Name: Isaac

Role in Band: Guitarist

Bio: I'm really not to open and blunt about my personal life though some people who have known me long would say that my life is an open book. Perhaps, an open book if you care to read or rather flip through the pages for an interesting illustration and then flip again until another and another. I will 1st start by giving those who are interested my musical influences (those of you who are not really do not have a choice). When I was just a small lad around the ages of five and six years old I was introduced to bands such as The Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Cream by my primary source of influence my father. Before I even knew what music was I remember my father sitting me on his lap and letting my strum the guitar for him while he played chords. He also played a mean piano, which influenced my sister more than it did me. While she studied the way of the piano I played G.I. Joes and listened to more bands my father introduced me to like Tears for Fears, Rush and Yes. It wasn't even then that I knew I had any interest in music. Although I enjoyed listening I tried to fit in with the crowd who at that time were friends who wanted to play street football and get into as many sports as possible. I played almost every Recreational Sport and had to go through a long lasting realization that I wasn't good at any sport I played.

So when those friends realized I didn't have anything athletic in common with them they were soon rid of me. I became lazy of such things and had no desire for them although I would give in to the pleading of my parents and maybe play a season or two of indoor soccer for the sake of their satisfaction, which didn't bother me. Another very big influence on my total personality came from three other sources. One of which was my sister whom I think to this day is one of the grooviest people I know. And my life long best friend named Ryan. The day we met we clicked instantly as if we were one person. I can't remember life without him. When the whole grunge scene came along I was only about 11 years old and in the fifth grade. I had started getting into bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana and I remember being the only one in my fifth grade class who dressed with ripped tee shirts and flannels around my waist to be cool. It continued the next year and in my school the whole guitar trend came along. I felt no need to try and prove myself to people by playing horrible guitar because at that time my heart was set on a love for movies. And it seemed to me that guitar was just something that people played just to get chicks (bare mind I'm referring to the people in my school). But of course I gave into temptation when Ryan came over my house one day with a guitar and insisted that I play it. Trying to learn Nirvana songs was actually pretty fun considering they were so easy that playing them made me feel like a guitar God. Finally! Something I was good at! I couldn't stop playing. I became addicted. Ryan didn't go to my school, which meant that I really had no one else to relate with. So I ended up meeting others who were in the guitar trend and we started a little guitar club after schools. None of us were really that good and I can't think of anyone in the club with the exception of me and a boy named Chris (who is now a very good friend of mine) that still play. Eventually the Nirvana thing got old and the grunge scene died. I felt like I had nothing else to play. And that is when my 3rd major influence comes in… Classic rock. Of course! I had listened to it all through my childhood. It was also around that time when I discovered a band that I had known for a while but just started getting into, my greatest musical influence of all, Pink Floyd. So during my trying to conquer David Gilmour licks as well as Jimmy Page, Ryan was going in a different direction. He had started playing drums and his other friends introduced to him Independent rock bands like Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, and Archers of Loaf. And because we shared all of our new discoveries Pink Floyd started to ware off on him as did Archers of Loaf on I.

It was also around that time that my "at home" friends were getting into the whole underground Hardcore/Punk scene. Although I was never too fond of it myself I did discover some bands from the hardcore/metal genres that I took a liking too. My closest friends Jayson and his brother Chris started a hardcore band and wanted me to be apart of it. So I got my taste of other styles of music as well. I never really fit in anywhere I go. The only place I ever truly felt like I fit in was in the presence of Ryan (whom I am also sure feels that way sometimes). Then in my school, after Scotty Reiber (one of the greatest musicians I have ever heard) graduated. There left in the spotlight are Chris and I. This may sound a little big of me but we are hailed as the greatest guitarists in our school (which really means everyone else really sucks).

Now, and now out of nowhere I meet these fantastic and overwhelming group of musicians who I believe are way out of my league as far as my skills as a guitarist go. But they who call themselves Mindstrings insisted. This young Mexican will get more than he bargained for. The rest is ancient history…