The Mindbuzz
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MB:217 with Protocol Sonic Journeys Through Nostalgic Beats and Digital Beats
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Protocol is a modern synth/rock group from L.A. founded in 2018 by Omar Paul Novielli and Miguel Villegas. Synth/Rock, Synth/Pop
youtu.be/TL2aMDCerhs?si=1PAt90popJREPIyJ
When life throws a curveball of hectic weekends and team sniffles, we all reach for our trusted family remedies. This episode, we found humor and truth in the simple act of staying hydrated, which turns out to be more than just a cure for the common cold—it's the elixir of life for our creative souls. We then swing into the vibrant beats of the Latino music scene, with Amber from MyGrito Weekly guiding us through the latest shows and tracks. A warm welcome is extended to Miguel and Omar from Protocall, who bravely navigated the storms of scheduling to bring us a sneak peek of their fiery new project.
The musical journey is never a straight line; it's an ever-evolving dance of genres and emotions. We celebrate this blend, touching on everything from the sleek allure of synth pop to the shadowy depths of dark wave, as we refuse to be confined to just one sound. To add to the mix, we chuckle over the quirks of promoting our art in the digital age. The struggle, as they say, is real—but so is the joy of crafting tunes that reflect our personal evolution, and we share a piece of ourselves in discussing the upcoming album that captures this very essence.
As the needle drops on the record of nostalgia, we reminisce about the art of DJing and the tactile satisfaction of vinyl and cassettes. Fashion and music trends tend to come back around, and we muse on them with laughter, knowing their return is as inevitable as our affection for the bands and genres that have carved out a space in our hearts. Lastly, we rally the troops for our show in Maywood and a side-splitting local comedy night, affirming that a healthy dose of support and mirth is always in style. Join us for an episode that's as eclectic and energized as the sounds we love.
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"King without a Throne" is performed by Bad Hombres
The MindBuzz, now partnered with MyGrito Industries.
Speaker 2This podcast episode of the MindBuzz is brought to you by House of Chingassos. House of Chingassos is a Latino-owned online store that speaks to Latino culture and Latino experience. I love House of Chingassos because I like t-shirts that fit great and are comfortable to wear. I wear them on the podcast and to the Cardenas Salas. Click the affiliate link in the show description and use promo code THEMINDBUZZ that's T-H-E-M-I-N-D-B-U-Z-Z to receive 10% off your entire purchase. The cash saved will go directly to the MindBuzz podcast to help us do what we do best, and that's bringing you more MindBuzz content. Click the link in the show description for more. It's three days away and that's Dalek Comedy. I'm just super excited for this. It's three days away. I'm getting over from being dead for the past three days, or at least week, and I'm all for it. The MindBuzz we are back. What's up, mindbuzz Universe? Welcome back to another episode of the MindBuzz podcast. I am Gil, your host, and working the board is Amber. How are you, amber?
Speaker 1Hey, what's up, I'm better.
Speaker 2How you been.
Speaker 1I've been better.
Speaker 2It's been a crazy week and a half In a day. Maybe it's all a blur, honestly. And then leading up to this, friday shows is crazy, yeah everything's been happening really really fast.
Speaker 1It's too fast, we had that packed weekend when we had the things we had to do and then we had the pop-up and then you got sick for like a week and then you recuperated and then I got sick, and then it's been crazy, definitely.
Speaker 2Does it sound like I just woke up?
Speaker 1No.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2We're good. You're good, we're on schedule.
Speaker 1But we're good, we're getting healthy, we're doing what we gotta do.
Speaker 2I'm drinking water. I had no clue how much water I could drink until yesterday. You need water.
Speaker 1That's what we need. That's what your body. I feel like. Water is the answer to everything. Or maybe I'm just turning it into my mom, because my mom for everything would be like Tomawa, tomawa, mom, my stomach hurts Drink water, my head hurts Drink water. So now I'm her.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1And I believe her now. She was right all this time.
Speaker 2The whole time. My family didn't. I wish my family I don't. We didn't really get pushed water. You know what I mean. So it's different.
Speaker 1Got it Noted no.
Speaker 2I'm serious. What if they tell?
Speaker 1you if your head hurts.
Speaker 2I don't know, go lay down.
Speaker 1Oh, that works too.
Speaker 2Or move out of the way. Close the door. What are you doing, kid Get out of here, get out of here, we're busy. It was fun, though. No, I think it, just it didn't come across that way. I mean, my dad was always a drinking coke and coffee, and that was it, and not much water. So yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1Well, not anymore.
Speaker 2All right, I think we have a my Grito Weekly and then we're going to get into our today's guest. So our today's guest, Amber, take it away with the my Grito Weekly.
Speaker 1Yeah, so Bad Ombres will be performing at La Cita in LA this Friday, the 23rd. Heartless Sweetwater will be in Arizona at the rhythm room on February 29th. Maria Sanchez will be performing at Alex's Bar in Long Beach on March 2nd for Ladies Soul Night Rundown. Creeps released their new music video called Big Bear, which can be found on YouTube or the link on their Instagram bio. 3lh also released their latest single and music video, darling, which can also be found on YouTube. The Paranoils will someday release their new music video.
Speaker 1Stay tuned. Make sure you hit them up on their Instagram and ask them where it's at. Also, we are happy to share with you that MindBuzz Media has partnered up with my Grito on producing their very first podcast show South Titles, the my Grito Podcast, which can be viewed on YouTube or listened to on Spotify. You may have seen the announcements last week as we interviewed the co-owner of my Grito last week, oscar Toledo. The my Grito Podcast first guest was this is long, oscar. This was Super Steve Flores, who was also interviewed on the MindBuzz. Make sure you subscribe and follow on the my Grito Podcast. For more details on their shows, go to the artist's Instagram page and don't forget to visit MyGritonet. Hey, go check that out.
Speaker 2Go check it out, go check out the my Grito Podcast down on the show. The Script Shown and, without further ado, let's get into today's guest, miguel and Omar from Protocall. What's up, guys? How you guys doing hey.
Speaker 4Hello, good evening.
Speaker 2Thanks for coming out, thanks for having us Appreciate it, thank you, despite we had cancellations, reschedules, the rainy day season, all that good stuff. You guys are friendly here At your native couldn't keep us apart.
