Interview:
1. Thanks a lot for agreeing to do this interview. I'm very glad we can talk about your band. Firstly tell me what are some of your early influences you had back then as a young kid?
In the beginning of my career being a rock musician, here in Perú there´s not to much music coming from the USA and Europe, only the commercial music ( radio hits 1964 ) and some other Latin American pop music, but when i started, I heard some of the beach boys, the ventures, and other surf-garage bands of the middle 60´s from the u.s.a(later the music that comes from UK).
I was 14 years old and my father (who is an amateur-semi pro musician) showed me the first chords in the guitar (an acoustic jumbo).
The family from my father´s side is all involved in the arts : lots of musicians,actors,male and female classical and popular singers...etc.
My father plays piano and contrabass in a jazz band. My first steps in the music were when I learned piano classes. When I was 7 years old, but when I was 10,i got bored and later discovered the “rock sound” and the guitar revealed a new world to me. But the piano still helped me in a solid musical basics.
Back to my roots, I started with friends of my city, here in Miraflores-Lima, Peru, and tried to make some of the songs (instrumentals) and surf music,but later, the new “wave” of the sound came from the UK : “the British invasion” and some other songs from the instrumental groups that I told before,but we played the songs in English and some we changed to Spanish.
First I played rhythm guitar, months later bass and when the lead player have to left the band (because school mismatch), I took the lead guitar, urgent and be the lead guitar (until now). In conclusion, my first guitar heroes and major influences are Jeff beck-Jimmy Page-Eric Clapton-Jimi Hendrix-Tommy Iommi-Ritchie Blackmore-Carlos Santana. And grups like :
Yardbirds-Cream-Deep Purple-Black Sabbath-Led Zep-Uriah Heep-..and others from “the creative force of the 70´s”. (“for me,when all the good music starts”). There are many musicians and groups, to much to mention here.
2. Were you in any bands before forming Pax? If so, please tell us history about them and if you recorded some 45's?
My main band in the middle of the 60´s (starts in 1964) was “Los Shain´s”, with a lot of work,concerts, tv, tours all the country and : 6 LP and near 40 of the 45 rpm single discs, With this band we were the most successful and popular in the country (see “Los Shain´s” in the internet and there is a lot of info about), and some music videos in “you tube” too). With some changes we played near the year 1969, when I tryed to do some different kind of sound, coming from this time :pop rock (64-69´), I´m going more into the primary hard sound-distortion oriented style of the “hippie Woodstock era”, and later the “hard rock”.
With “Los Shain´s” we made good music and the members of the band were really good musicians too, but they were not in the “vibes” of the new sound that I discovered and was my new horizon to do. And then I made “the new Shain´s” with another people that were into this new kind of sound that I was looking for. With this band, we made one LP and a mini LP with 4 songs. They are a cover songs from :Cream-Hendrix-Blind Faith-Black Sabbath and some of our own material. This becomes the “pre-Pax”.
3. At what moment did you form Pax and why did you choose this name?
When I was ready with the exact kind of musicians, (at the middle of 1969). We were searching for a name that becomes easy to remember, simple and easy fonetically for the Spanish spoken people here in Peru. We prepared a list with all the members of the band (we are 4) and when I saw this : “Pax” becomes the chosen, because it has all the above features, and then “Pax” is born (we don't know exactly who was the “father” but I adopted, because I was-until now-the director of the band, and register the name). The main idea of the band was to make our own songs, and only few hard rock covers, but with our style.
4. Did Pax released any 45's?
We made one 45 rpm in “sono radio” (“firefly”--“resurrection of the sun”) before the LP, and after this we changed to “el virrey” and make 2 : (“radar love”--“dark rose” and “”Mr. Skin”—“exorcism”).
In the year 1984 we made (with new members, the same now remain the same) a 45 rpm “radar love” in Spanish and a song “exrterminio” , the music is mine and lyrics by the bass player and lead singer Jorge Mora Silva.
5. In 1970 you released legendary LP called May God and Your Will Land You and Your Soul Miles Away. What do you remember from recording and producing this LP?
To make our LP, this was our production, all with the idea too,
The songs and part of the technical direction because I´m sound engineer too.(but the people in the company don´t work fine to transfer the tape to the acetate master, with lot of noise, not present in the master tape. When this record was transfered to cd in the 80´s, the problem was corrected.
The idea of the cover was made by our drummer (Miguel Flores), to give a subliminal message against the military dictatorship that ruled the country at the time.
The picture inside the record was made by a friend with our idea and the back over picture was by a friend of Miguel-the drummer.
I don´t know about how many copies we sold, because “sono radio” was broken few years after this, but I suspect it was a good quantity.
