for Fears.
If you got the chance to meet one of your greatest influences who would it be and would you be nervous? What would you ask them?
Hernandez: Well I am doing it... I'm meeting Brian Froud in the faerieworlds festival...! and then in Faeriecon i'll add also Alan Lee... of course I'll be nervous, though I think every artist is also a person and I hope that I have the lack simply to enjoy a cup of tea and non planned conversation. I'd also like to meet Roland Orzábal from Tears for Fears, Sting or Bowie... What’d I ask? fancy to make a duet? LOL
Do you have any tours planned with your band? If so, where will you be touring?
Hernandez: We are open for bookings and we just go when we're hired. I wish I could perform more often. We've been approached by several festivals in Germany, Holland and Belgium and it seems 2009 will be quite full of European performances. We also make some private parties. The problem is that I hire part of my musicians so we´re always depending on the budget of the festival to be hired, at least to be covered. We´d be happy to perform more.
What do you feel is your greatest artistic accomplishment?
Hernandez: Having released my album has been something very important for me. I had other releases but they werent' my own project but some collaborations. To see it printed, with the booklets, the solid real thing, that feeling is quite lovely. Also to be able to have gathered such nice press without investing in promotion has encouraged me a lot. I think my greatest artistic accomplishment was to refuse a major label with a lot of money involved in order to do my humble and PERSONAL project the way it is born in my soul and spirit.
It is so hard to get to the point where you are successful as an artist. Have you ever felt discouraged?
Hernandez: Of course, everytime I don't make the money last for the end of the month...! LOL. I'm really wanting so badly to invest in some instruemnts and classes to learn and keep on improving, but I simply cannot afford it. Also "The underliving" is based on the idea of getting an orchestra to record part of it, and right now it's absolutely out of our hands. My studies were in molecular biology and it's easy to imagine yourself in a nice house making an "easy" life not concerning about the money so much... but I love this struggle.. I feel i'm doing what my heart tells me to do and I was reaching an age that was claiming "now or never". I know I will remember all these experiences later.
How would you personally define professional success as an artist?
Hernandez: Being able to ENJOY their life as an artist without concerning about mundane things like money... I do not intend to be rich, but it would be nice if I could make artistically what now I'm limited because of the resources... any investors out there?? i'm plenty of ideas... What I do not want to do is to deal or compromise my freedom... Recognition is good but not mandatory to feel you've succeed, success is a sum of small steps on the way... I allow myself to feel happy everytime I'm slightly ahead on the way.
Is there any one of your songs that you feel is your personal favorite?
Hernandez: My favourite to sing is "The call of the Nymph", my favourite when playing is "Haunted", my favourite part of the album is the brief closing credit... I don't know, they have different moods and depending on my mood I feel closer to one or another. I tend to like more the crepuscular darker side of the album.
What bands are you listening to right now?
Hernandez: Mostly friends, actually I'm listening a lot to Woodland because I'll support them in the backing vocals and flute in the faerieworlds and faeriecon, as they will also support me as well. It's so much fun and quite refreshing to learn someone else's material for a change. When I get mood I always get back to Tears for Fears... but I don' t listen much to vocal music (except for musical movie soundtracks) but mostly instrumental/score. These days i've been listening to Angelo Branduardi's Momo soundtrack, Jin Roh by Hajime Mizoguchi, The dark crystal (how can I spend two days in a row without listening to it (sigh) that's what I want to do!!
At this moment, what would you say your favorite song is? (from bands you are currently listening to)
Hernandez: I love "song to the siren" by This Mortal Coil, it's a classic... it has a myth component that I love and it's sung rather weirdly which I do like.
What will be your next goal as an artist?
Hernandez: What does the future hold for Priscilla Hernandez? We´re working now in "The underliving" it's pretty delayed cos we lack the resources to make it and thus it's a bit discouraging... I also keep a site to promote downtempo artists (nuevasmusicas.org) and thus I want my label to grow enough to give support to the community too. I'd like to grow our show to be more spectacular and more theatre-musical like. I am all the day thinking about visual ideas but I need money, performers, musicians and investors for it, so what's in my reach is to spice it and show a bit of where I intend to go. Sooner or later "the underliving" will raise and see the light. Finishing yidneth and getting back to illustrated short stories might be another task to do. I want to learn new instruments as well and try to add them to the show. We are getting a few endorsements now :)
I want to personally thank you and tell you that it is an honor to showcase your music and art in 9 of Swords Magazine. I look forward to dancing to your music at the Bad Faeries Ball at Faerie Con.
Hernandez: Thanks to you for making some space in your magazine to promote my music... see you there then?
Best regards, from Spain.