Speaker 4Exactly.
Speaker 1It was meant to be, it was fate.
Speaker 2So I thank you guys for coming out and doing the podcast. We've gotten connected through our homie Dante. That's right, the homie that's in. Where is he actually? Where is he located? Because he's doing business all around the world.
Speaker 1He's in the USA. Yeah, mexico City. Yeah, in the capital, oh my.
Speaker 2God. Yeah, there you go Both and you guys are working on a project.
Speaker 4Yeah, it's been a while now. It's been a while. We, Miguel and I, we're the members of Protocall and we've really started our first album February of last year. We had plans on doing it February this year, but we just get lazy.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 1But it's, it's it's, it's underway.
Speaker 4We just released our first single and getting ready to release our next single and March 12th.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 4So things are moving slowly but surely.
Speaker 2And how many members are in the band besides you too, 25. Whoa, it's an orchestra Protocall orchestra.
Speaker 3I like it, what do?
Speaker 2you play the triangle and trombone. That's cool. The timpani.
Speaker 4No, it's just a two point. Oh, it's just the two of us.
Speaker 2Oh, okay.
Speaker 4So you're a regular synth pop. Uh, two pieces, Standard two piece.
Speaker 2Do you mind if we play some of your music? Amber was playing it earlier today.
Speaker 4Absolutely not. Can't get enough of it.
Speaker 1He's like no more, no more. Are you guys on Spotify?
Speaker 2Barely.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 2But it's on there, yes.
Speaker 1I'll go on on the Instagram, there we go, pull up their Insta. This one was. I really liked this one.
Speaker 4Oh the.
Speaker 1Christmas one. I know it's not Christmas, but I really liked it.
Speaker 4It's a shame that we're unable to release that this year, maybe I mean last year, maybe this.
Speaker 5Christmas time we made it in the studio. So if you say yes, just having fun.
Speaker 2That's cool.
Speaker 1It sounds really cool.
Speaker 4Oh, the sequence. The programming for the synthesizer sequences took me about half a year, oh yeah.
Speaker 1It's like I don't know if I have to be scared or to be like marry, but I like it.
Speaker 4But as soon as the beat comes in, like the synthesizer sound like snowflakes the sequences. Here we go.
Speaker 5Oh, my God.
Speaker 2That's so cool. That is really awesome. Do they know it's Christmas?
Speaker 4Do you see what I mean about the visuality? When you hear it, it sounds like kind of like snowflakes.
Speaker 1Yeah, see, this is the kind of Christmas music I need in my life. I'm tired of the same old Christmas music.
Speaker 2Yeah, I'm tired of what's-your-face.
Speaker 1Mariah Carey yeah, let's bring protocol.
Speaker 2Yeah, let's replace Mariah Carey with protocol. Calm down, let's see that let's hold it.
Speaker 4No one song we need to put to rest is well, this is a mix of whenever we do a cover. We do two songs and I find the songs that I like, and they have to be relatively close to each other as far as the beat how fast the beat is, because we mix it into one. So the beginning is do they know it's Christmas? And the second one is Last Christmas. However, last Christmas, the way that we did it is very protocol, it's very innovative, it's very you've never heard anything like that. But that is one song that they really need to put to rest, because I must have heard like at least 20 different versions of this last, and I mean I heard Backstreet Boys, was it?
Speaker 4or in Sync, something like that. I've heard many different versions of people that have the resources to do something cool and it just sounds like still.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 4It sounds really stale.
Speaker 1I like that version.
Speaker 4Thank you.
Speaker 1That's really cool. So how would you guys, for someone that wouldn't know, maybe even like for myself, how do you describe the type of music that you guys make? What is like synth pop? How would you describe it?
Speaker 4Well, synth pop is basically when you had your punk music and you had bass, guitar and drums and you were able to eliminate the drums, the bass and the guitar and swap them with synthesizers and drum machines. You know, they're still playing the role. There's a bass synth, there's a sequence that's doing the role of a guitar and there's a drum machine that's playing the role of a drummer, but it's a little bit more refined, because synth pop we're talking at least 80, 81. And by that point we had gone through post-punk and things were really refined. It was. That's why it's pop. It's supposed to be very lush, luscious recordings and you know big, big, big productions, not, you know, uh, raw rock.
Speaker 5Yeah, there is. There is something about protocol which is a mix with, uh, some rock, so we can call them as a synth rock, you know, like, yeah, it is some really nice, um, sometimes aggressive guitar, you know, and, as I say, it makes a really nice mix. It's really hard to find like this type of music. You know we're pretty proud of about protocol, because it's different.
Exploring Fusion in Music Creation
Speaker 4And, uh, I guess what we're trying to say is that there is synth pop and there is a lot of. There are a lot of bands that are synth pop and that is basically just paying homage to all the 80 stuff and it's just basically just repeating those same formulas and that's okay. That's what you want to do. But me, us we like to create new music, innovative music, and to do just synth pop. It's kind of limited, so what we do is kind of synth pop rock, because we are also I'm also influenced by the nineties, not only eighties. Nineties was more like mine where I grew up. But, um, as you get older and older, a lot of music loses class, or I just don't relate to like deaf tones at this point anymore, talking about skateboards and wearing dickies like I'm over that.
Speaker 4I've been over that. I like music that that grows with me, that matures with me, and for some reason it's always been synth pop that has had this very sophisticated approach to music and and romance as well. And those bands, when they wrote those albums they must have been 20, 22 years old. But in comparison to the kids now that at that age they were Jesus, they were like wizards of maturity. You know you don't find that anymore, so that's, that's that's kind of like. What we gravitate to is just music that really speaks to us at this point in life.
Speaker 2You know, would you say that what you play now is completely different than what you listen to in your 20s?
Speaker 4No no no, not, not, not really in our 20s. I mean, I love, I still love Incubus, and it's because of that point, because they they didn't stay there with all the other metal, new metal, although they're not really new metal, but like that generation, they always seem to have more of a poetry and more of an outlook, a positive outlook on life, as opposed to, like Linkin Park, talking about so many negative things. And when you know you bring negativity into your life, you talk about it, you're going to bring it into your life. You know, and but no, no, that's the whole point that as as I grow older, the other bands that I've listened to before in my life, they've been eliminating what.
