Three years ago Rafa Pastor decided it was time to go solo. He had been playing in bands since 1999 and he thought it was time for a change in dynamics. He wanted to find out what it was like to take charge of the whole creative process, from start to finish and ‘To Brave My Soul’ was born.
I spoke to Rafa about his solo venture: “I felt it was the right time to take on the whole project. I have enjoyed playing in bands but I’ve also had some hard times”. He explained that often in bands, people can fall out easily and it’s hard to keep emotions in check when working on collaborative creative projects. He said that he didn’t have any hard feelings towards anyone from his old bands, but recognises that sometimes you just have to move on. The creative process in ‘To Brave My Soul’ is very different from the way he used to work in the band. He feels he has the time and the freedom to experiment. “When creating I sit down with the guitar and start to play, I get carried away and it feels like my guitar and I are the only things in the world. When I write a new song, sometimes an idea pops into my head and I work on it and other times I just try to find a good riff that will define the song. I get the idea together and record a quick demo on my phone, then change things, sometimes it ends up being totally different from the original idea, other times it turns out the way I thought it would”
Rafa has told me that he doesn’t really feel connected to a particular scene however, he does feel a strong connection to the grunge scene of the 1990s. “I was really inspired by Kurt Cobain, I was just a kid but he seemed like a genuine guy and I could identify with his inner sadness and fury.” The new track ‘Strange Storm’ certainly has a grungy feel: Rafa’s thick deep voice sings out over a Fender twang; the light and shade of melodic verses and a heavier power chord chorus; the raw edge given to the production as a whole. A feel-good grunge track with dark undertones. The track has been produced by Ismael Escutia from the band ‘Midnight Minuet’ and the video can be found on Rafa’s YouTube Channel. I asked Rafa what his plans were for the future of ‘To Brave a Soul’. “My idea is to keep on building up a repertoire, to keep recording songs one by one and later pull them together into an EP. I would also like to get back on stage but first I’d need to get some musicians together, just a bassist and a drummer.”
I’d like to thank Rafa for taking time to talk to me. Follow him on twitter @tobravemysoul and me @marinaisred for more music updates. If you know of anyone who would like to be interviewed on this blog, please get in touch. I’m currently working on a post-graduate research project profiling Spanish bands and getting an insight into the Spanish music industry. I am also willing to interview or run a profile on any groups or solo artists who have new music to promote. Keep reading, keep sharing, keep listening – loud. Stephanie © Stephanie Burgess-Arteaga, 2018