Happy Holidays from Gemini!

This month we are featuring Gemini client, Teravolt. If you haven’t already watch their newest music video and get ready to be blown away! You can also read their interview below.

If you’d like to be featured or you want to submit a band or an upcoming show, please email [email protected]

An Interview Interview with Yoyo Bianchi
(Teravolt Drums & Percussion)

What does the name mean?

A ‘teravolt’ is a measure of electricity. I wanted a name that connected with the energy of the band, the level of intensity and power, yet remained simple and (in an ideal world) visually symmetrical. If I’m being honest, my wife is the one who actually came up with the name and I just thought it was perfect.

We had been brainstorming band names for some time and one day I came home from practice, she casually said, “Hey, this name popped in my head, Teravolt,” and I was like ‘Whoa, that’s it! That’s the one!’ I couldn’t sleep that night thinking about it. I remember getting up super early the next day and buying the web domain, setting up social media accounts, etc. I felt a bit like I was paying tribute to Charlie Sheen when he said, “I have one speed, I have one gear… GO!”

Who’s in the group?

• Cole “The Macaw” Caldwell (Vocals)
• Yoyo Bianchi (Drums & Percussion)
• Benjamin Lechuga (Guitars & Bass)
• Heather McAndress (Backup Vocals)

How’d you guys meet?

I was introduced to Cole (Vocals) through our previous bass player. I had envisioned a “Grungy/Rock” singer for the band, as opposed to your typical growling/screaming style that most metal bands today seem to gravitate towards. In some ways I’m stuck in the past when it comes to vocal talents, so I wanted a soulful voice that took me back to that 90s rock era. I just knew the mix was going to be amazing. So, I connected with Cole and we started working together on Pre-Production for the new album. It was surreal. The icing on the cake and from there everything came together. The work chemistry was spot-on and he truly brought the songs to a new level with his ideas and experience.

The story with “Lettuce” (Guitars & Bass) it’s actually quite cool. We were both born and raised in Santiago, Chile and had our separate musical careers going while we lived there. We never actually met while living in Chile, but we had common friends and I always admired and followed his work. A little voice in my head kept saying, ‘One day you will have a project with this guy’. Then earlier this year, I heard from a mutual friend that Lettuce had moved to Los Angeles to expand his music career and thought the timing was perfect! I was experiencing somewhat of a downward spiral in my Guitar & Bass player search. The audition process was brutal, with tweakers showing up, guys that had no idea how to play the riffs, kids that just couldn’t play the solos, it was a disaster and felt like a waste of time. At that point, when I heard about Lettuce in L.A. I reached out in hopes that he would bring that raw talent to get the band moving. We needed a guitar Master that ate Progressive Metal for breakfast, and sure enough, he completely rocked it! He’s a hardworking guy with a real passion for music. So, we’ve had him record Guitars & Bass for the upcoming album, it was a no brainer.

Heather happens to be my wife and how we met is a love story for another day. She’s a key part of the band (Backup Vocals) and actually wrote the lyrics for “Waking Up”, producing the main vocal line for that song as well. She’s the mastermind behind the band’s name and most of our copywriting. I would have to be born again to write as beautifully as she does. It’s great to have a talented partner like her, so involved in this project and pushing for its success. You could say she’s the ‘Sharon to my Ozzy’. Haha!

How long have you been together?

Most of the songs were written back in 2013, but at that time I unfortunately had music on standby as my wife and I worked to build our small business. It wasn’t until about mid-2018 that I was able to bring this project back to life and start working with other musicians on Pre-Production for a legitimate studio recording.

I think it was worth the wait because we were able to connect with Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Megadeth, Pennywise) as our Producer, Engineer and Mixer for the album and working with him has been an epic experience. You learn so much from someone like him, who has tremendous talent and experience, and his recording style is classic old school and organic, which is exactly what we were looking for to get that unique sound for the band.

What genre of music would you consider yourselves and who are your influences?

To quote our official bio:

Beckoning the generation of head-banging formative youth that initiated subculture grunge, Teravolt identifies with the raw high energy of guitar-heavy rock, allusive lyrics and notably pensive tempos. Their influence of classic and progressive sound combines a wide range of vocal harmonies and modern grit with a rush of unconventional nods to post-rock, nu metal and Latin groove.

What is the best advice you been given about playing music or otherwise?

Don’t be a jerk. There’s no need for egos in the music world.

What are you working on right now?

Finishing Production for our debut album “Waking Up” coming out in 2020.

Where can people find you?
Teravolt Offical Website 
Instagram 
Facebook
Twitter