Interview with Sid from Aorta

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to interview Sid from Aorta. You may know them from their split with Dead Butterflies or their single, Mudskipper. Sid also has another project, Cease to Exist, which is a band from the IE, with shows coming up in November, and if you have the chance to attend one of their shows, you should!

“I would like to dedicate this to my homies out there, shoutout my mother and father, Shawn, Steven, Enrique, Damien, Jabob, Jacob, Jaylene, Raquel, Evan, Emi, Angel, Jay, Richie, Brody, Sebasrevs, Shout out to Travis from Brainless Go Brainless and get some merch, god damn it. And my heart goes out to everyone who reads this, and fuck what people think of you. You were put on this world for a reason ABOLISH ICE FREE PALESTINE FUCK THE WORLD!!”

Q: What instruments do you play, and how long have you been playing them?

“I’ve been playing the drums for 12 years.”

Q: How did you meet the people you play with?

“I met the people I play with at my high school, and we had the same lunch together freshman year.”

Q: What was it like recording the split with Dead Butterflies?

“The split was fun to record. We did ruin you in November and skate 3 in December, a few days before Christmas, I think, and I think also the split got released on Christmas Day.”

Q: What is your favorite venue you have played?

“The Haven in Pomona, California. We played our 2nd show there, and everything about it was fun. Our name is written on the ceiling or the wall.”

Q: What is your favorite band you have played with / favorite show you have played?

“My favorite show was when we played in Arizona on our tour with Dead Butterflies, and we oversold it out. Favorite bands: Dead Butterflies, Flying Fish, Reclusr.”

Q: What is your favorite show you have been to?

“One of my favorite shows was a hardcore show in this VFW hall that’s up the street from me, where I live. I saw some good hardcore bands such as Smoked909, Baori Ishiki, and shout out my boy Jacob in exutoire. I also went to an ICE benefit show in Pomona at Creator. The lineup was Big Ass Truck, Xibalba, Barrio Slam, Auditory Anguish, Smoked909, and Leave No Doubt. I can go on and on, but I’ll keep this short.”

Q: What is your dream band to play with?

“My dream band I would love to play with is Slipknot.”

Q: Do you have any advice for people trying to start bands / start playing music?

“My advice to new musicians is to find the right people at the right time. Always practice and give each other feedback, and if your song is good and you feel confident to upload online, do it. Upload as many songs and release a demo. That’s one of the things to get your name out there and stay passionate about what you’re doing. Never fall into the trends in music, be original, and do shows. Play a concert, so what if you play in a room of 5 people? The more you do it, the better you get with your band. You’ll be up there soon.”

Q: Do you have anything upcoming like shows, music, etc.?

“I have a couple of shows coming up for Cease to Exist in November. Can’t say much about it, but follow @ceasetoexist909 for more updates. For Aorta, we have some stuff that the fans would like. That’s all I can say. We still have the Dead Butterflies / Aorta split Nintendo DS cartridges for purchase in our bio on Instagram, it’s a cool thing to own and get.”

Q: What do you do outside of music?

“Outside of music I love to play video games, watch movies and TV, go to school, skate, and do graphic design. I’m really good at it. I hang out with my homies enjoying life and happiness in its purest form. I love my friends a lot, they mean a lot to me. I do it all for myself, my friends, and family, every day and all day.”

Q: What’s your favorite Burger King item?

“My favorite Burger King item is the number 1, the Whopper, and I get a water with fries and ranch.”

Q: Where do you find inspiration to make the music you make?

“The way I get inspiration to make music is by listening to non-stop music and always trying to find something new and different. Always change up your music palette, always change up your taste. Never stay in one genre, that’s dumb. I also get inspired by my friends; we are constantly showing each other new music or coming up with music ideas.”

Q: What’s your favorite song to perform live?

“My favorite song to play live is Burden. It’s one of my favorite Aorta songs. I also love to play Math Sux. I wish we recorded that song so people knew the words in the beginning to shout. If you’d like to shout it, it’s ‘just leave me a-lone’ like that.”

Q: Do you have any music recs for the readers?

“I do have music recommendations. I recommend listening to exutoire and stealthX, shoutout Jacob again. I recommend listening to Dead Butterflies, they’re amazing, I love them, and also ‘Pornography’ by The Cure, and ‘You’re Living All Over Me’ by Dinosaur Jr, perfect, just perfect.”