Looking for a new, undiscovered band to follow? Here’s one for you, Fire at the Enemy. I recently had the privilege of interviewing Raul Chapa and Justin Vasquez, two Pitman students, and learned a lot about their band that I did not know before. In my opinion, Fire at the Enemy seems like a good band that we should all check out.

  Raul is the band’s “leader”. He is a senior at Pitman, but he hasn’t always lived here. Raul was born in Texas and later moved to San Jose, where he lived until he was about seven years old. He attended Denis Earl Elementary until fourth grade and then went to Northview Christian for fifth and sixth grade. He now is glad to be a student at Pitman and without Pitman, there would be no Fire at the Enemy.

  Raul has been dreaming of starting a band since freshman year.  “I wanted to start it because I love music and just for something to do,” Raul explained. Starting a band took time though; he spent a lot of time searching for the right people to join his band. It was important to Raul that people he picked could play well, were reliable, and were individuals he could easily get along with.  He finally found the right mix: Justin Vasquez, Sergio Vega, and Noah Vanderbrass.

  The boys began practicing on August twenty-fourth and are still going. They spend two to three days a week practicing and composing their own songs, something that I found very impressive.  Raul said, “Their [the songs’] inspiration comes from life experiences, even the bad. We also use bands such as Chiodos and Devil Wears Prada to inspire us.”  When I asked how long this took, Justin answered, “It usually takes us a few days to get the songs just right.”

  Fire at the Enemy plays mostly hard core and metal music. Raul plays the bass, Noah Vanderbrass plays the drums, Justin Vasquez plays rhythm guitar and Sergio Vega is their lead singer; although Raul often sings with Sergio. Together, the boys have performed at a few house parties and coffee houses. They hope to play more often and in more places.

  After he graduates, Raul says, “I plan to go to college and major in music.” I then asked him what was going to happen to the band after graduation and he answered, “The band is going to be recording an EP that’s going to be released by the end of summer. We are planning to send it to a few record companies after it’s released.”

  Raul has a lot of support from his family which helps the band majorly. He said, “My mom is the one that helps us make all the big decisions.” One word of advice Raul has for those of you who want to start your band is “Work towards it; you need people who are committed and you need strong players.”

  So the next time you see Raul Chapa or Justin Vasquez around campus, ask them about their band. Then you can say that you knew them even before they were famous.