Randy Torres

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Randy Torres
Randy Torres (cropped).jpg
Torres in 2006
Background information
Birth nameRandy Torres
Genres Christian metal, Christian rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, sound designer
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals, keyboards, percussion
Years active1996–present
Website randytorres.com

Randy Torres is an American guitarist, percussionist, keyboardist and background vocalist [1] from Seattle. [2] He has previously played for the bands Project 86, a Christian rock group, [3] and Crash Rickshaw. He has filled in as rhythm guitarist for the band Demon Hunter [4] and as keyboardist, guitarist, percussionist and background vocalist for Anberlin on a recent tour. [1] He has worked as a producer/engineer for Aaron Sprinkle, and for the A&R division of Tooth & Nail Records. [5] He is now a composer for film & TV. He currently is working on a project with Ryan Clark called NYVES (pronounced "knives"), [4] funded through Kickstarter. [2] [6]

Contents

History

Randy Torres began his musical career in 1996, when he formed Project 86, alongside vocalist Andrew Schwab, drummer Ethan Luck, and bassist Matt "Bean" Hernandez. However, Torres and Schwab quickly became the only original members, as Hernandez departed to play for Unashamed, while Luck went to play for The Dingees. [7] The band would begin to take off after hiring Torres' longtime best friend Steven Dail and drummer Alex Albert, who had previously both been a part of Innermeans. [7] The four recorded their debut album, which was self-titled , and released it through BEC Recordings. After that album, the band signed to Atlantic Records and re-released their sophomore album, Drawing Black Lines , which saw high commercial success. Around this time, Torres, Dail, Schwab, and Albert would be joined by a fifth member for a brief time, with Corey Edelmann of No Innocent Victim joining the band. The band would go on a tour titled Kings of the Game tour, alongside P.O.D., hed PE, and Linkin Park. [8]

Torres was one of the band's key songwriters, during his tenure, alongside Dail. Between the two, a majority of the song structures were created for the next several records, including Truthless Heroes , Songs to Burn Your Bridges By , ...And the Rest Will Follow , and Rival Factions . [7] During this time, he would also work with Aaron Sprinkle, as an additional producer and engineer. [9] However, in 2009, Torres would depart from the band, as it was no longer enjoyable. [7] [9] Despite this, he was credited on the band's next record, Picket Fence Cartel , even though he did not record on it. [7] Dail, however, did use material from Torres' demos, hence why he was credited. [10] Following his tenure with the band, he continued to work with Sprinkle for a few years, as well as tour with Demon Hunter, until he became A&R at Tooth & Nail Records. [7] [9] During his time at the label, he signed bands such as I Am Empire and The Letter Black. [9] He would then leave his position to tour with Anberlin in 2010. [7] [9] Once the tours finished, he reached out to a contact he had during his time with Sprinkle, who worked at Microsoft. Torres would then be hired by Microsoft and began working with them on video games as a composer. [9]

After he worked with Microsoft, he would eventually leave to get into the film industry, working on sound, with the contact who helped him at Microsoft helping him once more. [9] While involved in the industry, he worked on films such Suicide Squad , Dunkirk , and a plethora of others. [11] [12] As a side project to his main career, Torres formed the project known as NYVES, which featured him and Ryan Clark, a longtime friend of Torres' and the lead vocalist of Demon Hunter and Training for Utopia. [7] [9] [11] The project, an extreme departure from anything the two had done previously, aside from Clark's project Low & Behold. [7] NYVES released the album, Anxiety, came out in June 2015. The project also released an EP, Pressure EP. [13]

Bands

Current

Former

Touring

Session

Selected discography

Project 86
Crash Rickshaw
NYVES

Additional musician

Production

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Demon Hunter (band)</span> American metal band

Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, formed by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark in 2000. Ryan is the band's only remaining original member, as Don left in 2009. As of the 2010s, the band has sold over 600,000 albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project 86</span> American rock band

Project 86 is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1996. The band has released twelve albums, which have collectively sold nearly 500,000 units worldwide, two EPs, two DVDs, and one live album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solid State Records</span> American record label

Solid State Records is a metalcore record label, an imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. Unlike Tooth & Nail, Solid State signs hardcore punk and heavy metal bands. Like Tooth & Nail, Solid State is primarily a Christian label. However, it signed several bands with Christian members which don't label themselves as Christian bands, including Stretch Arm Strong, Gwen Stacy, He Is Legend, the Famine, Training for Utopia, and the Agony Scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anberlin</span> American alternative rock band

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falling Up (band)</span> American indie rock band

Falling Up was an American rock band from Albany, Oregon. Falling Up formed in October 2001 and released their debut album Crashings in 2004. They were signed to BEC Recordings in 2003 after a recommendation from friends in the band Kutless. Their lyrics were heavily inspired by their conundrums with spirituality.

