Who is Priscilla Hernandez?
That´s a very deep question to start... I guess we all go through the journey of our lives only to find out who we really are... But technically speaking, I'm a singer-songwriter, composer and illustrator born in the Canary Islands... a girl with a dream and devoted to it. Who I am.. who I want to be... what I've been or what I will be... that´s the engine that makes life work and flow ahead... I try to be the best I can, and when I say that I don't mean the most successful, or the most skilled.. I mean to be good to myself and others. I was caught then by this wonderful illusion that is art and music
What made you decide to start a career as a musician?
I've always loved and be moved by music.
Your music and voice is often compared to artists like Enya and Kate Bush, how would you describe your music?
Since I started Enya and Kate Bush have been a constant referent in terms of comparison. I confess that I didn't know who Kate Bush was (I know now and take it as a big compliment) and I enjoy Enya's voice but would not consider it an influence on me. Regarding vocals I was much more influenced by bands like Tears for Fears and Cocteau Twins... and some other moody electro-pop from the eighties. But above all my major influence and the music I've been always nourished from movie soundtracks. So I guess I'd describe my music like a movie score in which I ended up using the resources at my reach, like voice and words, to portray the story. For me they are “song-tales” in analogy to “fairy or ghost tales” and I hope they can evoke a vivid picture in people´s brains when listening to it...
Your music often let people drift away to other places and times, does this reflect your character as well, are you a person that dreams a lot?
I do. I do dream a lot... I'd say I dream too much and my dream life is not very restful. I've always had sleep paralysis that has rendered some really nightmarish states between awareness and dreaming and I've coped with some serious sleep disorders since early age. I also have a good memory for my dreams so I remember many different ones each night and I even have a memory register of dreams I had when I was little.. wonder how iIm still sane, cos am I sane, am I not? Hahahaha!
Everybody dreams, do you remember a dream when you wake up, what is your favorite?
Ohh I do know much more of odd and weird dreams rather than pleasant ones. But I can say my favourite dreams is when I dream Kira is with me. Kira is my long lost companion, a dog that died eight years ago but is still alive in my dreams, my heart, my music and my memory. When I wake up and I've been running wild with her, those are the happiest dreams I have.
Your songs are like little stories, how do you come up with them, how are they created?
I grew up reading fairy and ghost tales. I came up to have a quite serious collection of illustrated fairy books and about folklore, myths and legends. I also like Victorian Literature and authors like M. R. James, Hodgson, Poe... and even pulp terror like Lovecraft. I love also the poetry of Yeats, classic fairy and ghost tales and modern fantasy writers like Tolkien and Michael Ende... My favorite movies were those made by Jim Henson like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth so I guess I've always have had the “fantasy freak girl profile”. I also had a very intense dream life due to sleep paralysis that makes it really hard to distinguish the boundaries between dream and reality.
Do you do everything yourself while recording, play all instruments? What instruments do you play?
No... I wish, but I record quite a lot myself and I keep on learning. During recording sessions we have some guests mostly for the instruments that are really entirely out of my skills like guitar, violin and cello. In Ancient Shadows we guested several guitarists like Ramón Mendigorri, Sebastian Teufel and Gaston Iungman (this latest is a well known art director of several visual macro-shows).
Gaston has repeated in my forthcoming album and is featured in the main theme and a few others. We recorded Ancient Shadows with a hired cellist, The Underliving cello is recorded now by Biel Fiol and Sveta Tovstukha which are the cellists that often come with us on stage.
Hector Corcin my partner (in life and label) plays some percussion and some electronica and is also in charge of the mixing. I play keyboards, piano, recorder, double ocarina, chalumeau, small percussion, oscar drum, chimes (shanti), kantele, hammered dulcimer... and even glass harp (yes setting up glasses of wine and tuning them hahahah) I'm learning now the Jouhikko and lap dulcimer... I really love learning instruments, it is my passion, and we have had a few endorsements all over this time. The fact that we´ve had a little time from the first album to the second also allowed me to be able to make them part of my music in a more serious way. Though it's going to be complicated on stage, unless I tie a tambourine at my feet and become an orchestra woman. This passion for instruments have rendered a result in the creation of a web about music instruments called http://coolmusicinstruments. I also accept dusty non played instruments that are waiting and getting wet in your attic... to the readers, if you have anything you would like to donate to us, we can make them happy. For an indie artists and band, to have things to play is the best gift! We´ve received some really nice “sounds”.