Speaker 4I've noticed in the last 15 years is that the only ones that really stayed there are the synth pop, because they were always ahead of me to begin with.
Speaker 5Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what I think is, at the end, all the music that we do is is because it's a fusion, or those bands that we really like, we are identified with, you know, and and it's pretty cool because you can feel it you know, when you're finishing a song or just start listening how is building it and then you can start adding different sounds, but it's it's that like a fusion, or different styles of different bands that you really like.
Speaker 2So when you're creating a song or a project, do you have a certain sound that you're working towards or does it just develop as you're going?
Speaker 5No.
Speaker 2No.
Speaker 5It just, it just come out.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 5From nothing, you know, but it's something that it attracts you, you know. You find some sound and then you said, oh, this is perfect, but at the end we're two piece. So when we listen what we are building, at the end we are in the same spot both of us, you know.
Speaker 4And then you start seeing, like what you are creating at the end, you know, as something that is a fusion of everything, or the band that he likes and the bands that I like, or the styles that we like, you know so yeah, I mean I guess, when we're talking about fusion, that there are there are a lot of synth pop bands that, just like I said before, they have a good sound and you listen to their album and they're all pretty much the same and that's fine. That is fine. However, I get bored as a musician playing that stuff live or even just writing it, because I'm going to have to hear it a thousand times when I'm doing the mix and I'm doing the master. So I have to write music that I really, really am passionate about.
Speaker 4And when we talk about the fusion is that there is no one formula like, for example, twin Tribes or she Passed Away. Those are great bands in all, but once you have that recipe down, you could do an album. You know there's nothing new, different about the different about the next song, and with this is like, for example, this first new single that we put out for the new album. It's more alternative synth pop. The next one that's coming out is more post punk synth rock. The next one is coming out is more dark wave. And then the following, that is, bossa Nova electronics, which is the first time I've ever heard something like that.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's something I've never heard of before either.
Speaker 4So that's the difference between protocol and other synthetic music. Gotcha, you guys are always developing something new and fusing fusing something I mean obviously we I mean protocol is it's a Spanish and a lot of songs are in English half and half. And also this new album is going to have one song in German and it's very theatrical, it's very, you know what I think is.
Speaker 5The music is like a playground, you know, and then you have to have fun.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 5So whatever it is there, you just have fun. You know the most of the bands try to found and like an style or most of the times use the same recipe, but we try to all the time like playing with everything that we have to say have to be like, for example, post punk or new wave you know, dark wave, we have all those styles, but we can create that style with, with, with, some new fusion yeah fusion as a protocol.
Speaker 5you know we have to leave a mark of this is us, you know, and I think that's the reason we have fun.
Speaker 4I mean it has an ups and it has its downs. I mean for music, you know. You know being innovative, that's what I'm all about. We get the job done. Now getting gigs it's hard because we're not 100% post punk, we're not 100% goth. We're not 100% dark wave and we have pop elements in us, so wherever we go, it's like we don't really fit. That's the problem, gotcha.
Speaker 1That makes sense.
Speaker 4Yeah.
Speaker 1It makes sense. But but it's also really cool that you guys aren't like that because, like like you were saying, like you don't get stale and you create music as you mature and as you progress in age and time. Because, yeah, there's bands that are are timeless, but again, they were bands that you listen to when you were 15, like you were saying about skateboarding and things like that and you can't really, as an adult or like for myself, a 33 year old now, I can't. You know, I can listen to it one time, but it's not something que me llega, it's not something that you know when I'm in my field you can only be a teenage dirtbag for so long or something like that so I
Speaker 4absolutely I like that.
Speaker 1I like that because I never thought of that. I just always thought that you had to choose a different artist or a different genre and music as you matured. But kind of creating music and going creating music as you mature and as your time changes is is really cool concept and and I'm glad that you guys I mean everything, everything.
Speaker 4everything I do is for art. I don't expect anything, yeah. I'm not looking for fame or or anything, or like money or anything like that. I mean, at the end of the day, it's it's it's art. But we knew from the beginning that doing this, we were going to be on on risky waters.
Speaker 5We knew it, we knew it.
Speaker 4Or we could just play it safe. I mean, I could make you a post punk album one day. One day I can make you the 10 songs and you know we'll be right there playing with it with. You know what's what's happening right now the post punk pandemonium. But but no at the end of the day, all I've got is all we've got is our art, and we're proud of it. We're proud of it even though not everybody catches on to it too quickly, but the ones that do tend to hold on and like it.
Speaker 2And why do you think that some bands still still play it safe? Is it because of the the fear of fitting into a certain genre or getting gigs?
Speaker 4I'll be 100 completely honest with you. I think that at least 90% of the people that are out there trying to make music do it for for popularity and for them and for fame. And you know followers. And if you're an attractive lady, if you're in a, or if you're a band of girls, or if you're a handsome guy and you get followings for for the wrong reasons, not specifically because of your music you know that there is a, there's a thing going on that has been going on for the last 10 years that if you know, you know how to sell yourself, that you'll get it.
Speaker 4I mean, I know many artists that have ridiculous amount of followers but, in my opinion, have absolutely no talent, right, you know. And then there are some that have a lot of talent that have absolutely no followers or even a Spotify page, you know. So it's, it's, it's all up in the air who has the resources as soon as how to do something or what? But, to be honest, it's not only with music, it's with everything. Nowadays, with social social media, everything is because you want followers and that is basically fame.
Speaker 2Right you know that's all it is.
Speaker 5Let's talk about Phil Collins. Right, he is not a good looking guy, but he's amazing you know, he's amazing. Billy Joel you know there is a. I think in these days, if Billy Joel or Phil Collins was looking for to be famous or, you know, express their talent, I don't think they're going to be accepted. No, because no because a lot of the people they are looking for for how they look.
Speaker 2They look the image. You know. You think James Brown would have been as famous, or he's a good looking guy. No, he's in the middle.
Speaker 1No, he's pretty, but that's why he has that, you know you know he's so funky.
Speaker 4Yeah so ugly James.
Speaker 2James, I mean those braids Right, you see those dogs that have eyes all year with the tongue sticking out and no teeth. Yeah, but people love them.
