My American Heart: Sometimes Worn on Sleeve
February 10, 2006
from themusicedge.com

"All we ever wanted was to be big in San Diego," guitarist Jesse Barrera confesses with a long pause. "It kinda just blew up."

The "it" he's referring to is My American Heart, an alternative/emo band consisting of Barrera, guitarist Jeremy Mendez, drummer Steven Oira, vocalist Larry Soliman and new bassist Dustin Hook.

Merely within a couple years, the five-piece went from playing tiny hole-in-the-wall bars to booking every date on the illustrious Warped Tour and Taste of Chaos, two of the highest-grossing annual tours.

Their debut, The Meaning In Make-Up was released on Warcon Records, founded by music moguls Bob Chiappardi and Kevin Lyman. They offered MAH a contract after winning The Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands showcase in Hollywood. "He has the best reputation right now in the music industry," says Barrera. "It's cool to be on his label. We just trusted Kevin, and we had a good deal. Plus we get [to be a part of] these sweet tours."

Being cramped in a minuscule van for almost a year may take its toll on one's body and spirit, but it feels awfully right to Barrera. "I love it! All of us love it. We were born for the road," he happily explains. "I mean, we get homesick every once in a while. But we've been gone for so long we're just used to it."

Another factor contributing to the band's carefree lifestyle is members' ages, which are often brought up since no one in the band is over 18. "We're still young. There's a lot of bands who are way older than us who don't have that [financial] back-up," he says. "All of us still live with our parents, so we have no worries about bills right now. I think it's pretty cool because we don't have that pressure."

So what does a good-humored band like My American Heart have planned for Valentine's Day? "We're gonna be gone this year [on tour], so we're gonna be each other's Valentines," Barrera says jokingly.

My American Heart's youthful appeal is also beneficial in other ways, due to the fact that the mass majority of its fan base are peers. "We have this cool connection," Barrera explains with delight. "Just being the same age, we have that weird connection that just happens."

Another bond that the band members believe brings them even closer to their audience is their music. Barrera, who is also the main lyricist, describes The Meaning In Make-Up as "a new wave kind of rock with Southern old-school roots."

The record only took two months to write, and has been receiving rave reviews since it hit the shelves. "After we signed, our label said, ÔWrite a record. We're going to put it out in September.' We were like, ÔOh s**t; we were hoping [they'd release it in] June,'" he nervously recalls. "We locked ourselves in this shitty-ass practice space. It was just straight-up 24/7 writing." This resulted in the ultra-catchy single "The Process," and the album has been selling consistently since.

They've come a long way since the humble beginnings as a cover band for San Diego's Larger Than Life. "They're probably the reason why we're a band right now," Barrera says. "They're like our idols! We started off as fans, and once we got to know them, we became friends." But Barrera believes it became a much more rewarding experience when MAH started writing its own material. "To see kids really loving it and feeling itÑsomething you wroteÑit's just the best feeling ever," he says. "Our music is pretty universal, so people can listen to our songs and relate. We just want them to feel what we feel, change people's minds and open their hearts."

But the record, as a whole, isn't based on such warm intentions. The album title is actually a metaphor about their hometown's scene. "All the shows in San Diego are dead," he discloses in an ill-fated tone. "The local scene isn't too good right now. It seems like everybody's just into the mainstream stuff. The scene is just getting kinda whack in general. That's just my opinion, you know?"

"The musical style is just becoming a trend, like fashioncore," he quickly adds. "Everybody's into how they look," he says. "We're over it. We don't support that. It's all about the music, who you are and what you represent. It shouldn't matter what you look like or where you're from."

Unfortunately, to some people, the band's image does matter. The name My American Heart, which originated from vocalist Larry Soliman, is often questioned due to the ethnic diversity of the band. "We're like a little melting pot of minorities. It's just ironic," Barrera explains. "We get so much s**t! People are like, ÔHow come you're called My American Heart? You're Asian and Mexican.'" He says

"I'm like, ÔYeah, we all are American. I was born here. I live here,'" he justifies. Even with the invariable ignorance the band faces on a daily basis, the guys don't take the comments personally, and Barrera even describes these encounters as "funny."

So what does a good-humored band like My American Heart have planned for Valentine's Day? "We're gonna be gone this year [on tour], so we're gonna be each other's Valentines," Barrera says jokingly. "I'm going to give Larry some balloons, a card and maybe some kisses!"

Before this conversation came to an end, Barrera just wanted to make one thing clear to the fans: "We're all nice dudes. We all have MySpaces, so feel free to MySpace us. We're definitely not rockstars. We don't have big heads. We're friendly kids. We're just like everyone else out there. Come see us when we come to your town. Hopefully we'll do some arena tours with U2."

By Jeanette Nguyen