5 Min Origin Stories with Tzimani's Ed Vasquez

You know, it's time to think about the beach, the sun, and staying the hell out of that. I'm the guy who on his last day of vacation was made fun of by the MC Lady at a Mexican resort for being so damned white.

Metal though, it doesn't matter where it comes from and we all know how idyllic scenes seem to create some amazing damned metal.

Seriously, how can you live in San Francisco and be angry?

That place is perfect but the Big Four found a way.

As it happens, Tzimani is from San Diego. Your average person wouldn't end up metal as hell there. It's not like here in St. Louis where it's too damned cold in the winter and too fucking hot in the summer.

But check out their tunes on Bandcamp.

1. Is there an event you can point to you that made you say, wow, that's the instrument I want to play? Not like guitar or drums, but the reason why you play the model you do?

I can’t say there was a particular event, but I got my first ESP Horizon years ago and ever since then, they’ve been my favorite guitars to play. 

I like the specs, they sound great, they look sweet and they’re rock solid and reliable. Their neck profiles are the most comfortable that I’ve played on an electric and they’ve got nice extra-jumbo frets that make it easy for me to do the kind of bends I do. 

The easy upper fret access and 24 frets also come in handy when you’re playing at the top of the range.

2. How do you write a song?

The songwriting process is more of an exploratory one for me. 

Sometimes I’ll get a musical idea that pops into my head, but the best ones usually come about when I’m just messing around on the guitar. 

From there I’ll generally finish working on the idea until I’ve got a full song and then write the vocal melody and lyrics afterward.

3. How many concept records do you own? Could you ever write one?\

I’ve got a couple. Some of my favorites are Operation Mindcrime by Queensryche, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and Warp Riders by The Sword. 

The idea of writing a concept album has certainly crossed my mind. I think I’d like to do one someday, or at least a couple of songs that tie into each other, like The Twelve-Step Suite by Dream Theater, either spread out or on the same record.

4. Who's influence is most evident in your music? The least?

It’s tough to say, because I don’t think there’s a definitive influence on our music, but Iron Maiden is probably the heaviest one. 

I spent so much of my formative years listening to their entire discography, so I think their songwriting has left a lasting impression. 

The least? 

We get compared to Armored Saint pretty frequently and I absolutely love their music, but to be frank - I didn’t explore their music until after we released our EP! I know, shame on me, right? 

Symbols of Salvation is a masterpiece.

5. Which one of your songs is the one your the most proud of?

I’m most proud of We Are the Ones at the moment. I think overall it’s our strongest song and the most melodic. 

It’s just got a driving feel to it, twin leads and this big chorus that delivers a hook that’s hard to forget.

6. Sum up your latest record for us. 

Our latest record is a re-release of our debut EP with additional demos, two new cover songs and a new original song added to the B-side.

It’s more music for those who enjoyed our EP, but wanted a little extra!