In the 80´s and we made a deal with a UK company to make this in CD. After this the sales became more and more successful.
6. I will wrote down songs from LP and I would love if you could comment each song in a few words.
A1 A Storyless Junkie
Is a typical hard song with a message for the people involved in drugs, with a powerful riff and double bass drum work (one of my best songs of all the time).
A2 Rock an' Ball
Good old rock´n roll with a touch of Jeff Beck´s sound. Idea from the bass player, mr. Mark Aguilar (that comes from the USA) and me.
A3 Green Paper (Toilet)
Kind of country rock (specially at the end) song from the idea of the drummer Miguel Flores.
A4 Sittin' on My Head
Psychedelic sound with touch of Jimi Hendrix (specially the wha wha pedal).
B1 Deep Death
The sound of the hard. progre rock , flavor of “deep purple” And the pure rock sound of the 70´s.
B2 For Cecilia
A song made by the bass player Mark Aguilar(with strings orchestra) in memorian of a very special girl for him. At the end changes made by me with a Led Zep inspiration idea.
B2 Pig Pen Boogie
A powerful heavy boogie with good drum work and a Latin flavor changes in the middle of the song.
B3 Shake Your Ass
The close with something fun (made in real time at the rehearsal-break time).
Most of the song was by me (the music) and the bass player (Mark Aguilar) do the lyrics, except the ones indicated.
7. What can you tell me about touring? Where and with who did you tour?
I would love if you could tell me some interesting concert experiences that happen to you during some shows?
With the band (in the 3 different times :70´s-80´s and now) we made a lot of touring over all the country, some alone and others with a different bands, all the time.
Ufff......, as you can imagine I have many of them and there is no room and time for this, but most of all good experiences (like the fans take out some of the clothes, the girls.......humm, you know. Je.je.je
But there is one specially that I remember : we went to a stadium to make a concert and our car driver made a traffic infraction, a police stopped the car and we were out of time to make our presentation, he recognized the band and told us if we have tickets to the concert, we gave them to him and finish all, he said “good luck,see you later Pax.”.
8. What was the main inspiration for your guitar playing? I can hear a lot of Hendrix influences in your playing....
That´s right, remember I said about this in the question 1, but some reminds sometimes of Ritchie Blackmore too. I´m really a musician with an inspiration at the time (the feeling at the moment of playing-anywhere). May be i would make a solo most different depends on my time and circumstances.
“i believe in the 50-50 balance : 50 % of technical and 50 % of inspiration-feeling”.no more, no less.
9. What happened next?
This happens like I told you in the touring circumstances and experiences and the things that happened until now...........
10. I know you were playing in a band called Gerardo Manuel & El Humo. You released two albums with this band and couple of singles...
Gerardo Manuel was the third lead singer in my first band in the middle 60´s “Los Shain´s”,and when we took different musical experiences but still stay friends, he called me about a new solo experience with the multi groups (from different bands), and told me if I can make the guitar and keyboard work in this project (remember I made all the keyboards in “Pax”, some in a live work with the guitar in my shoulder, using the keyboard and before take again the guitar.
About the technical work, and the arrangements in this project I know, but the part of the idea of the art cover, I believe it was an idea of Gerardo and “el virrey”.the same about the sales.
11. Machu Picchu 2000 was your next album. Your sound changed a bit...This one is released on a major label on Polydor. What can you tell me about this LP?
It's the same ,but with less of my participation (in guitar and moog synthesizer on a few).
12. Did you toured with this band? Share some interesting stories...
The idea of this band-project is to make a group that in Spanish “humo” means “smoke” and with this idea, the people who are there may be play sometimes and another change,and changes,and changes.................and becomes “smoke”.you try to understand the idea.with no real compromises at all in the musicians . There were only few tours with me.
13. What happened after that?
In these time I'm making music with “Pax”, and when the moment became more dangerous for making rock music in Perú , because the military, I made some projects with not to much public because the censors I left the band in a “cryogenic break”until “Pax” re-born in the 80´s with the back of the democracy and all starts again.
14. What are you doing these days?
In this moment I´m writing this for you....je.je,je (joke).
seriously, I´m playing gigs, touring, making new songs... with “pax”, the same members of the “80´s era” : Jorge “coco” Silva Mora –bass and lead vocals. Nicolas Mantani Awapara-drums., and me: Enrique “pico” Ego Aguirre Pajuelo-guitar-keyboards-vocals.
15. I would like to thank you for taking your time and effort. Would you like to share anything else, perhaps?
I have to thank you to make this good work about all (amazing work congratulations). We are preparing with the band a new cd with some fresh new songs and the renewal of the 70-80´s songs with the kind of sound that we do now.and “still hard rock forever”!.........
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