How do you manage to play those instruments, do you get lessons or do you learn it by practicing yourself?
Holy youtube I love you! No, I'm self taught in all I play. And probably I play almost every instrument wrong, but as long as it's for my own compositions... who can tell what's right or wrong. Recently I've started to study a bit more technique in hammered dulcimer using some dvds I I've found on ebay... but mostly self taught. There have been some really difficult things like starting with the double ocarina and jouhikko... So thankfull to all the ones that have sent us instruments... Also some fans spontaneusly sent us some light percussion, and other items... really if you have unused instruments we´ll be happy to accept them :) and if within my possibilities I shall give it a try... wether the right or wrong way to play them there´s a lot of new sounds in this second album of ours.
Double ocarina (provided by Hind ocarina) was one of the most difficult things for me to learn you can see a video here www.youtube.com
What is inspiration in your eyes and how do you get inspiration?
I love paintings of early XX fairytale illustrators like Rackham, Edmund Dulac, Warwick Goble, John Bauer among others... I also love some contemporary artists like Alan Lee and Brian Froud (designer of my favorite movie The Dark Crystal).
Animals are very important for you, are they a source of inspiration as well?
Kira (http://kira.yidneth.com) was my best friend and companion. I'll always remember her. In the first album Ancient Shadoes (that I dedicated to her) I composed “now that you're gone” an instrumental piece for her... intended to be a song, but never could sing it (though having words) cos the emotional weight was too much. In this second album I've composed a little lullaby called “Good night Kira” accoustic with the hammered dulcimer. It's more a song about letting her go and imagine her among an evergreen field running wild... I hope I will have the nerve to sing it live, this time indeed it is a song. I love you Kira, I will always do.... forever.
Now I have tiny hamster :) the most spoiled little princess hamster ever called Totonika, and I wanted to have a puppy so much that I've raised her free in the house and she's totally nuts and thinks she´s a dog or something, even comes when you call her and is very social. She´s the cutest hamster ever!!!
You put a lot of effort in your concerts, how important is the visual part for concerts, do they have to reflect the songs?
Oh absolutelly and I keep on trying to plot cheap plots and visual ideas to make it work. I can´t invest a lot of money but I can unleash my imagination and use it. I keep a blog about fantasy costumes (http://www.yourfantasycostume.com) that was the result of my constant search of things for the shows... things most of the time I crave for and can´t afford but that provide good ideas. It's like using our organza with waterlilies in nymph making people think about water ponds... And sound effects too. Shadows play, projections, lights... :) and we always project the lyrics so everyone can follow the story along with some images... I really have so many ideas... but I hope to have the chance to let it grow.
How do you prepare for concerts?
Constantly. I try to become better in what I do everyday... at least my part LOL. The problem is that I don't have a full band yet, so though I have some common co-workers most of the time the nuclei of our formation is me, Héctor (keyboards, programming) and Biel Fiol or Sveta (at the cello). Since our percussionist left we are now trying to look for a replacement, and when we need to make bigger concerts so we have to rely on hiring musicians... so right now one of the active works is to look for new band members. Our parts are well rehearsed I think... so regarding myself I work constantly on learning to play the new instrument and hopefully to get new band members.
Do you have a steady live band or does that deviate a lot, who is in it at the moment. What would be the ideal situation for you for live shows?
Unfortunately no, Hector me and Biel as I said in the previous question are the basic ones, then we mix with other bands, friends and hired musicians, so we´ve ranged from me alone to 13 on stage, depending on budget, friends involved... Our idea is to make a solid band of 5 members with some additional guests, but we´ré looking for a percussion player/multiinstrumentalist and a girl to sing armonies that hopefully could play violin or other instrument.
Your album “ancient Shadows” is released for quite some time now, how were the comments on it and how do you look back on it yourself?
Oh it was more than I expected, in every sense of the word. For me it was my self made humble project, and it gained several awards internationally and brought us to premier in the states. I'm very critic with my work so I see a million things in it that I would have liked differently... but as it was my first “official” (after some demos) it will always have some magic for me.
What was the most challenging part for you to do on this album?
