UNSIGNED SPOTLIGHT

Offvibe

A different type of fusion. A different type of concept.
By: Gian Erguiza

Gian: Who is Offvibe and where are you guys originally from and how it all began?

Offvibe: Offvibe is David Aure (Walnut, Ca): Vocals, TJ De Jesus (Temple City, Ca): Guitar, Ronald Garcia (Northridge, Ca): Guitar, Mike Santos (Chino Hills, Ca): Bass Guitar and Roy Santos (Chino Hills, Ca): Drums.

David, TJ and Ron are childhood friends and have been dabbling in music since they were young. Mike and Roy are brothers and grew up playing music for their local church. It started off with the rest of us trying to help David while he was still pursuing his solo R&B goals. But, those goals soon changed. From our first rehearsal, we just clicked and we’ve been vibing ever since. We evolved from a Hip Hop/R&B band (similar to The Roots meets Maroon 5) to what we have now, which is more experimental rock. Our biggest influences are Incubus, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta and The Police just to name a few. And after about 5 years, we have evolved into something that neither of us could have ever imagined. Now, we are on the verge of releasing our 2nd self-released/produced CD and are consistently playing shows in and around the Hollywood area and wherever we are asked to play.

Gian: What best describes the music that you guys play and how did you guys get started?

Offvibe: The music that we play is eclectic to say the least, because we each have very different and diverse musical backgrounds and interests, that when we come together to write songs it turns out to be a mixture of each one of us. We are heavily influenced by other musicians that push the boundaries of what is “acceptable” by today’s standards, so we too look to push our own limits at the same time staying true to ourselves. Individuality is something that is very important to us and is something that we think we have accomplished so far.

Gian: If there was any artist or band that you guys would like to share the stage with one day, who would you guys choose and why?

Offvibe: If we were to choose, it would either be Incubus, The Red Hot Chili Peppers or The Police. We chose these bands because they created a style of their own that is so different and unique from anybody else that when you hear any one of their songs you automatically recognize them. We have seen these bands play live either through video or in person, and have noticed how amazingly talented these guys are. When you see and hear a band play better live than in their recordings, you know that they are on top of their game. And that is what we take pride in as well. Energy and consistency are what our main focus is on for each one of our shows and we wouldn’t want to have one person leave our show not having experienced something new.

Gian: What is the message that your band is trying to convey or what are you guys trying to accomplish?

Offvibe: We really don’t try to convey one single message because life isn’t about just one thing, it’s about many things all happening at one single moment. Each band member is saying something different for every song, something that we have learned from experience. It may seem like we’re conveying one single message because of the lyrical content of the song, but we each have something to say. There is a purpose and feeling going into each one of the melodies David sings, each strum of a chord or note that TJ, Ron and Mike play and each strike of a snare Roy hits. And in general, that is what makes music so compelling is that we all have shared a certain feeling and have experienced something similar at one point or another.

Gian: Any additional comments or shout-outs?

Offvibe: We would like to say thank you to each one of our family members and friends for being so supportive and ecstatic about what we do. Thank you to our fans for your commitment and loyalty. Daved at The East Gate Studio (www.theeastgate.net), thanks for doing what you do. The staff at Sean Healy Presents, thanks for hooking us up with amazing venues. And thanks to everyone who has given us a chance.

“The Trigger Nostal” will be out very soon online and at shows! And new online content will be updated on www.myspace.com/offvibe and on our YouTube page. See you guys at the shows!!! And thank you Frantik Magazine!

For booking or other information, please contact us at off_vibe@yahoo.com

I Email to Friend I Print