John Garcia - Vista Chino (04/09/2013)
John Garcia needs no introduction. The legendary vocalist of Kyuss, Unida, Slo Burn and Hermano, his latest project is Vista Chino, born from the ashes of Kyuss Lives! Following a federal court order. Calling us from his home, John so passionately shares with us his excitement for the future, both for his band and his family.
Hi John how are you?
Great! Thank you for the interest. Today’s a press day and any time you do press and you start talking about Brent Bjork and myself working together, I’m pretty passionate about it, I feel really good about it, I’m really excited.
I love Australia, I love Australians so I don’t mind talking to you guys at all, so thank you for your interest in Vista Chino.
It’s our pleasure and thank you for taking the time to talk to us, I know a lot of bands don’t look forward to their press day, so thank you for kicking of the interview so positively, how long is the work day for you today?
It’s the end of the day for me, it’s 5.45 in the evening so it’s not too late, I’m having a great day. I’m hanging out with my wife and kids and they’re swimming in the pool here at the Garcia residence. Any time I do press I can only handle 8 or 9 of these guys in a row and they stuck it to me pretty fierce today but I don’t mind talking at all, I appreciate the interest in Vista Chino.
It’s great that you are a family man, you have a great job that allows you to spend time with your wife and children, how has it been finding the balance between being a professional musician and a family man?
You’re right, I am a dedicated family man, we’re all family men. I have a wonderful wife and a 10 year old daughter and 3 and half year old son and they’re the unsung heroes here. They’re the ones that really allow me to be passionate about what I do as a singer, as a musician, they allow me to do this. The balance is (laughing) their tolerance and you have to be able to harness a lot of feelings and emotion when you have your husband go off and be in this type of environment that I’m in on a nightly basis.
You have to trust one another but you also have to be very communicative. You have to be able to communicate. I typically like to talk to my family on a family basis, via skype or facetime or whatever other means of media there is, it’s communication and you’ve got to harness any weird emotion and you have to be able to trust one another and Wendy is got to be a certain type of woman to be able to do what she does, to be able to take on the burden of not only her personal career in Veterinary Medicine but also being a mother of two and doing it by herself for long periods of time, again she is really the unsung hero here behind the scenes and I appreciate them and I spend as much time I can with them.
I took my son fishing up in Big Bear yesterday, we caught some fish and hung out all day long and that’s the thing- sorry for the long winded answer but I’m passionate about this too, you’ve got to be able to want to be a dad and either you’re a good dad or a dad that doesn’t care, some men it clicks and some it doesn’t, for me it was very natural to want to be a good father and I actually like hanging out with my kids, I actually want to hang out with them, I can’t imagine my life without them and before you know it, Madison is already 10, snap your fingers and they’re going to be off to college and having kids that quick, so I’m enjoying my time with them.
I’m enjoying my life, we’re all in a good spot. I have my health, I’ve got a record that’s coming out that Brent Bjork and I have teamed back up again along with an amazing band, I’m in a really good spot right now, I’m going to 43 next month and my life has just begun and I’m very thankful and appreciative of the fact that I can still be doing this and I’m in a good spot.
That’s great to hear, but this time last year you were in a very different place with the bands name change from ‘Kyuss Lives’ to ‘Vista Chino’ by the federal court, what was that experience like for you?
It sucked. I think that it could have been handled with a phone call, there’s no question in my mind that if Josh and Scott called me up and said “Change the name or we’re going to sue you” I would have said “ok”, but it didn’t happen like that and they did have to sue us and he did have to make it public.
So it was a sad time for Kyuss fans because of a couple of knuckleheads and we first got very defensive and we put up our gates and we wanted to fight it and at the end of the day it was too costly and we wanted a nice, fresh, clean start and that’s what we got. I think they may have thought that this was a money grab or this was purely financial and it wasn’t, we’re going to be doing it for the 5 people, 500 people, 5000 people or 50,000 people, we’re still going to be doing it, it doesn’t make a difference to us and in the long run we’ve won and the second piece to the story is that I could still sing any Kyuss song I want to, when I want to, however I want to and they can never, ever take that away from me and I can always say that I was the singer of Kyuss.