Maybe even learning to sing properly hahaha.... Honestly I consider myself a composer songwriter and I looked for a vocalist for a while, Ancient Shadows ended up having myself as lead singer and was not the initial intention, so I had to become good enough and I keep on learning. I love it and enjoy it like crazy though.
How did you come up with the name “Ancient Shadows” Does it have a special meaning for you?
My name Priscilla means "ancient shadow or shadow from the past". Actually it was a coincidence. The Ancient is the god of nature in my comic, and shadows were referring to my inner fears, the shadows of my own feelings, each song is a tale that hides a very intense feeling of loss, nostalgia, abandonment... so the title came up as a mingle of different things that converged in the same words.
For some time you are working on a new album, what is causing the delay in its release?
Some personal issues mostly and the lack of funds... I've had some forced time of rest I'm afraid too due to health but doing better and in good energy to make it a reality, we´re closing now the recordings 12 of the 14 songs are already recorded. We´ve done a LOT already, and we´ve been singing many of the new songs (long way, northern lights, and even the main theme "The Underliving") during these years, so many of the fans know there are new songs cos they actually have listened to quite a few of them on the stage :). Of course on the cd they´ll sound better :) and we hope you like it :) thanks for your patience. We are lacking on funds and i'm a self-released artist, so we´ll have to plot a plan early next year to raise the money for the release, if so it could be out in spring maybe.
What can you tell us about the new album, in what way has your music developed, what progression did you make?
The new album is called “The Underliving”.
It´s even less commercial, darker, edgier, and for me riskier and more personal in every way. The main difference is that is a conceptual album and all songs are linked with each other gathered by the concept of “The Underlivings” things are not living or never were alive, things you perceive only with the corner of the eye, just like ancient shadows, old things, unseen things, felt things...! The voice of the wind, the silence... things that manipulate our thoughts and lead our steps in life without us realizing... :) sort of eerie but not dark... dark... well it's dark but mostly misterious. We´ll be launching a special website for the upcoming album in brief.
Faeries are important for you, what is your favorite faerie and if you were a faerie, what kind of faerie would you like to be?
Oh my album is titled "Ancietn shadows" the ghost and the fairy... and I think i've always been more on the side of the ghost...
Besides creating music you are also a fantasy illustrator, is there a difference in creating music and illustrating or is it basically the same?
I do both things at the same time, maybe i'm more picky with music, but i've been drawing for even a longer time... I've taken a little break of drawing and just got back to it :)... I'm having fun on my new and clean desktop... preparing the artwork of the new album :) . For me drawing is maybe more spontaneus while the music, the skeleton of it, is spontaneous but then it's like a drawing that takes ages to be done... love the details in both fields, specially the details that you don't see (or hear) at first.
You are working on a book called Yidneth, what does Yidneth mean and what can you say about this project?
Yidneth is my comic, I scripted in the nineties and made it then... it remained unfinished but I intend to rescue it one day... i'm considering making it the third of fourth of my albums and finish it (even if now I have a different style) and add some score music to it, so it would be more a book than a music cd for that matter. It's a cross over of ghosts, fairies and “underlivings”... oooh too complex would make an entire article hahahaha and quite abstract, don't want to bore you all... but though many similar have been done since I wrote it, I don't care... I know I created this in the late nineties and I´ll keep the way it was.
What are things that are coming up for you in the near future?
I released a book of illustrations with some other authors this year called fantasy art collection, and I've been making some crafts and art. So I want to make more merchandise and make a little store (aside of the current articles in http://priscillahernandez.yidnethfanclub.com.
I want to finish the album of course, develop a more solid band, look for venues... keep on creating music, keep on learning, and keep on living and enjoying what I do.
Any last words for the readers?
If you want to see the second album soon, it really does help that you keep on supporting us purchasing our things (books, first album, prints, artwork) all goes to fund the upcoming project and we´re working. So keep on buying our first album it helps us to the second, or if you have it buy it for a friend, it makes us more known. Also we´re actively looking for venues to perform in next year. :) We´ve been lucky to perform in some really lovely festivals and looking forward to repeat the experience with our new material. Please we need a street team... show your love, spread the word, requests us on stage... bring us close to you! :) and a million thanks!!
Official site
Official store and fanclub
Official youtube channel for videos
Facebook
Twitter