Vic Fuentes

Victor Vincent "Vic" Fuentes (born February 10, 1983, in San Diego, California) is an American singer-songwriter and musician, best known for his work with the American post-hardcore rock band Pierce the Veil.

Vic Fuentes
Vic Fuentes performing in 2013
Background information
Birth nameVictor Vincent Fuentes
Born (1983-02-10) February 10, 1983
OriginSan Diego, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1998–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitepiercetheveil.net

Biography

Fuentes was born on February 10, 1983, in San Diego, California, to Vivian K. Fuentes and Victor Gamboa Fuentes, a painter and former jazz musician.[1] He has a younger brother, Mike Fuentes, two half-brothers, and one half-sister.[2] He is related to Nick Martin, who currently plays in Sleeping with Sirens.[3]

At age 7, Fuentes learned to play guitar.[4][5] After attending Mission Bay High School, he attended San Diego State University, where he studied graphic design. He quit studying after his former band Before Today was signed to Equal Vision Records.[6][7]

He wrote the song "A Match Into Water" on their third album, Collide with the Sky, for his former girlfriend who was suffering from breast cancer.[8]

He is friends with Curtis Peoples, who was co-writer of the gold single "King for a Day". They played together in a band called 3 Simple Words while attending high school.[9]

Musical career
Main articles: Pierce the Veil and Isles & Glaciers

During his time at Mission Bay High School Fuentes played in a local punk band called 3 Simple Words alongside Curtis Peoples, who later worked together with Pierce the Veil on some songs, including "King for a Day".

In 1998 he formed a band called Early Times with his younger brother Mike.[10] After releasing three EPs the band was forced to rename due to copyright violation. The group changed their name to "Before Today". After signing a recording contract with Equal Vision Records the band released their only album, A Celebration of an Ending, in 2004 before breaking up two years later.[11]

In 2007 the duo released their debut record, A Flair for the Dramatic, with the newformed band called Pierce the Veil. With this band Fuentes released three more albums, Selfish Machines, Collide with the Sky, and Misadventures after integrating bassist Jaime Preciado and guitarist, Tony Perry. He toured in North America, South America, Australia, Asia and Europe several times, played at big music festivals such as Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, Reading and Leeds, Warped Tour, Soundwave Festival and Slam Dunk Festival. On concert tours Fuentes shared stage with acts including Bring Me the Horizon, All Time Low, Sleeping with Sirens, Tonight Alive and A Day to Remember.

Alongside his brother, he was involved in the short-lived supergroup Isles & Glaciers with musicians including Jonny Craig, Craig Owens, Brian Southall, Nick Martin and Matt Goddard. After playing only one show at SXSW 2009 and releasing only one EP (The Hearts of Lonely People) in 2010, the band broke up.[12]

Fuentes was also a session guitarist for a short North American tour with the short-living pop punk band Cinematic Sunrise.[13]

Songwriting

Fuentes has written songs with the likes of Tom Denney, Curtis Peoples and Dave Yaden. He doesn't have a concept for writing his songs but gains inspiration from familiar situations, personal experiences in relationships, touring and friends.[14]

I try not to really go with any sort of concept or anything like that. Some bands are very political; some bands only write about love. Our band is always about what has recently happened, whatever is happening in our families, in our lives, our relationships, our tours and our friends. Whatever is weighing heavy in our minds is going to come out.

—Vic Fuentes in an interview[14]

'Bulls in the Bronx' has a crazy story to it. It's a sad story, but it inspired the song. It's about this girl who is 16, and her friends wrote to me and said she recently committed suicide, along with a link to her Tumblr page. It was one of the most haunting things I've ever seen. It's so sad because she was such a sweet-looking girl too. There were things on there where she would say how she thought she was worthless, ugly, and all this crazy stuff. That whole thing really stuck with me for a while, and I wrote this song about her.

—Vic Fuentes in an interview with Mind Equals Blown[15]

He has written songs inspired by fans, such as "Bulls in the Bronx", on the album Collide with the Sky. This was written for Olivia Penpraze, who committed suicide in April 2012. Her friends wrote a letter to the band about what had happened. Penpraze had been a fan of Pierce the Veil.[16] The band dedicated one song on Collide with the Sky to the young Australian, but it isn't sure definitively whether it is "Bulls in the Bronx" or "Hold On Till May".