Speaker 4I forgot what movie it was, that there were some some comedy role, comrom, whatever, but they were talking about Jim Croche. Jim Croche, and you know he's one of the best folk singers, songwriters of all time. You know message and timing, a bottle, all that stuff Saying what do you think if he were to be here?
Speaker 4the same question you just asked you know, because I guess, like one of the one of the actors was an A&R person and saying, oh, this is such beautiful music, do you think they would make it nowadays? And they both start laughing. Look at that face. There's no way.
Speaker 1There's just no way it wouldn't happen. Yeah, I mean, I think it's sad that that's what we've kind of come to and you know we're in it right now.
Speaker 2It's happening right now. It's probably been happening for the past decade, Like you just said.
Speaker 1I used to always think, because I, because I would think like, is it just me that I'm getting older and I'm busting one of those like oh, back in the day, or back in my day. You know those like oh. Cuando estaba más joven, las cosas eran diferentes you know things were.
Speaker 1So I was thinking like, is that what I'm busting right now? But then I come to a conclusion that no, it's just music is not. It's not what it used to be before. I feel like personally myself, I can only speak for myself but I feel like you're saying like it's more of an appearance of how you carry yourself, the fashion you know, oh, what kind of show. Are you gonna give? What's your following on Instagram? Tiktok Like, that's what gets the famous.
Speaker 2So you're saying that that's how it is now? Yeah, okay, yeah.
Speaker 1Like, while looking like all the people that got famous during the pandemic when they hopped on TikTok, and that one girl, olivia Rodrigo, or one of those she just went on TikTok, she sang and then she blew up and now she's like a multi-billion platinum recording artist and all these things and it's like she's good but she's not great, and you know I think it's a mixture of some luck and some preparation right and when you're prepared enough for that, certain that certain little split second in the universe of time, and you get just a little bit of traction and keeps building.
Speaker 2I mean, that's where the success, at least in social media, comes from, is if you're, if you just hit it right because it's a gap, some of it. I've read that some of these things are. It's statistically, there's a science behind social media which I get. There's algorithms for different things, but also sometimes it just comes down to pure fucking luck. Sometimes, oh, it does, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4But the whole discussion here is that it's no longer talent.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 4It's no longer talent, because I mean to be completely honest, like I'm overwhelmed, I get a headache Sometimes. I'm fed up with it, the fact that you know we've got to handle the all the social media that we have to do, you know, follow up with Spotify, follow up with YouTube, follow up with all these different accounts that a band needs nowadays to be considered a band. And then by the time I'm doing that, I'm like, well, damn, like, when do I actually write music? You know, like any of the like.
Speaker 4To be honest again, like I don't have that demeanor, I don't have that type of personality. Or I'm like selling myself on a video. If you do that, that's fine, but I'm not the type to be like, hey, next Friday my album drops, you know, and like be promoting that every day and just infesting the people with your world. You know, I put it out there once or twice. They already know us. If they like it, they like it. If they don't, I'm not gonna convince you to buy it, but there's hardly any room to do that. Any of the artists that I love, they don't have that personality either. I don't see Jim Morrison going out and like, hey, follow my you know Instagram account. You know what would the?
Speaker 2Lizard King do now Like. What would the Lizard King be on?
Speaker 4Instagram. I don't think so. I don't think so.
Speaker 2Right, would James Brown be on Instagram maybe?
Speaker 4Oh yeah, he would be. He would go dance at tutorials.
Speaker 2Have you seen? Have you seen his interview on a news channel? Oh yeah, it is super hilarious, it is fucking amazing have you seen this?
Speaker 1Yeah, I've seen that.
Speaker 2Oh my God, when I'm having a bad day I look up that video because it's my favorite. But just put up a little bit. I wanna see. I've been in a James Brown mood for the past.
Speaker 3This is absurd.
Speaker 2Well, he just got out of, he just got arrested or something, or he just got out of jail and the news was asking about something. Oh yeah, there you go, that's it.
Speaker 4He sure was fly though.
Speaker 2He was on a good one. I'm seeing him, look at him, look at him.
Speaker 4He's better here than any of us.
Speaker 1How did all of this trouble?
Speaker 3begin Living in America. You're wrong, nothing wrong at all. You're not in any of your property, but you're out on bond. No, I'm not. Have all the charges been dropped? Yeah, I don't love.
Speaker 2I don't love.
Speaker 3Are you out on love or out of love? Which is it? I don't love. I don't love from night to night James this isn't the first time you and your wife have had a problem.
Speaker 2This is national TV. This is CNN.
Speaker 3You want to talk about music and you don't want to talk about what happened. No, that's all over. Let's talk about your tour. When are you leaving? When are you leaving tomorrow and where are you going?
Speaker 2Oh, that's good.
Speaker 3Rio de Janeiro and San Paulo, brazil. Your fans will have read all about this, james. Aren't you concerned about that? No, I'm not. I can't move you.
Speaker 4No, no, that was inaudible.
Speaker 2I'm not gonna shut up the world. Yeah, nothing to say. But yeah, I 100% agree with you. It's a lot of work on how to be like what you said, how to be considered a band. Where's the time left for you to actually start working on your project?
The Journey of a Recording Artist
Speaker 4Well, that's that. It's hard to find time. It's hard to find time. I mean I do a lot of most of the writing but regardless, like Miguel here, he's got his family. I'm lucky I didn't go that route and I have more time. But because of that I'm spoiled and I need my naps and I'm very picky. But when I do make time, you pick up the guitar and you just start fiddling, have some ideas, and then I show Miguel some ideas and he's like you know what? Those are cool, those are cool. Let's make them a song. I write a chorus to write this, that the other. Okay, now we have the idea what we're gonna do. Now let's really record it. So then we start doing the DAW, the digital audio. So let me just put it this way For each song it takes me about four months.
Speaker 3Oh, wow.
Speaker 4For each song it takes me about four months and that's because and it's too much, it's too much really. It is for most bands it's one month. But what we have is the sound. That's what we have, that's what we go by, and to me that's a difference. You know, I was never really much into punk growing up. I couldn't stand the sound of it. How horrible was recorded. You know, I would have been in the 70s, I was telling.
Speaker 3Miguel.