It’s true they don’t get that when suing somebody, you can sue someone for anything but people can also forget that people have rights and I plan to exercise my rights, you know when we come back down there in January we’re going to be playing Vista Chino songs and we’re going to be playing Kyuss songs, we just got back from a tour over in Europe and we played half the (Vista Chino) record and to play these songs in the Kyuss set- it felt really good and it went down very, very well and I can’t wait to get back down there again and do what we do
Like I said, we love the country and any opportunity to get down there I always jump at so I’m looking forward to it. You know, the drama is gone it’s no more, it’s drama free and you know what? It feels really good to win and here we are, we’re in a good spot.
The name ‘Vista Chino’ is quite symbolic of the bands roots, Vista Chino being the name of the main road going through your hometown of Palm Springs, California what was the importance of changing the name to that with historical significance?
If we wouldn’t have continued on with our fighting for the Kyuss name, Vista Chino would have been the name of the record so that name immediately resonated with Brent and I as we’re from the dessert so when Brent suggested the idea of naming the band Vista Chino I immediately said “That’s it that’s the one”, I love the name, it’s awesome, it’s perfect, it’s us, it resonates from us and the art work resonates with us.
It’s just where we’re from, it’s who we are, it’s what we do, it’s our constant state of mind and being, so it was very fitting and as far as the definition goes, it’s however the way our record makes your feel and how our music makes you feel, that’s the definition of Vista Chino.
The first release for Vista Chino is titled ‘Peace’, seeming what the band has gone through to get to this point today is quite ironic, on the eve of this release are you feeling at peace with the record?
Oh yeah! there is no question about it. Brent Bjork and I, we don’t want any problems with anybody, we don’t like speedy tickets let alone a federal law suit slapped on so it sucked so, again we wanted a name that resonated with us and that’s (peace) is what we want in life and that’s how we’re living and nobody has the right to take your joy away, nobody has the right to take my joy away and nobody did and nobody will, you know why? Because I won’t let them. Nobody has that right to take my job away and that’s one thing that Scott and Josh will never ever take away from me
So the name Peace is how we’ve always been, at total peace and we are committed to Vista Chino, we are committed to our craft, we’re committed to going to Australia and playing extensively and we’re looking forward to it, to get back to the point, yes it’s very appropriate and we are at total peace.
Unfortunately we’re running out of time and it’s been a pleasure talking to you John I want to make note that the new album has come with beautiful hand written lyric books, beautiful artwork and is available on vinyl, how was that creative experience for you?
We’re all collectors of vinyl, I’m a vinyl guy! I remember going to record stores on Hollywood Boulevard and looking at ‘Walk Among Us’ by the Misfits and going “holy shit, that’s fucking awesome, I want that but I don’t have $350.00 but I’m going to work my way up to that” and I did, I’m a collector, I like all that bone coloured vinyl, we like having options and it’s not only for special people who are the super fans but it’s also for our kids, we’ve got a collection of dad's stuff for the kids and I’m sure when they get older they’ll appreciate that pop’s holding onto a couple pieces of vinyl for them so I have to be truthful in saying I want that stuff for my kids too.
I think that John Garcia, Brent Bjork, Kyuss and Vista Chino are never going to be forgotten in music history and have created such a legacy for the rock music scene, what is the biggest legacy you want to leave for your children?
Wow! To fit into a minute, that’s a hard one but I’ve gotta say it’s got to be knowledge. I want them to be raised right.
The legacy that they’re pop’s doing rock’n’roll music, I don’t think it means a lot to them, they need to be passionate about what they love and I will support it whatever it is and that legacy of just being knowledgeable of what they want out of life and for me to be supportive.
I just want to be a good father and I want to show the difference between the simple things in life. I’m a simpleton; the difference between this lure and that lure when I take my son fishing, that type of stuff is unforgettable and I just look forward to more of those long summer Sundays where they never seem to end and you enjoy life, that’s the big one, to enjoy life and legacy of knowledge and to be passionate about what they want to be passionate about.