"I Don't Care If You Are Contagious", from the second album, Selfish Machines, was also a fan-inspired song. The musicians said in an interview with music magazine Alternative Press that a young girl had contacted the band, writing that her boyfriend had died in a car accident,[17] and that they had met for the first time during a Pierce the Veil concert.[17] Fuentes wrote this song as a present for her.[17]

"Million Dollar Houses (The Painter)" from the same record is dedicated to his parents. The song is about their parents, who never separated even in a time when the family had almost nothing.[17]

Many fans thanked the band for the songs they wrote. They certify their lyrics would have a "healing effect". Some listeners prevented self-harm while listening to his lyrics.[8]

Vocals

Vic Fuentes is well known for his high vocal range, which was compared to Claudio Sanchez from Coheed and Cambria by Elmar Salmutter, writing for the German Metal Hammer magazine.[18]

Accolades

Discography

Before Today
  • A Celebration of an Ending (2004)

Pierce the Veil
Main article: Pierce the Veil discography

Isles & Glaciers

Guest appearances
YearSongAlbumArtist
2007"Higher Than Kites" (feat. Vic Fuentes)DemoLower Definition[21]
2009"Aviation" (feat. Vic Fuentes)The City, the Circus EPMisdelphia[22]
2010"Love Is a Cat from Hell" (feat. Vic Fuentes)IlluminaudioChiodos[23]
2012"Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye Cover)" (feat. Vic Fuentes)Punk Goes Pop 5Mayday Parade[24]
2013"A Love Like War" (feat. Vic Fuentes)Don't PanicAll Time Low[25]
2014"Starving for Friends" (feat. Vic Fuentes)Through Art We Are All EqualsSlaves[26]
"Sad News in a Quiet Room" (feat. Vic Fuentes)Wandermere EPKeyes[27]
gollark: I updated the apioform algorithm.
gollark: Actually, not all GTech™ apinators do.
gollark: Well, once we have one of the desired type an GTech™ apinator/apiogenesis device can easily duplicate it.
gollark: Okay, time to change the apioformic algorithms.
gollark: GTech™ prefers to synthesize apioumbraforms via programmable optical phased array tech.

References
  1. Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press #296.1 (März 2013): Kings for a Day – Finally, S. 76: "Victor Fuentes Sr. still struggles with his painting business."
  2. Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press #296.1 (März 2013): Kings for a Day – Finally, S. 79: "Vivian was a teen mum in Oklahoma. Debbie (54), David (52) and Frank (50) are all from her first marriage."
  3. Aaron: Decoy Music: Interview: Nick Martin (Isles & Glaciers / Underminded / Cinematic Sunrise) Archived September 25, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Stephanie Castor: Guitar World: Exclusive: Pierce the Veil Premiere and Discuss New Song, “Bulls in the Bronx,” and New Album, 'Collide With the Sky'
  5. Karen Cotton: Wyoming Tribune-Eagle: "Pierce the Veil" sings need and desire, S. 4: "I get my music influence from my dad, ... He was the one who taught me how to play the guitar in the beginning. He raised me on jazz and Spanish rock. That's where I first learned to play the guitar."
  6. FUZE Magazine: Pierce the Veil - My Artwork: Würde ich keine Musik machen, wäre ich wohl Grafikdesigner, Seite 17 (Fuze #35, Sep/Aug 2012, Download)
  7. Dave Good: San Diego Reader: Pierce the Veil's Mexi-Core
  8. Amanda Ferrante Batista: The Aquarian: An Interview with Pierce The Veil: Colliding With The Sky
  9. Ryan J. Downey: Alternative Press (Ausgabe 321.2): Cabin Fever Dream, S. 76: "That friend, Curtis Peoples, is one of the main songwriters credited with the smash single [King For A Day] from Collide with the Sky, and has been Vic's friend since kindergarten. ... When they were in high school, Peoples invited Vic to join his band, 3 Simple Words."
  10. Allmusic: BEFORE TODAY | A CELEBRATION OF AN ENDING | ALBUM
  11. San Diego Reader: Pierce the Veil
  12. Emily: Blunt Magazine: Pierce the Veil: Interview
  13. Alternative Press: AP Exclusive: Cinematic Sunrise tour diary (part one) Archived 2016-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
  14. Annie Zaleski: Alternative Press: Interview: Pierce The Veil's Vic Fuentes on recording their “eclectic” third album
  15. Ridge Briel: Mind Equals Blown: Interview: Pierce the Veil
  16. Ross Coulthart: Yahoo News: When nobody listens Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Alternative Press: Track-By-Track: Pierce The Veil Archived 2017-04-11 at the Wayback Machine
  18. Elmar Salmutter: Metal Hammer #2/2008: page 96, to be seen here (Rolling Stone Archive)
  19. Alternative Press: Announcing the first AP Music Awards! Get all the details and vote for your favorite artists!
  20. Alternative Press: Here are all the 2015 APMAs nominees! Archived 2016-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdqfv-aHI9o
  22. https://www.last.fm/music/Misdelphia/_/Aviation+(Ft.+Vic+Fuentes+Of+Pierce+The+Veil)
  23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmJdJnl2a8s
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftE9uSPpecs
  25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDbVY3gCJgg
  26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql7gHUHEgrw
  27. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWg7c80WUwI
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