Photo credits: Gabethepidgeon
Hey Brian, how’s it going! Good to reconnect with you for the readers that don’t know you, could you tell them a little bit about yourself and what bands you play in?
Good to reconnect with you too! I am Brian Ortiz aka Bigg Obsidian Bear or just Bigg, I play guitar in Xibalba. I also handle vocal, guitars, folk instruments and percussion duties in Tzompantli. I also have a small side project called Mortuary Punishment where I play everything.
What got you into music and wanting to play in a band? Any particular moment in your life that made you go “I want to do that!”.
There was a lot that got me into music, my pops played drums for bands back in the late 70’ s/ early 80’s. He would listen to a lot of cool music that I liked, like Black Sabbath, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, etc. But I would say 4th and 5th grade when me, my cousin and friends started listening to music and watching music videos on MTV. Headbangers Ball was huge for us as kids. We started dubbing tapes for each other of Offspring, Rancid, Bad Religion, Deftones, Pantera and a bunch more.
Who are your top five influences and what drew you to their particular style?
There are so many but I would say my top 5 are Morbid Angel, Crowbar, Sepultura (the Cavalera years), Neurosis, Earth Crisis.
Could you tell us a bit about some of the bands you’ve played in and what the California scene was like when coming up?
I used to play in a band called Soldier X, we later changed our name to Time for Change from 2004-2009. We were a straightedge band. We took a lot of inspiration from the old Victory Records and 90’s hardcore bands like Strife, One King Down, Earth Crisis, Outspoken, and Unbroken. Back then the scene was fun, we play a lot of backyard shows as well as the Showcase Theatre. It was a wild time!
How did Xibalba come together? You guys are one of the best bands in hardcore and metal with a very unique sound.
Thank you! In 2006, outside the Showcase Theatre, Nate, Bryan V and myself started talking about wanting to start a heavier, more metal project. Our first jam session was in November of 2006, we wrote most of Bright Sun and just fucked around mostly. The holidays were on and crackin so we didn't actually jam again until January of 2007. So when we did, we wrote ‘Cursed’ and finished ‘Bright Sun’ at that first real practice, then ‘Hate’ and ‘Red’ the following week.
Currently, you front the band Tzompantli with a strong Aztec vibe to it. How did this band and the concept behind it come together?
I have always wanted to do a band that focused on indigenous history, mythologies and lore like Nile does with Egyptian lore and history. I had a lot of doom passages left over from writing Xibalba’s ‘Anos En Infierno’ record, that I wanted to use for something new. I figured that time would be the best time to do something solo with the indigenous vibe I was going for. So I wrote some death metal parts around them and created Tzompantli.
What is the craziest show you’ve ever played or been to?
The craziest shows I played were probably Xibalba’s ‘Hasta La Muerte record release show in Pomona. Our first time in Brooklyn in 2011, and the first few Salt Lake City shows we ever played back in the day. Craziest shows I have seen were Turnstile at Aladdin Jr in Pomona, and Cro-Mags at Red Hill Pizza here in Pomona. Lots of Showcase Theatre shows were Wild, Martyr AD, Converge, Throwdown, Terror, and many more. Boozefest backyard gig in Pico Rivera, CA back in 2000. Union 13 in some backyard in East L.A.
Now for a fun question, what’s an album by a band you like that everyone else thinks sucks?
I am not too sure what people are hating on these days but I still love me some Morrissey jams!
Thanks for doing the interview Brian! I hope to see one of your bands live soon and what can we expect from you in the future?
Expect Xibalba to play near you at some point and for me to keep writing some jams!
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