Cassie Walker
Hi John how are you?
Great! Thank you for the interest. Today’s a press day and any time you do press and you start talking about Brent Bjork and myself working together, I’m pretty passionate about it, I feel really good about it, I’m really excited.
I love Australia, I love Australians so I don’t mind talking to you guys at all, so thank you for your interest in Vista Chino.
It’s our pleasure and thank you for taking the time to talk to us, I know a lot of bands don’t look forward to their press day, so thank you for kicking of the interview so positively, how long is the work day for you today?
It’s the end of the day for me, it’s 5.45 in the evening so it’s not too late, I’m having a great day. I’m hanging out with my wife and kids and they’re swimming in the pool here at the Garcia residence. Any time I do press I can only handle 8 or 9 of these guys in a row and they stuck it to me pretty fierce today but I don’t mind talking at all, I appreciate the interest in Vista Chino.
It’s great that you are a family man, you have a great job that allows you to spend time with your wife and children, how has it been finding the balance between being a professional musician and a family man?
You’re right, I am a dedicated family man, we’re all family men. I have a wonderful wife and a 10 year old daughter and 3 and half year old son and they’re the unsung heroes here. They’re the ones that really allow me to be passionate about what I do as a singer, as a musician, they allow me to do this. The balance is (laughing) their tolerance and you have to be able to harness a lot of feelings and emotion when you have your husband go off and be in this type of environment that I’m in on a nightly basis.
You have to trust one another but you also have to be very communicative. You have to be able to communicate. I typically like to talk to my family on a family basis, via skype or facetime or whatever other means of media there is, it’s communication and you’ve got to harness any weird emotion and you have to be able to trust one another and Wendy is got to be a certain type of woman to be able to do what she does, to be able to take on the burden of not only her personal career in Veterinary Medicine but also being a mother of two and doing it by herself for long periods of time, again she is really the unsung hero here behind the scenes and I appreciate them and I spend as much time I can with them.
I took my son fishing up in Big Bear yesterday, we caught some fish and hung out all day long and that’s the thing- sorry for the long winded answer but I’m passionate about this too, you’ve got to be able to want to be a dad and either you’re a good dad or a dad that doesn’t care, some men it clicks and some it doesn’t, for me it was very natural to want to be a good father and I actually like hanging out with my kids, I actually want to hang out with them, I can’t imagine my life without them and before you know it, Madison is already 10, snap your fingers and they’re going to be off to college and having kids that quick, so I’m enjoying my time with them.
I’m enjoying my life, we’re all in a good spot. I have my health, I’ve got a record that’s coming out that Brent Bjork and I have teamed back up again along with an amazing band, I’m in a really good spot right now, I’m going to 43 next month and my life has just begun and I’m very thankful and appreciative of the fact that I can still be doing this and I’m in a good spot.
That’s great to hear, but this time last year you were in a very different place with the bands name change from ‘Kyuss Lives’ to ‘Vista Chino’ by the federal court, what was that experience like for you?
It sucked. I think that it could have been handled with a phone call, there’s no question in my mind that if Josh and Scott called me up and said “Change the name or we’re going to sue you” I would have said “ok”, but it didn’t happen like that and they did have to sue us and he did have to make it public.
So it was a sad time for Kyuss fans because of a couple of knuckleheads and we first got very defensive and we put up our gates and we wanted to fight it and at the end of the day it was too costly and we wanted a nice, fresh, clean start and that’s what we got. I think they may have thought that this was a money grab or this was purely financial and it wasn’t, we’re going to be doing it for the 5 people, 500 people, 5000 people or 50,000 people, we’re still going to be doing it, it doesn’t make a difference to us and in the long run we’ve won and the second piece to the story is that I could still sing any Kyuss song I want to, when I want to, however I want to and they can never, ever take that away from me and I can always say that I was the singer of Kyuss.
