(Hamilton, ON) – When Kevin Estrella first contacted me about doing a feature on his band Pyramids on Mars, I must admit I never heard of him or his band even though I’m not too far from him in the Niagara Falls area.
Estrella introduced himself as the “Joe Satriani of the North” – Melodic Instrumental Rock from the Mystical Red Planet.
Joe Satriani? Really?
“Wow,” I thought, “is this guy any good?”
I read through all the information Estrella sent me and listened to some tracks off his self-titled album, Pyramids on Mars. To answer my own question, “Yes! This guy is good!” I became intrigued and wanted to learn more about Kevin Estrella and his band Pyramids on Mars.
Estrella’s musical journey began in 1985 when his friend, and fellow grade 10 classmate, let him listen to the latest Joe Satriani release Surfing With the Alien. Estrella loved what he heard so much he wanted to become a musician and play like Satriani. Working hard and practicing, Estrella formed a band with his brother Craig and began performing. Playing with such bands as Firestorm and Shatter Instinct they performed throughout the 90’s playing the Toronto and Southern Ontario music scenes.
This lasted nearly 25 years before Estrella decided he wanted to do something musically different that would stand out. Thus, a new chapter in Estrella’s musical journey began with Pyramids on Mars, the melodic instrumental rock solo project born just over four years ago on January 4th, 2011.
It wouldn’t be until a couple years later in 2013 when Pyramids on Mars released its self-titled debut album – a ten-track album Estrella recorded, produced, engineered and mastered himself. He performed all the instruments on the album and did all the drum programming. The album produced the hit single “Battle for Rome”.
Estrella has been getting a lot of attention from the music industry. With continuous international radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, Brazil, UK, Netherlands and Germany, Pyramids on Mars continues to gain a tremendous amount of fans worldwide on Jango Radio, Soundcloud, Reverbnation and Twitter.
Music Life Magazine caught up with Estrella to learn more about him, Pyramids on Mars and to see what’s next.
JOEL – Joe Satriani is a big influence on you. So much that you call yourself the “Satriani of the North”. Didn’t you think that was a bold move on your part creating high expectations, especially when you decided to try something new and go out on your own after 25 years?
KEVIN – I originally started using that phrase simply for marketing purposes. So that when people ask what you sound like they instantly can familiarize themselves with the artist being compared to. I learned that with my day job in having an ‘Elevator Speech’. Aka a 5 second description of what you do that you can describe yourself to when networking with others. LOL, yes I think a lot of people can look at it that way of creating certain expectations comparing myself to Satriani. In some ways it is very bold because it sets a high bar of expectation. And I think, as Pyramids on Mars gets more and more popular, that phrase may come to haunt me someday!!
JOEL – Who else influences you?
KEVIN – I get asked this a lot. There is a pyramid (no pun intended) of influences broken into 3 quadrants. At the top are guitarists David Gilmour, Joe Satriani and Jimi Hendrix. My musical voice, my spirit/soul resonates with their energies. And a lot of technique too. The second quadrant below them are my biggest Inspiration, being Baroque composers J.S Bach and Antonio Vivaldi. My playing style, classical theory, and melodic phrasing comes from them. I came from the school of Yngwie Malmsteen. I studied Malmsteen straight for 2 years to learn his style. But I did not want to become another Malmsteen clone. I wanted to think like him. Thus you need to go back to his influences. That is when Bach and Vivaldi changed my life, and my approach to guitar. I think of the guitar more like a violin. And the melodies and fingerings I play are more like what a violinist plays. Same with Malmsteen. Understanding this concept helped change how I envision sounds and organization on the instrument.
The third bottom and largest quadrant of the pyramid of influences is all the bands who influenced me. Just to name some, Iron Maiden, Rush, Metallica (pre black album), Megadeth, Ministry, NIN, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Tool, Extreme, and last but not least Meshuggah!!! Meshuggah are my favorite metal band right now. There are many others, but for the Pyramids on Mars sound, you will hear all these influences.
JOEL – Going on your own and doing everything yourself, was it a big transition and learning curve for you?
KEVIN – To be honest, at first I was terrified. I had always played in a band and wrote as a band. That was how I was most comfortable. I did not know if I would be able to reinvent myself how to write as a solo artist. But having a band is not feasible at this time and I simply do not have the time to practice and rehearse as a band. At least not at this stage. Going on my own, I learned as I went along. I taught myself to play bass, and learned how to program drums. Being in a band for over 20 years, you really end up becoming a musician, and not just a guitar player as every instrument is important, and work together to create a whole. I learned a lot about laying down grooves from my brother Craig Estrella and Matt Rock our drummer at the time (my old band).
JOEL – How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard Pyramids on Mars?
