Forgotten Faces

We all love those Youtube famous stars who are ordinary guys by morning and sensations by night. When it comes to alternative metal the next best thing is hidden within the community of Visalia, California. The four man band of Forgotten Faces is climbing up their way to stardom within their community and in the cyber world of Facebook and Youtube. This high school band was founded in September of 2012 and have grown in popularity and talent since. They have Rod Reyes as bass and vocals, Lucas Rivera on drums, his brother Cesar Rivera II on lead guitar and vocals, and the main man himself Hector Agredano on lead vocals. So what makes this band different than those around them? Their common passion and meaningful lyrics that go beyond words on a page but words that relates to their fans. “ I personally think the most important part of writing a song is the emotion being conveys and the point one wishes to get across to the listener,” Cesar says.


They released their music video of their song Absence on Youtube on July 18th of 2014 and now has almost 2,000 views. For many big name bands that number isn’t anything to take pride in but when it comes to local bands this is an accomplishment! Absence started off originally as a former band members lyrics but when he left the band he trusted Cesar with them to do what he wanted with them. So Hector and Cesar got to work on the potential they saw within the lyrics and after several attempts Absence was born. “It’s strange how this song originally wasn’t our idea, but is still very personal to us and our most recognized song.” Hector stated, “ It was our first song we ever composed so it’s very special song to us.”


Absence may be the most popular but not their only work. These guys aren’t some one shot wonders because they have a genuine lifelong passion for the music they play. Lucas recalls a time when Cesar woke up in the middle of the night with a guitar riff stuck in his head and spent time trying to memorize it which later turned into their song Mourning Star. The excitement and love for the music they play comes off the second they hit that stage as their confidence radiates into the audience. “I feel excited and pumped up to put on a good show. I feel alive when I perform,” Rod says. “When we have our fans watching us perform, it excites us. It gives us more energy! It makes us want to go all out in front of the crowd,” Lucas beams.


Of course with every high school band there are obstacles that all they all face. For all of them they faced the harsh reality there isn’t enough time in a day for everything sometimes. Between school work and everyday life practicing with a band can seem near impossible. They also face lack of gigs near them in their hometown so having to travel long distances and finding a way to get their poses a hardship on the band. For the Rivera brothers their personal obstacles come from within themselves. Lucas had to overcome mild stage fright when it came to performing and for Cesar it was not letting his mind get the best of him when it came to overthinking things and battling the thoughts of whether they were ‘good enough’. But they don’t have trouble getting support at gigs for their music with people complimenting them and being able to connect with their fans. “ It feels really good when the listener completely get you and understand you,” Hector stated.


Spending all this time together they are bound to have their share of stories they like. Hector recalls a time when they performed at an open mic and elementary students started jamming out to their music and thought it was the most awesome thing he’d ever seen. Lucas told me a funny story about Cesar, who while rehearsing a cover of F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X by The Fall of Troy started to belt out lyrics but before he could finish it his voice cracked loudly making the rest of the guys crack up. Poor Cesar, of course, but we can’t help but laugh slightly at it because you can feel the family like quality these boys have for one another. As a local band these guys rely more on each other to keep going because take away the fans and the popularity, it’s their common love for music that keeps them together and makes their friendship stronger.


They are so thankful to their families and friends for all the support they give each other. They also wanted to thank their former bassist and their best friend Ian Nova for everything he’s done for the group. Now let’s go out and support our local music scenes because these are the stars of tomorrow! - Natalie Stanhope