Speaker 4I would have been a huge BG fan you know, or even when the post-punk started, but the punk punk, like I can't, I just can't. I would have been much more into like singer songwriters, or I love ELO, things like that. Those things opened up my mind a lot. But yeah, we focus too much on the quality of the product. The quality of the product and, like I said, I have to really love a song because I'm gonna hear it a lot of times. And then, miguel, you wanna tell how many times I heard the last song, this newest release.
Speaker 5Yes, you know it's like four. Yeah, it's hard. I've been doing it.
Speaker 2Yeah, you listen to it for a billion times and then you still have to go out and perform it too, right?
Speaker 5Yeah, but you know what? There is something that is good we have a lot of songs, right, we still have a lot of songs which is gonna be more easy, you know, in some way, yeah, it gets easier. Yeah, but yeah, for the first album it was kind of hard right, because we tried to find, like, the way to get the song done and we started looking for a guy that helped us right, remember, yeah, spent a lot of money in.
Speaker 4Yeah, we're trying to find a producer, a producer, somebody at the beginning, somebody to record us and we just will pay him If it's gonna be like at a great level and we must have recorded one song, like four days ago, right, and we started to record it, and we must have recorded one song like four different people. And every time I just felt like crying like this is horrible. This sounds like a brick. All you're doing is just making it sound like everything that's out there. You know like you just pressed a preset.
Speaker 5And it's really funny because one of the producers he told us like okay, guys, but how do you wanna?
Speaker 4How do you wanna sound?
Speaker 5How do you wanna sound? And then, when he asked, how do you want to sound?
Speaker 3What a question right.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 5We was like Okay.
Speaker 4Yeah, duran Duran. Yeah, what I'm like? No, I wanna sound like you know how Duran Duran.
Speaker 3We're not saying like protocol. You know Make sound like Duran Duran.
Speaker 4Right, you know, and nobody could get it Me myself I grew up, since I was really young, doing a lot of recordings with multi-track cassettes and tape, a lot of real tape, basically analog machines, and I'm really good at it actually. But you know, for about I don't know how many years 10 years I just never, never, never got into like the computer stuff you know, like Ableton or or what is it.
Speaker 5Ableton.
Speaker 4Ableton and more. You know all those dolls. But I mean, and then I was like you know what? We have spent like almost $10,000 trying to get this one song done and it sounds like crap. I know I could do a better job. All I have to do is learn how to navigate with the program, cause I know everything. I've done it, but by hand, like with real equipment. So it took me about a year to really like master it with tutorials on YouTube. Thank God all that stuff is available.
Speaker 2Yeah, you can learn anything on YouTube.
Speaker 4Oh yeah, so I got into. I mean, like I said, I really know how to do it, but I just need you to know how to how to travel within the program itself. Once I got it down, it was a piece of cake. It was a piece of cake. I knew exactly what I was doing and exactly how I wanted my sound to sound, our sound to sound. But yeah, you know, you live, you learn, man, it's just that you lost a year there.
Speaker 4We lost a lot of about two years to having faith in a drummer in a drummer that we wanted to have an electronic drummer behind us.
Speaker 4Like, put in an electronic drum set sound very new wave. And you know story of my life, you know every band I've been in somebody has somebody gets married or somebody gets into drugs or this person is just not willing to go all the way and everything just falls apart and falls apart and falls apart. So after we invested so much time into recording with people and a drummer, we were starting again from scratch. So from that point on it's just the two of us. It's a synth pop band. You know I can't take any more risks too much.
Speaker 2Having a band. It takes a lot from everybody, right? Not, it takes a lot, but you just have to how?
Speaker 4do I explain this Commit yourself.
Speaker 3Right, yeah, it's a commitment, it's a commitment.
Speaker 2And it's a commitment between, not just a commitment between yourself, but a commitment to other people. It's like it's like marrying different people, but for the sake of something.
Speaker 5I can let him down. You know, if we already planned something, we have to make it work. So yeah, it's hard, but at the end, when you, when you see the product, you say like it worth it.
Speaker 4Yeah, yeah, and it's not only a commitment, but it's also, I think, the true, true, true artist sacrifice. And I mean that, like even with time that you spend with your family. And you looked upon us like that weird artist. You know, you may come around every other Christmas, but not every Christmas because he's busy, you know. And, like I said, yeah, we haven't made any money off of it. I've never made any money off of this, I never got any real recognition or anything, but I do it for the sake of art, for the sake of art, and if there's one thing that you count on with protocols, you're gonna get something that's truly pure and that in itself is worth it.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 2So take me back to this analog machine, cause I've seen a digital audio workstation. I'm trying to remember what.
Speaker 4Yeah, kind of like a multi-track recorder, right, right, but it's still digital.
Speaker 2Do you remember Cause? I want to take a look at one.
Speaker 4Oh yeah, I know them all. I know all the task items, all the other roll ins Can you look up?
Speaker 2Can I look up the? I want to see the actual like physical one that used the analog Like. What is that?
Speaker 4Like the one that I first, first, first one I got was like a task cam a four track, four track set. No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2That's a toy compared to what he's talking about.
Speaker 4No, well, I mean the first, very first one I had.
Speaker 5Digital. Yeah, that's the first one.
Speaker 4No, no, no. Now we're talking about tape tape, yeah, not digital, though those are digital Tape. So what would I Google? Four track tape Tape, yeah, yeah there you go. This one.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 4Mm-hmm, it was kind of like the one, the blue one, no at the end, no, no, no at the end. The $380 one, yeah, that one, this one, that one, that was like in 1995, I believe I had that in my room and, as you can see, you only have six tracks or so and you have to balance them, and nowadays, when you have your dog, ah.
Speaker 2Jesus Christ, oh, there's a tape right there, so everything's. So you plug in your stuff on the back right. And are there? Are they all?
Speaker 4quarter inch inputs no they're quarter inch in the back, and then there's your. You get like two XLRs for your microphones. But yeah, you would just connect your drum machine after you've programmed it and then you would record it on two channels and you would add your bass and then you would jump them again. So you're taking up four tracks and you jump them into two, then you have four free again. You see what I'm saying and you know this is like to me this was like amazing when I was a teenager in my room, you know, coming up with my songs, and then I moved on to the eight track.