KEVIN – I am the ‘Satriani of the North’ lol!! That is a good question as I write songs that change genres. One song is hard rock, another is Djent, another is dance, another is slow and melodic, another is industrial, another is metal. Hmmm. I think that was the other reason I just called myself the Satrani of the North. That way they know its guitar driven instrumental rock, but this guy comes from Canada. So we can expect ANYTHING from him!! Lmao!!
JOEL – Is music full-time for you?
KEVIN – That is a loaded question. Yes. Simply because at the current moment I am unemployed. I have been out of work for 5 months and have been putting in full days just working on music related stuff. Ninety percent of it being marketing, promoting, networking and managing. Another reason I don`t have a full band. We do play live, don`t get me wrong. Craig plays bass, I play lead guitar, and all the rest of the music is mixed down on my laptop and plays through the house sound system. It works great and is very convenient. Eventually I will put a full band together. But yes, music is full time for me even when I had a day job. I would put in a good two hours or more a day with the music business side. There is hardly any time to play or practice guitar. I am not some hot shot guitar player who has hours each day to just dedicate to practice. To quote Monty Python, `LUXURY`!! I do not have the time. But these are the things one must do when they are a solo artist. You have to do it all on your own. One interview referred to me as Superman. I think it is quite accurate.
JOEL – Are you working on any new material?
KEVIN – I have just spent the last few months putting the final touches on my second CD coming out summer 2015 titled `Echo Cosmic`. It is mixed and mastered. Now we will spend the next several months promoting it for its release. There were a few things I wanted to change, or hear more of with the new CD compared to the debut CD. I used Metallica`s `Master of Puppets“ as a soundboard for the kind of sound I wanted to go for. The rythm guitars are more in your face. The bass guitar is EQ`d differently too. It is a lot more present in the mix and plays a very important part to the sonic and rhythmic structure of the songs.
This new CD is AMAZING!!! Once again, setting the bar high, but from the feedback I have already gotten from people who have heard it, this CD could do for this decade what Joe Satriani`s `Surfing with the Alien“ did for the “80s. Echo Cosmic is high energy, turn up the car stereo, pedal to the metal rock your face off album. I think people are getting tired of mediocrity. This CD is a game changer.
JOEL – You’ve had radio airplay in the U.S, Canada, Brazil, UK, Netherlands and Germany. Have you toured to any of those places?
KEVIN – I have been playing in the Golden Horseshoe area for the most part. I have not yet toured any of those places. Yet I would kill to. And someday very soon we will get that opportunity.
JOEL – Is there any place you’d like to tour?
KEVIN – The U.S, U.K, Germany, and France. And of course Japan. All those countries love the kind of music we play. Satriani has a huge following in France.
JOEL – Do you play much around Southern Ontario? Any upcoming shows?
KEVIN – I play a lot in Toronto and Hamilton. I just opened for Felix Martin in February when he came through Toronto on his North American tour. You can expect Pyramids on Mars to be playing many of the clubs in Toronto and Hamilton.
JOEL – Is there anything else you would like to add or plug?
KEVIN – Follow us at www.pyramidsonmars.com , follow us on twitter @PyramidsOnMars. Another question people ask, “Why did you call yourself Pyramids on Mars?” The answer to that is, I have studied UFO’s and aliens for over 25 years. Pyramids on Mars do exist, in addition to many other artifacts in our solar system. NASA has done a pretty good job creating an alternate reality covering up what they really have found on the moon, on Mars and elsewhere. But the evidence is there, it is leaked and out there. I am simply trying to help educate people to start thinking about their reality and be aware of the paradigm shift our society is going to have when Disclosure Day comes in the very near future. All these things I studied were only solidified even more last summer. In August 2014, I had my own UFO experience right in my backyard in Hamilton. But that story is for another time…
JOEL – Thank you for your time!
Pyramids on Mars Highlights:
- Regular guest on the Brian ‘the Hammer’ Jackson radio show Los Angeles (4 million listeners) and Real Rock Radio (North Dakota)
- Featured on “Extraordinary Artists” program on Radio Bobiko (Germany)
- Pyramids on Mars is featured in Fireworks Prog Rock Magazine (UK) Feb 2015
- Pyramids on Mars will soon be featured in most significant UK magazines including Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Kerrang, Classic Rock Sociey, Big Cheese, Uncut, Powerplay, and through to radio stations such Total Rock and ARFM.
- Pyramids on Mars is the spotlight artist of the Jan 2015 edition of Canadian Musician Magazine – http://canadianmusician.com/showcase/
Contact Pyramids On Mars:
Website: www.pyramidsonmars.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PyramidsonMars
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PyramidsOnMars_
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