It’s true they don’t get that when suing somebody, you can sue someone for anything but people can also forget that people have rights and I plan to exercise my rights, you know when we come back down there in January we’re going to be playing Vista Chino songs and we’re going to be playing Kyuss songs, we just got back from a tour over in Europe and we played half the (Vista Chino) record and to play these songs in the Kyuss set- it felt really good and it went down very, very well and I can’t wait to get back down there again and do what we do
Like I said, we love the country and any opportunity to get down there I always jump at so I’m looking forward to it. You know, the drama is gone it’s no more, it’s drama free and you know what? It feels really good to win and here we are, we’re in a good spot.
The name ‘Vista Chino’ is quite symbolic of the bands roots, Vista Chino being the name of the main road going through your hometown of Palm Springs, California what was the importance of changing the name to that with historical significance?
If we wouldn’t have continued on with our fighting for the Kyuss name, Vista Chino would have been the name of the record so that name immediately resonated with Brent and I as we’re from the dessert so when Brent suggested the idea of naming the band Vista Chino I immediately said “That’s it that’s the one”, I love the name, it’s awesome, it’s perfect, it’s us, it resonates from us and the art work resonates with us.
It’s just where we’re from, it’s who we are, it’s what we do, it’s our constant state of mind and being, so it was very fitting and as far as the definition goes, it’s however the way our record makes your feel and how our music makes you feel, that’s the definition of Vista Chino.
The first release for Vista Chino is titled ‘Peace’, seeming what the band has gone through to get to this point today is quite ironic, on the eve of this release are you feeling at peace with the record?
Oh yeah! there is no question about it. Brent Bjork and I, we don’t want any problems with anybody, we don’t like speedy tickets let alone a federal law suit slapped on so it sucked so, again we wanted a name that resonated with us and that’s (peace) is what we want in life and that’s how we’re living and nobody has the right to take your joy away, nobody has the right to take my joy away and nobody did and nobody will, you know why? Because I won’t let them. Nobody has that right to take my job away and that’s one thing that Scott and Josh will never ever take away from me
So the name Peace is how we’ve always been, at total peace and we are committed to Vista Chino, we are committed to our craft, we’re committed to going to Australia and playing extensively and we’re looking forward to it, to get back to the point, yes it’s very appropriate and we are at total peace.
Unfortunately we’re running out of time and it’s been a pleasure talking to you John I want to make note that the new album has come with beautiful hand written lyric books, beautiful artwork and is available on vinyl, how was that creative experience for you?
We’re all collectors of vinyl, I’m a vinyl guy! I remember going to record stores on Hollywood Boulevard and looking at ‘Walk Among Us’ by the Misfits and going “holy shit, that’s fucking awesome, I want that but I don’t have $350.00 but I’m going to work my way up to that” and I did, I’m a collector, I like all that bone coloured vinyl, we like having options and it’s not only for special people who are the super fans but it’s also for our kids, we’ve got a collection of dad's stuff for the kids and I’m sure when they get older they’ll appreciate that pop’s holding onto a couple pieces of vinyl for them so I have to be truthful in saying I want that stuff for my kids too.
I think that John Garcia, Brent Bjork, Kyuss and Vista Chino are never going to be forgotten in music history and have created such a legacy for the rock music scene, what is the biggest legacy you want to leave for your children?
Wow! To fit into a minute, that’s a hard one but I’ve gotta say it’s got to be knowledge. I want them to be raised right.
The legacy that they’re pop’s doing rock’n’roll music, I don’t think it means a lot to them, they need to be passionate about what they love and I will support it whatever it is and that legacy of just being knowledgeable of what they want out of life and for me to be supportive.
I just want to be a good father and I want to show the difference between the simple things in life. I’m a simpleton; the difference between this lure and that lure when I take my son fishing, that type of stuff is unforgettable and I just look forward to more of those long summer Sundays where they never seem to end and you enjoy life, that’s the big one, to enjoy life and legacy of knowledge and to be passionate about what they want to be passionate about.
Cassie Walker