SEEKING BALANCE
Ex-gang member finds peace in making ‘cholo goth’ music
Being on the road helps Rafael Reyes connect with his fans.
It’s like therapy for him.
“It’s nourishing,” he says of being on tour. “When you see the love and you know that the music comes from a sacred place, then the show is more special. I’m the kind of individual that my kindness has been taken advantage of and used. It feels nice to be on stage and have the kindness felt by everyone.”
Reyes and Dave Parley make up the cholo goth duo Prayers. Though Reyes performs under the stage name Leafar Seyer.
The two men have been touring together since 2013.
Prayers describes its music as cholo goth because the lyrics explore the realities of gang and street life.
The duo released “Baptism of Thieves” on Nov. 24.
Reyes says making the new album was a great experience.
Prayers recorded the album in Los Angeles, with the exception of two songs.
“Honestly, David and I work extremely well and extremely fast,” he says. “This album is really eclectic. It’s not for lack of material. But the album took long to make because we were on tour a lot. We didn’t have the time to make it into the studio.”
Reyes is also finding some peace within his life.
He’s been in gangs and had a violent past, but he’s trying to turn his life around through music.
“There’s a balance,” he says. “I’ve struggled, and I’m in a place in my life where I’m comfortable in my skin. It’s the good and the bad. I’ve embraced it, and it’s mine. It doesn’t belong to anyone else but me. But making music is very therapeutic. My kindness has been taken for weakness, and if I don’t write the songs, I will become someone that can hurt others. What I’m doing through music is communicating with others. It’s the outlet that I need in my life.”
Reyes is also taking more time for himself by finding nature and hopes to do so in New Mexico.
“I’m hoping to get out into the mountains or the river and just feel the earth beneath me,” he says.