Speaker 4Then in 2000s you moved on to the big digital consoles or bigger 32 channels, and, yeah, 32 channel consoles. But that's where I started.
Speaker 2Why would you even need 30? You would need somebody with. There's somebody out there using 32.
Speaker 4Well like when I started, no, but like, for instance, this last song, with this new song coming up on March 12, we used 28 tracks, but this song that we just released in D it has 78. Geez, now you can understand why it took me four months to balance all that out. Whoa.
Speaker 1Yeah, because it's 78 different, like little like, cause I don't know music okay.
Speaker 4So you're talking to a first grader here, right? No, no, like, for example, there are claps.
Speaker 1Okay.
Speaker 4And that's a one track, and then, on another one. There's like a snap.
Speaker 1So you have 78 different 78 different Holy smokes.
Speaker 4I mean, the drums are taking about 15 by themselves.
Speaker 1By the way themselves.
Speaker 4Then the guitar take up about another 10 or 12. Then we have I always, most of the time I use two different types of bass, like a real bass on the verses and in this particular case it was a real bass on the chorus. And I mean on the verse and on the chorus it's a synth bass.
Speaker 4So, when you try to mix those, it's like whoa, you get all these ideas and it sounds cool, but when you actually try to like make sense out of it, it takes a lot of finesse and a lot of work and a lot of knowing how to feel the weight of music.
Speaker 1Yeah, cause how do you even? I mean, obviously you both know how, but like me, if you gave me 78 different tracks, it'd be like where the hell do I put this and this? And that and like that. I can't even imagine how your guys' brain is wired, cause that's crazy.
Speaker 4They're running off you.
Speaker 2Yeah.
Speaker 1It's really hard. That's amazing, though that's amazing.
Speaker 2And then especially, to go from one generation of making music to another generation of making music. Right, like you have to go from this world, learn this world and then go to a computer Basically the same type of stuff, maybe a little bit different, maybe the names are changed on certain things, but and then to create music again. It's wild. I've only been able to work with a DAW and that's it. I don't need to learn anything else, unless something else in the future gets like maybe GarageBand is no longer accessible anymore and it's a different.
Speaker 4I don't think so, right. I don't think so.
Speaker 2Yeah All right, I remember. This is why I like stuff like this is because I used to record. I used to record radio songs on tape. You know how they had those radio radios where you had the tape and he had blank tape and just exactly. That was always fun for me. Amber just recently got into what is it called? The vinyl deejing Amber just got a cool set.
Speaker 4Oh cool.
Speaker 2Yeah, so that was just navigating that, learning how to RC, like I've never messed with RC cables before.
Speaker 4All my stuff has XR. Wow, that really makes me feel.
Speaker 1We've always been into vinyl, at least for myself.
Speaker 2We've always both been into vinyl because of our parents, but we've only had one console and we didn't have to hook anything up Nothing crazy, just the vitrola type of nothing crazy, just the plug and play.
Speaker 1So we got, I got a whole system, because I said that this year I wanted to learn how to DJ vinyl and we got it and I was like, okay, what do I do now? You know, like there's all these buttons and everything, and I'm like I thought this was gonna be easier, like me just putting the vinyl and putting it, but it's not.
Speaker 4I mean it is easy once you get the concept of it. I was a DJ before I started writing songs.
Speaker 2Oh, okay, when I was in sixth, seventh and eighth grade.
Speaker 4Hey, yeah, we were like the little kids that hung around the cool older brothers.
Nostalgia for DJing and Retro Trends
Speaker 4I didn't have an older brother but my friends, they're older brothers, just all this is the Peshmo and all this is the cure and they would take us. I remember going to a club like in Merrill's when I was 15, like 21 and over. Yeah, like all the time. Like I grew up like quick, you know, but yeah, that was my thing for up until eighth grade when I started picking up the guitar, but for three years I was just DJing and DJing, buying records and basically what it is. I mean you go either way, like well, I mean you have to hear a song and you gotta know, okay, well, it's that fast, I know another song. That's about that fast.
Speaker 4That's gonna match it, or at least relatively, somewhere in there, and then you know you're playing that song. And then on the other turntable at least my technique was that, like you get the snare, so it's boom ka. You have the ka right here, ka ka, ka ka. So this is going boom ka, boom ka. You release it on the ka boom, kuh, boom, kuh, boom, kuh, boom, kuh, boom, and now they're locked. Ah, you see but you have to find your speed and get them.
Speaker 1See, I'm gonna get tips from you, I'm getting tips from my dad and his best friend and los dos, ni uno ni el otro, and they'll make up their mind.
Speaker 4It's supposed to be, fun.
Speaker 2No, yeah, yeah, it's supposed to be fun.
Speaker 1But you know it doesn't get fun when your parent is like but don't do it like that and I'm like, oh man. So, my dad used to my dad's from. He was born in Mexico but brought here young, so he kind of grew up here. So my dad used to pop lock and he was into, like you know that time in the 80s, and so was his friend and everything.
Speaker 1So his friend used to DJ and then my dad used to kind of like DJ as well, segun el, so they're both right now. When I brought the turntables home they were like oh my God, and you know they're all excited. And then my dad's friends like he doesn't have kids. So it's kind of like I'm his kid, you know, and he's like I'm gonna buy you lights Y te voy a comprar esto en this and that and I'm like I don't know how to break it to him that people don't DJ with like lights anymore.
Speaker 1So I just let it happen. Gilbert's like you're not gonna need a light and I'm like just let him buy me a light.
Speaker 4He's like I'm gonna get a beaded jacket too. Yeah, I was like you buy whatever.
Speaker 2She needs a glove, just one glove. Have him get you one glove, I'm like you buy whatever lights you wanna buy, go for it.
Speaker 4It'll be like a like a macro Jackson glove, but it'll be soft, so you pick it up and you clean the record, oh yeah.
Speaker 1So we'll see we'll see how it goes. I'll let you guys know how it goes. Good times. Oh man, that's crazy, that's funny.
Speaker 2That vinyl thing is coming back dude, it's wild how certain things like that from the past always make it into what's happening now. Like even bands are racing. I heard there's like a shortage or something, because there's only one place that makes vinyl in. Where is it? I don't even remember.