<i>Project 86</i> (album) 1998 studio album by Project 86

Project 86 is the debut album of the American band Project 86. It was released on June 16, 1998 on BEC Recordings, the Christian imprint of Tooth & Nail Records. This album established Project 86 as one of the more promising hardcore/metal groups in the Christian music scene. According to one critic, Project 86 became "one of the few Christian acts to gain exposure to the general market" by the turn of the millennium. The album sold over 30,000 copies before the release of the band's second album in the year 2000.

<i>...And the Rest Will Follow</i> 2005 studio album by Project 86

...And the Rest Will Follow is the fifth studio album by American christian rock band, Project 86, released on September 27, 2005 by Tooth & Nail Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethan Luck</span> Musical artist

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Crash Rickshaw is a side project of the post-hardcore band Project 86. It was founded by Alex Albert, Steven Dail and Joby Harris, with Randy Torres joining later. Crash Rickshaw released their self-titled album on September 11, 2001, on Tooth & Nail Records. Their second album, The Unknown Clarity, was released on iTunes on March 11, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Sprinkle</span> American record producer

Aaron Sprinkle is an American record producer and musician from Seattle, Washington.

<i>Truthless Heroes</i> 2002 studio album by Project 86

Truthless Heroes is the third studio album released by the American metal band Project 86. It was released on September 12, 2002 on Tooth & Nail Records and September 24, 2002 on Atlantic Records and debuted at number 146 on the Billboard Top 200, with over 7,000 copies sold.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Clark (musician)</span> American musician (born 1979)

Ryan Curtis Clark is an American musician who also has performed under the stage name Maven. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian metal band Demon Hunter, which he co-founded with his brother, guitarist Don Clark. He was also the frontman for Christian metalcore band Training for Utopia along with being one of the guitarists for Focal Point. He is featured on Zao's The Lesser Lights of Heaven DVD and Mark Salomon's Podcast, Never Was.

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<i>Songs to Burn Your Bridges By</i> 2003 studio album by Project 86

Songs to Burn Your Bridges By is the fourth album by American Christian rock band Project 86. Originally released independently in November 2003 on the band's own label Team Black, the album was re-released on Tooth & Nail Records on June 1, 2004. In addition to a slightly re-ordered track listing, the re-release featured new artwork, three previously unreleased songs, and higher production quality.

<i>Picket Fence Cartel</i> 2009 studio album by Project 86

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Schwab</span> American singer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Dail</span> Musical artist

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References

  1. 1 2 "Anberlin". Spirit of Rock. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Hurst, Samantha (November 7, 2014). "Seattle Musicians Launch Kickstarter Campaign For New Electronic Music Collaboration; Raises $25,000 in Two Days". Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2003). 2002 Billboard Music Yearbook Billboard's Music Yearbook, 2002 Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Music Reference Series. Record Research, Incorporated. p. 192. ISBN   0898201543.
  4. 1 2 Downey, Ryan, J. (December 17, 2014). "The 15 Best Solo, Side Project And Supergroup Songs of 2014: NYVES - "Fall Behind"". Alternative Press. Retrieved January 3, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Clark, Ryan. "The new electronic project from Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter) and Randy Torres (Project 86)". Kickstarter. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  6. ↑ Sarachik, Justin (November 6, 2014). "Demon Hunter Vocalist and Former Project 86 Guitarist Form Electric Rock Inspired Duo NYVES". Breathe Cast. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Torres, Randy (February 6, 2016). "#31 ...a Composer". Never Was Podcast. Interviewed by Mark Salomon . Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ Mancini, Robert (October 4, 2000). "P.O.D. Taps hed (pe) For "Kings" Tour". MTV . Archived from the original on July 10, 2001. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Torres, Randy (January 21, 2021). "Tooth & Nail All Purpose All Star: Randy Torres". Labeled: The Stories, Rumors, and Legends of Tooth & Nail Records. Interviewed by Matt Carter. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  10. ↑ Dail, Steven (January 20, 2021). "268. Discuss Metal Episode 035: Steven Dail of Starflyer 59". Discography Discussion. Interviewed by Daniel Terry. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Torres, Randy (April 10, 2018). "Randy Torres". Urban Achiever Podcast. Interviewed by Billy Power. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Randy Torres". IMDb . Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  13. ↑ "NYVES". Bandcamp. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
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