Edinburg band torn by family, commitment to music

 Edinburg hard rock outfit Affliction of Sin has planned a big year.

The band, made up of four friends, started playing shows seven months ago, and they've built up momentum. Gigging at Newman's, the Edinburg Race Track and Monster Carwash, the band has also saved up some money. And they're ready to invest it in themselves.

Studio time sits atop Affliction of Sin's shopping list. Guitarist J.J. Fernandez says in the next few months, the band aims to record a high quality demo.

"Hopefully somebody important will get their hands on our music," he says. "That's what we're hoping to do. We're a fresh band, but if we haven't at least sent out our music in the next year, we might be wasting our time."

AFFLICITON OF SIN
www.myspace.com/aosin

Hometown: Edinburg
Years together: 1
Genre: Hard rock

Band Members:
Noe Hernandez, 21 - lead singer
Ruben Gonzalez, 22 - bass
Angel Montoya, 25 - drums
J.J. Fernandez, 22, - guitar

Q&A with lead guitarist J.J. and drummer Angel:

Describe the place you guys practice...

J.J.: It's a 10 by 15 storage room. It's indoors. Since we spend a lot of time there, we decided to go indoors. We spend a pretty penny each month, but it's worth it. It's like our second home.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

Angel: We'd have to go with the greats. It sounds cliché when you say Metallica, but it's a given. Aside from that, our influences are bands that have dared to be different. Protest a Hero, A Day to Remember, Deftones, Glassjaw.

What's the best venue for rock bands to play in the Valley?

J.J.: A lot of places don't have original music nights. One of the coolest venues that have always treated us well would be Newman's Bar and Grill. They open it up to original bands and the crowd is always nice.

What's your dream gig?

J.J.: We've seen tons of photos of the bands that influenced us where the drummer is sitting down, the guitarist is in front and it's a back view. It's of their backs and the crowd in front is just a mass of people. It's a festival style. Once we play one of those, we can all die happy.

Angel: I'd probably say a festival in Germany or England. The Rock-am-Ring Festival and Download Festival. Those are 100,000 plus people. It's an ocean of people you see and it's crazy.

What's the worst sin you've ever had afflicted upon you?

J.J.: Well we took our band name because it's our day to day lives. Every day, we're all afflicted by sin in some way. It's all around us. I'd say gluttony. I ate a lot. I eat out a lot. Other than that, I myself haven't really experienced something really dramatic.

Angel: I think it's more about choice. We're kind of old already. Status quo for society, we should already have degrees, maybe a nice job with a good salary and a nice family. The biggest sin we've had afflicted so far is choosing between life and the band. I think that all of us would agree that that's our biggest affliction yet. Just scheduling, time management and making sure we keep our priorities.

Zack Quaintance covers features and entertainment for Festiva. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.