Interview with rocker Cristina Feliciano from Oblivious Signal

To celebrate the new release by Oblivious Signal, we are pleased to bring you our interview with the female fronted rock band. They have just released Exordium through Pavement Entertainment.

Oblivious Signal is:

Cristina T. Feliciano – Vocals
Nick Orisino – Guitar
Greg Andrews – Bass
Jason Talley – Drums

Check out our interview below:

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Music Junkie Press: Thank you very much for taking the time to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We are just a week away from the release of Exordium. Can you tell us what we can expect from it?

Cristina: You can definitely expect some real heavy catchy tunes. We are very excited about the direction we took with this album in terms of delving more into that modern hard rock feel with a touch of metal.

Music Junkie Press: Crash is awesome video and what a great song! What was the inspiration or backstory for this song?

Cristina: “Crash” is actually a song that was very personal to me. I wrote the song about someone I knew that passed away in a car accident from being under the influence. It really impacted my life, and after many years of dealing with the emotions behind it, I decided to take the musicians therapy route and put pen to paper. The guys and I had been writing and jamming instrumentals, and the instrumentation for this particular song was so powerful, I knew the lyrics would match up perfect…and they did. I honestly didn’t think the song would gain as much traction as it did, but I am very happy about the positive direction it took.

Music Junkie Press: We understand that you are setting out on tour with Flaw and Seasons After. What are you most looking forward to out on tour?

Cristina: Putting the music out there in front of new faces is our number one priority right now. So we are looking forward to making sure we leave an impression in every venue and on everyone we encounter. We are very priviledged to have been put on this tour, and we plan to make it epic.

Music Junkie Press: Oblivious Signal not only delivers great well crafted songs lyrically but also heavy enough to really rock out. Do you have a particular songwriting process?

Cristina: Yes. Nick usually comes up with guitar riffs and as opposed to the times were we used to just jam it out and forget what we had, we now record all the ideas and basically lay down a blue print of the song in my home studio. Typically what happens is we build upon the ideas he has, and then I jump in with possible melodies before we even include solid lyrics. After we have something moderately solid, we send off the files to Jason and Greg and we all then get together and jam them out knowing what to expect. It really is a big time saver for us.

Music Junkie Press: You guys have a great balance of rock and metal, who were some of your biggest influences in music?

Cristina: For Nick and Jason Metallica. For Greg POD, Slipknot, Red Hot Chili Peppers. For myself, I grew up big on European band/artist influence ranging from Within Temptation to Laura Pausini.

Music Junkie Press: With music programs disappearing from the school system as well as the easability of DIY music on computers, etc what is some advice you could give to the youth of today about getting involved in music? How important it is or how it was for you?

Cristina: Do it, but don’t let anyone dictate what instruments you can or can’t play. Pick some instruments up, find a fit for you and master it. If you find several you like thats even better. I remember when I was in school I always wanted to play Saxophone or guitar, and everyone wanted to stick me with a clarinet..nothing wrong with clarinet, except I didn’t want to play that instrument. After that discouragement, I picked up guitar on my own, and from there I started singing. Singing definitely became my passion. I was in choir in school and everything. So while I consider music programs to be very important in school, my advice is stick to what you want to do with music and don’t get stuck with something you don’t want that will discourage you.

Music Junkie Press: Now that you are out on tour, do you have a preshow ritual to harness your energy before you hit that stage?

Cristina: We always take a pregame shot to ease off any nerves. It has been our tradition for years. The one time it was broken, it was probably one of the worst sets we have had that day. So we don’t skip out on that ritual ever again.

Music Junkie Press: After the release of Exordium, what is in next in store for Oblivious Signal?

Cristina: Touring…alot of it. We need to make sure we take every opportunity we can to promote this album.

Music Junkie Press: If Oblivious Signal could put together their dream lineup, what three bands would you like to tour with?

Cristina: Metallica, Seether, Breaking Benjamin

Music Junkie Press: We are seeing a resurgence of youth getting back out and going to live shows once again. What can you tell someone to expect when they come out to Oblivious Signal show?

Cristina: A lot of energy on and off stage. We are one of those bands that gets compliments on our easy accessability to hang with the fans. It’s all about them..everything we do.

Music Junkie Press: If we could peak into your Ipod, what artist or song might we be most surprised at finding in there?

Cristina: Oh boy. For someone like me, you might be very suprised I own every Britney Spears CD/Mp3. For Nick the artist Kitaro. Greg has over 100 Michael Jackson songs. Jason has Queen in his ipod.

Music Junkie Press: If you could be trapped in a television show for a week, what would it be and why?

Cristina: I am very addicted to a SciFi show called Lost Girl, and would totally love to be trapped in that show for a week and have special powers. Nick says he would like to be in Breaking Bad because the show is badass. Jason wants to hunt Zombies on Walking Dead, and Greg would love to be on Gold Rush to see that much gold.

Music Junkie Press: Will you be planning on any upcoming California shows soon? Please… hope so!

Cristina: We LOVE California. We go every year for the NAMM convention. The California music scene is also a blast everytime we go. So the answer is Definitely.

Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience and your fans?

Cristina: Stick to whatever you put your mind to. If you have a dream, don’t let anyone try to take it away and deter you from it. Perseverance will pay off.

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I hope you pick up the new release, Exordium which is available on iTunes, Amazon, Target, FYE and numerous other outlets. Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.

~ Marisol

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