Speaker 4We gotta look that up. There's a lot, but they're really expensive.
Speaker 2Is that? Yeah, they're really expensive.
Speaker 4I mean they can look at at least $4,000.
Speaker 2Yeah, that's crazy, that's wild.
Speaker 4Because it was expensive. It's just that first print.
Speaker 2You know what I?
Speaker 4mean, that's the big deal.
Speaker 1We've seen a lot of bands do their music on CDs now.
Speaker 2CDs, yeah, or tapes. Who's making tapes now?
Speaker 1I haven't seen that.
Speaker 2I wanna see people make tapes.
Speaker 4That's mainly like the indie crowd that makes, because it's kind of like you know.
Speaker 1Retro.
Speaker 4It goes chikonchi, yeah, retro, retro-ish, and that's the. I mean. Just when we were talking about things come back in style or whatnot. I still have like my rave clothes that are back now in style and like bell bottoms that I used to buy at Artworks and now bell bottoms are you know, they're on sale again and leave eyes and whatnot. They're sunning them. And then my skinny jeans. You know they came back 20 years after and everything.
Speaker 3Everything.
Speaker 4I'm lucky, I don't throw anything away.
Speaker 2Yeah, if you just hold on to them for just five more years, they're gonna come back.
Speaker 1Yeah, but I could hold on to them. But it doesn't mean I'm a size zero.
Speaker 2Does it mean it's gonna fit?
Speaker 1I'm like I'm not the same size as 10 years ago.
Speaker 2It doesn't mean it's gonna fit, but you can always hold on to them for another couple of years, it'll be in.
Speaker 1It'll have a whole stack of shirts that he wore in high school that he's like.
Speaker 2I still have them.
Speaker 1I'm gonna fit into them. I'm gonna fit into them.
Speaker 2Because there's shirts you're never gonna see again. That's why.
Speaker 1That's why, maybe in 20 years.
Speaker 2Maybe I don't think so, because those bands don't even print shirts anymore.
Speaker 1So who are some of? There's a question for both of you who are some of the bands that inspired, or not even inspired, but some of the bands that you like and that you gain, yeah, I guess, some inspiration from. So either of you, oh yeah.
Music Influences and Synth Community
Speaker 4Oh yeah, I mean I could talk for hours. Yeah, no, we're good. No, no, no, no, no, no. When we got together, we both have different influences and, like I said, I also come from like a grunge background and alternative background. I love prog music and I die for jazz and country music as well. Like I love all those genres. I love so many. I love Elvis and Beatles. I'm a huge beat-a-maniac. We both collect records as well, vinyl. But when we came together, that was, I mean you have to have a common ground, and the common ground was more like the synthetic music and, again, because of the maturity of being able to play popular music with a certain maturity and those bands you know, a shortcut to thinking would be like the Peshmo. That's too plain. It's more like the new romantics, like Ultravox, Talk, Talk, Japan. These are all bands between 79 and 82.
Speaker 4As well as Durand-Durand, but like you know, that era between 79 and 82, it was called New Romantics. It was a movement from the, from the post-punk, but it was I mean the name says it all New Romantics. You know it's very poetic, it's going to sound lush, it's going to be of a high production, quality, high production. I think that's where we mesh on the synth stuff. On the New Romantics. Now I could be more poppy and I could be more into like OMD and bands like that. And he's a little darker, you know. He's like Wolfsheim and you know Bluechairs, pink and he's got a lot, you know.
Speaker 5Yeah, it's more like Darkwave. You know Gothic Wave and all those like post-punk. I really love post-punk but I identify my music is like more like Darkwave. You know, Almost like a D80s but more like that style. You know, even here I have a sister, so mercy you know, and I love that type of music. Bauhaus, you know, pinkstores turns blue, it is a Vau, it's a bunch of bands, but that type of music I like it because I like to go to the clubs and dance.
Speaker 4He's a dancer.
Speaker 5Yeah, I like it yeah because it's something that is pretty cool, because you can go there and you can dance, and nobody it's uno, ¿cómo se dice?
Speaker 1críticar Josh, josh, you yeah, critique, yeah, yeah, so yeah, yeah so no te van a juzgar.
Speaker 5So you have fun. You know it's a really nice place and you enjoy the music, you enjoy the people. It's different.
Speaker 4It's a holy event. I mean not only the dancing and the music, but like the getting dressed up and, you know, getting like a Gothic Saturday night fever, like in your oh, there goes the guys from Protocol what's up. You know you got a little bit extra special attention just because you're in a band, you know.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 4So that's cool, but it's the whole thing. It's like the fashion and the music and the friends. It's like big community. It's the culture. Yeah, it's a huge community and you know I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it. You know there are like different degrees of synth music. You know you can get really dark and really like bondage and leather and whips and you know, just dark and dark and I'm like that's cool.
Speaker 4Like you know, in certain doses, but there's also like the soft side, like Pet Shop Boys, it's like super pink, you know, and like flowers and whatnot, so like Miguel's over here and like somewhere in the middle and Miguel with whips and.
Speaker 2Whips, chains and.
Speaker 4So it's a good combination.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 4If we were both dark dark then it wouldn't. Yeah, yeah, so many bands like that already.
Speaker 2There's enough contrast between both of you guys. Yeah, it's a really nice balance.
Speaker 5Okay, even if you can feel it in the music, in the songs, I'll tell them no, that's too dark, Too far.
Speaker 4Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5Sometimes it's too dark.
Speaker 1Miguel, are you from? It is a Mexico.
Speaker 5Jalisco, jalisco Nice.
Speaker 1So is there a lot of bands in Mexico with the same type of like, like post punk and like synth and all that, or is it not? No?
Speaker 5there is a lot of a lot of bands that they have. They try to do like newest, new type, new styles, you know and but honestly I never heard like something like like that we are doing. You know it's more like rock, punk and indie, you know. But you know it's a Jalisco. There is a lot of fans of really good music, you know. I'm telling you because when I was in La Secundaria it's like kind of like high school right, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5So here, like I love the cure, you know. And then I met with Joy Division those days and I started knowing I knew post punk bands because it's funny, but there is a lot of 80s bands which it was post punk when they started. So you start looking for those albums and you start knowing they start growing. You know your favorite bands, you know, but it's a lot of people that they are. They, like you know, look, most of the people they are looking for new music and they really enjoy the music.
