Music brings band to their 'sinfullbliss'

by Norma Rodriquez, feature editor

 

What better way to follow your dreams than to follow them with the people who care the most.

To some, life is about structure. To others, life is about doing what you want, no matter what. It’s about finding your own way to the place that makes you happiest.

Jesus Castillejo, also known as Bud, along with Rob Marin, Alex Garcia, and Adam Wright, find their journey in a band called “Sinfullbliss.” The name is what they believe that everyone can relate to. Castillejo described the name as a “state of mind.”

“It’s a way of going about your day, your problems, your situations, and just where you’re happy with what you’re doing, even if it’s wrong,” says Castillejo.

Garcia adds that, “It’s what makes people different.” Because people are so different, it’s like everyone has their own sinful bliss, he says.

“Sinfullbliss” originate in 2005 at Lubbock High School, where all four band members attended. Throughout their journey as a band, there has been a few others who have came and gone. But out of the four members, the core group is Castillejo, Garcia, and Marin.

Castillejo, who provides lead vocals, and Marin, who plays the drums, have known each other the longest. Their friendship dates back to when they both attended Cavazos Junior High School. Garcia, who plays the guitar, came into the picture in high school, when Marin had approached him. Wright, who provides back-up vocals and plays the bass, is their newest edition to the band.

In 2005, the band had their first and biggest show. It was Lubbock High School’s talent show. At that time, the band called themselves Nobodies From Nowhere. They performed a cover song “Rose and Sharon,” by Killswitch Engage.

“What better way to get people to come see you play,” says Castillejo. “Pay a dollar to get out of class and go to a talent show.”

The band agrees that that show was the biggest “Sinfullbliss” has seen yet.

“It was an eye-opener,” says Garcia. Castillejo said that show gave them a huge motivational boost.

Around the end of 2005, they broke up. The band explained that when the band broke up, most of the time it was because there was someone who was moving away, and they didn’t feel that it would be right to continue “Sinfullbliss” without them.

The person who left was Garcia. He decided to move to Austin the day after Thanksgiving in 2005. During his stay in Austin, Garcia attended Austin Community College. He explained that the reason for his move was because he wanted to not only experience more musically, he also wanted to see more of what there is to see outside of Lubbock. He said that his experience in Austin helped him grow in the business aspect of the music industry. Even though the band was not together, they never stopped playing music.

By the beginning of the spring semester in 2007, Garcia moved back to Lubbock. He enrolled at South Plains College, where he is pursuing a degree in business administration. He explained that his experience in Austin really helped him pick his path to where he wanted to go.

Wright, who also attends SPC, joined the group in October 2007. Wright says the thing that drew him in was the “originality of it.”

Wright says that too many bands sound the same, and the sound of this particular band is different.

“It’s nothing I’ve really heard before,” he adds.

Each member has been in his share of bands, but the chemistry was nothing that can compare to what they have formed in “Sinfullbliss.”

The different characteristics of each member are what makes the band balanced and brings stability to the whole structure. Garcia is described as the demanding, meticulous member of the band. Marin is meticulous. Marin says that he and Garcia are known to get into disagreements about things.

“It might seem violent, but that’s how we work,” says Marin.

On the other side of the spectrum, Castillejo and Wright are calmer. When a disagreement occurs, they’re known to sit back until it blows over. They know that, eventually, it will pass and they’ll be able to go on with their practice.

With all their differences, they all have a passion for music. The different styles and interests are what make their sound their own. They don’t classify themselves as anything, because they feel that they aren’t limited to just a specific title.

“We are music,” Marin says. “It’s our music, and it’s what we do.”

The band has gone though its share of hard times, but as Marin says, “Even though we’ve broken up, split up, separated, tried to replace each other, secretly, at the end of the day, I can’t play with anyone else.”

To “Sinfullbliss,” the only thing that matters the most is having fun and doing what makes them happy.

“When this stops being fun,” says Castillejo, “that’s when I don’t want to do it anymore.”