The Lincoln Log

Songs about normal relationships and boring heartbreaks are clichéd and overused in the music industry. A San Diego band, Pierce the Veil (PTV), is no different in terms of their song subjects on relationship issues. Even their sound is sometimes indistinguishable from other run-of-the-mill post hardcore bands. However, the way PTV presents such a subject through their lyrics is nothing short of a cathartic wonderland. With their raw stage presence, PTV has managed to shine their way out of dingy San Diego house shows and into full-fledged United States tours.

PTV was officially birthed by brothers Vic (vocalist/songwriter) and Mike Fuentes (drummer).

“The band actually started about a year and a half ago. We’re a pretty new band. From the very beginning, Mike and I knew exactly what to do with the album and we recorded it early ourselves,” said Vic.

Their first and latest album, A Flair For the Dramatic sings, in their case, screams of past relationships and ex-girlfriends.

“Most of the lyrics on this album are personal to me. They’re about a few relationships I’ve had and things that had inhabited my mind a lot,” said Vic Fuentes.

Though the majority of Flair consists of songs about love, Vic was hesitant on basing the album on such a theme.

“I never thought I would write about these simple personal issues. It’s not really my style, but I ended up doing it for this album anyways,” said Vic.

“I’m glad I did use this subject because it makes everything more real. The songs are more genuine because these subjects are real. They’re not just for the appeal of the fans. In turn, this makes the band more genuine. Even when I’m playing these songs at a show, it brings back all these memories and makes all these occurrences more real for me.”

PTV signed onto Equal Vision Records early on in its’ career and had tours to be on, in the very beginning.

“We already had a label at the start and we had people who were ready to get us on tour. Once we got everything organized, we put everything out there and just started doing it,” said Vic.

Life for the band couldn’t seem to be any easier and struggle-free to the outsider looking in- getting signed early and having tours to go on. This misconception doesn’t even touch the truth, as problems constantly loom for the band during their tours as well as in their personal lives.

“There are difficulties to touring, we’ve been on the road for the last eight months. Some of us have girlfriends- it can really mess up relationships. We have friends and family at home who we never get to see. Unlike other bands, we’re not on some huge van equipped with tech guys and roadies, we’re doing it all ourselves- driving to every show, working, setting up the stage. People always think that we get a hotel and hang out after a show. In reality, we pack up our trailer and travel all night. It can be really exhausting and that’s the hardest part for me.”

Vic quickly interrupts himself and adds “it’s all worth it at the end of the day.”

The members of PTV are close-knit. In fact, they’re like a family- with no lineup changes and two siblings in the band.

“Having my brother in the band, we have this connection, this extra understanding of each other that only siblings have,” said Vic.

Despite the many tours, PTV has been on and the things they’ve experienced, this band is relatively new and is still coming into grips with themselves and their identity. They are in discovery of their niche in the Screamo music genre.

After their first album came out, they have quickly built a large fan base. Having yet to mature to find their individual sound, there’s no telling what this band will progress into.