Speaker 1So nice, I think one of the I wouldn't, I don't know, don't, don't, don't get my review, but the band that I came across a couple years ago, get on the Mexico but, I, think they're called like Friolento or something like that. And they made a lot of songs but like they did like a reggaeton song, that kind of went viral. But they made it into like that post punk, like high-pitched.
Speaker 5Oh.
Speaker 3Do you know what I mean?
Speaker 5Yeah, I, I, I, I, I heard of that.
Speaker 1Pull it up. Well, that's what I mean about, about, about that's what.
Speaker 3I mean about the movement.
Speaker 5It's trending, it's trending.
Speaker 3Yeah, that type of music.
Speaker 1The style of music is trending and. I don't, I don't think they I don't know if they're on here- yeah, is it them?
Speaker 5Yeah, right.
Speaker 1Oh yeah, see, they did a big shot. This is. This was fun.
Speaker 2So they hold on. Give me some context here. So they're, they're a what? What type of band are they?
Speaker 5It's boss punk Post punk.
Speaker 2They're a post punk band, yeah, and then they made a reggaeton song.
Speaker 1Yeah, this is a reggaeton song they took the.
Speaker 4They took the lyrics and the melody from a reggaeton song.
Speaker 2Oh, and then they also do like this one, La Gata Bajo La Ubia, which is is like a like a Doña song, you know.
Speaker 5Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1One of my favorites, but I'm a Doña.
Speaker 5It's fun, it's, it's, it's funny.
Speaker 1Yeah, it's like 80s.
Speaker 2So this is a like that's the style, yeah. Reggaeton.
Speaker 1No, you wow. No, it's the lyrics.
Speaker 2The lyrics is from the reggaeton song. Oh, okay, so they covered it, but.
Speaker 1Yes, it's a cover.
Speaker 2Okay.
Speaker 1So that was one that was fun, so that was one that was like going around and it was the first time I had heard, like like something you were in Spanish that I was like right, okay. And then it went like crazy.
Speaker 2Did it. Yeah, that one crazy.
Speaker 1Yeah, it went pretty viral.
Speaker 3It was like during, like the pandemic.
Speaker 1So what's the difference between like post punk and like like all these different ones Like? Is there a difference or?
Speaker 5Well, they take only the beat, and the synthesizers as well, everything, and they just made something.
Speaker 4It's a given.
Speaker 5But it's the same formula, you know. It's something that you can make it in 10 minutes. Yeah, it's nothing like nothing new, you know.
Speaker 4Definitely not innovative.
Speaker 5Yeah.
Speaker 4I am a truly strong, strong believer, like about what you are, what you eat, and it goes hand in hand. Like you know, you are what you listen to.
Speaker 5It's because it's popular, like it's trending. So yeah, if we want to be.
Speaker 4But then again, like I don't follow anybody, I go by my own current.
Speaker 3Yeah.
Speaker 4And sometimes I feel like if I listen to bad music, like it sets me back. You know, it sets me back intelligently. I feel like I lost brain cells. It's a funny song the way they mix.
Speaker 5Like you know, reggaeton with post punk is funny.
Speaker 1So it's more entertainment, yeah.
Speaker 5Like actual music, but in in giving my point is that is not used.
Speaker 1No, it's just very one sided.
Speaker 4Yeah, no substance. Yeah, yeah, I mean, at this point you're going to hear millions of songs like this because of AI, so I'm saying you should just punch in. Oh, I want to make a post punk song, post punk who do you want to sound like? This person? And and what? The technology, how far it is, is that you could sing and you can make your track, and then AI will ask you what singer do you want me to translate your vocals to? And it would actually. You know, you could actually pick Eddie better and it'll make your vocal sound like Eddie better. And that's AI. And then the song came up artificially as well. So I don't see this any different from that, but, like, every little noise and every single grain that you hear from protocol was made by us and hand hand picked and engineered and worked on a lot.
Speaker 4It wasn't just a loop that we stole or something like that.
Speaker 1Yeah.
Speaker 2That makes sense. Hell yeah, thanks guys for coming out and doing the podcast.
Speaker 5Thank you guys, appreciate it.
Speaker 2Thank you, go ahead and tell us where we can find you and if you have anything coming up, go ahead and check.
Speaker 4We just trying to fill up our, our Instagram. We only have a couple of family members following us. That would be follow underscore protocol in Instagram. And and yeah, we're going to have a show at Bricks Rock Bar with a with a bunch of independent LA Spanish bands on Saturday, the 20th of April. So you have two months exactly to clear your calendars.
Speaker 1Nice.
Speaker 2You want to go to the? That that flyer?
Speaker 5I think it's the there, we go Under here.
Speaker 2Yep. Oh yeah, whoa, it's a whole thing too, whoa.
Speaker 5So you guys going to have fun, whoa.
Speaker 2That's a whole day thing that's cool.
Speaker 4We go on at 11 PM All right, I'm going to take a nap.
Speaker 1I'm going to go here Take a nap.
Speaker 2Yeah. Somewhere we got to and then we're going to go back.
Speaker 4Excellent yeah.
Speaker 2In there.
Speaker 4So yeah, just make sure you follow us here on Instagram. We're trying to build this up a little bit, that in our bios where we have our our latest single.
Speaker 1All right Cool. Oh, it's in Maywood.
Speaker 2Yeah, yeah, it's not too far.
Speaker 1No, not at all.
Speaker 2Cool.
Speaker 1For you, wow. From here, yes, but from where we, where we always are, now, yeah.
Speaker 2We hang out in North Long Beach and and Paramount. Oh fantastic Downing Cool. So all the links to protocol stuff will be down in the show description. Follow them on Instagram. Check out their stuff on YouTube. Their link is right there and I'll put the link down in the show description. If you're listening to this on Spotify, click the link it's in the show description and if you're watching this on YouTube, check out their YouTube Chingadera. So what else? What else do we got Amber?
Speaker 2The show on Friday the show on Friday Delet Comedy. Come out and check out local comedy. Peace, the Mami Bus, all right Cool, all right Cool, all right Cool, all right Cool, all right Cool, all right Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool Cool.