Interview by Erwin Van Dijk

 

 

 

An interview with Janet from Nuestros Derechos.

Nuestros Derechos is a thrashcore band from Utrecht, one of the largest cities in the Netherlands. They have done numerous gigs in Holland, Belgium and Germany, including a gig at Stairway to Heaven for Summer Darkness last year. Speaking of that Summer Darkness gig: Nuestros Derechos was a lot better than the extremely boring headliner at the Tivoli, Echo and the Bunnymen.

How did you get into the music business?

I’ve been listening to heavy music a lot since I was about ten or eleven years old. For years I kind of passively enjoyed the music others played until I got my hands on an old bass guitar. I was about twenty years old back then. This felt like an opportunity to start enjoying music more actively. At first I had the bass mainly collecting dust in my apartment. This changed when I was asked to join a punk band called TBC. They performed on stage quite regularly and I quickly learned to play their songs, so at last I had become a musician.

Did you have other bands before Nuestros Derechos?

I started with TBC, in which Nuestros Derechos guitarist/vocalist Jerry also participated. I had a lot of fun with this group: I set my first steps on stage, did my first studio recordings and travelled to Germany with these guys. Besides TBC I have not been in other bands.

And, more important, how did you became a member of Nuestros Derechos?

Juan Guillermo, co-founder, bassist and co-lead vocalist of Nuestros Derechos departed after the release of "Split 'em All" (2005). I already played with Jerry in TBC, and knew Nuestros Derechos drummer Johnny. After Juan Guillermo left, Jerry and Johnny asked me as his follow-up and I agreed to join Nuestros Derechos.

Are there any musicians that you admire?

My list doesn’t contain much famous bass players. Mostly I admire bands for their unique sound – from Tool to Opeth, from Iron Maiden to Amon Amarth, and from Kreator to Vader. In fact this list is too long to mention here...

To what kind of music do you listen yourself?

Mostly metal (from thrash to death metal) but punk (from punkrock to crust) as well. Plus I’m a sucker for alternative 80’s music J.

How do you see yourself: as a bass player who can sing or vice versa?

Soon after I started playing bass in TBC, I also started doing vocals and I like both. I don’t excel in one of them, so it’s hard to say. But I would certainly continue to sing next to the bass

What gear do you use?

Ibanez 4 string Bass SR800GN, Peavey mark IV 400, Peavey 700 watt basbox model 215

For the people who have never touched a bass: what’s the difference between a 5 string bass and a normal bass with four strings? Because you use a traditional 4-string bass while a lot of bass players prefer a 5 string bass.

I feel like I should learn to use to full potential of a 4-string bass before upgrading to a 5-string and the extra possibilities that come with it. Playing with 4 strings may feel restricting to some bassists but I find it helpful as it forces me to come up with a creative approach.

What are your favourite Nuestros Derechos songs live?

Of course I like all Nuestros Derechos songs. In particular Hellspawn and Erase Me are classics, but Deimos is my current favourite.

 

 

 

What are the highlights so far with Nuestros Derechos?

In short? Teaming up with Jerry and Johnny, recording and releasing "Struggling with the Dark" and touring in Germany. Oh, plus our show at the camping site of the Wacken Open Air festival in 2007.

And have you experienced any negative things during all the years with Nuestros Derechos?

I remember one time when we ran out of beer... – just kidding. I consider myself quite lucky, real catastrophes have not happed so far. Even an exceptional negative thing like a door deal gone bad (driving for several hours only to play for an almost empty venue and getting way too little money for gasoline) is something I recall with amusement because of the stupid jokes we make in the van on a dark highway.

Can you introduce us to the other two members of Nuestros Derechos:

Jerry "Herrie" delivers guitar and throat. He is one of the co-founding members of the band. He comes up with the greatest riffs, delivering most material for new songs.

Johnny delivers drums and some back-up throat. He is the other co-founder. He keeps the band’s pace and contributes to some of the lyrics.

Both are like brothers to me. Sometimes I jokingly state that there are three men in my life: my boyfriend and those two.

What is the idea behind the name of the band? (Nuestros Derechos means "Our Rights" in Spanish)

According to Jerry and Johnny, they had a hard time getting a proper band name as all cool names seemed to be taken. Plus many possible names had some connotations that did not seem to fit. Johnny picked the name from the declaration of universal children's rights. He stumbled across a version of this declaration which was written in multiple languages, including English and Spanish. In Spanish it just sounded right. 

And how would you describe your music?

In your face thrash metal with a hardcore/punk attitude. Music that will make you thirsty…

A lot of young bands are inspired by the classic thrash bands from the eighties. What makes Nuestros Derechos special compared to all the other thrash bands?

That’s a question others may find easier to answer. I think we’ve never been determined to sound like an eighties thrash band, the Nuestros Derechos sound has just grown this way. This is what it sounds like when these three individuals come together to play music. Replace one of them with another musician and you’ll hear a different band with a different sound.

Last year Nuestros Derechos released the album Struggling with the Dark (2008).

Can you tell us something about the songs on the album?

Sure. The first song, Devil's Repent, deals with the notion that we are taught that repentance gives us forgiveness of sins. But what if the devil claims to feel remorse for his unlimited evil deeds?

In a way Spam is written by spam bots: these lyrics are ready mades by fucking spammers. We just collected those daily unsolicited mails for a couple of weeks, ended up with multiple sheets full of shit, made a selection from the subject lines and shuffled them together. How something most annoying can be turned into something great..

Nosferatu is a song for all creatures of the night... It was inspired by the old tale about the vampire Nosferatu. "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens" was also the first Dracula film ever. It was made in 1922.

Deimos: We’re living in a culture of fear. According to the ancient Greeks, Deimos (personification of dread) and Phobos (fear) were the sons of wargod Ares. They accompanied him into battle. Nowadays Deimos seems to reign again.

Nazgûl was inspired by JRR Tolkien's Ring-wraiths aka the Nine Dark Riders. Actually it’s an older songs, its lyrics are written by Nuestros Derechos’ former bassist Juan Guillermo.

Insomnia: when problems keep you from sleeping, and insomnia becomes a problem you’re really trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Darkest before Dawn is an instrumental outro. We asked our friend and great guitarist Mike Schoemakers of Warchitect (rip) to add a solo to it. He just walked in the studio, listened to the tune twice and played the featured part on electric guitar the third time. He nailed it down without any preparation.

About Deimos: is it easier to write a song in your own language or in English?

Actually you should ask Johnny since he came up with the lyrics of Deimos. I don't care in which language I sing. Dutch language lends itself, however, well for protest songs. Hard consonances emphasise some words well.

And is writing songs for Nuestros Derechos teamwork or is there one mastermind behind the music?

Both: Jerry comes up with most basic material and Johnny and I add our own parts to that. Plus a song is only completed when we collectively think it’s good enough.

The last question, are there things that we should know that I haven’t asked?

Ehhhhh... No, I don’t think so...

Photo Credits by Paul Kipping 

 

Links :

Nuestros Derechos Official MySpace

Nuestros Derechos Official Site