The story behind this Covina band’s formation takes us back to Kevin Hata and Larry Torres’ time in elementary school, where they first met. Drummer Willy Sibrian (for whom the band is named) only came into the picture in high school, when he and guitarist/vocalist Kevin formed some bands together, finally adding Larry on bass and calling themselves Population Zero. However, shortly thereafter, the guys agreed on the moniker Sibrian, realizing that their initial choice was already taken.
And since their inception not too long ago, Sibrian have already had much success, chalking it up to the fact that for being so young (the guys range in age between 18 and 21), they have a “mature rock sound.” They’ve released a CD entitled ‘Population Zero’, played all over California, and lent their talent to the soundtrack for the independent film ‘Going Greek’. I had to know how they landed this gig. “There was a battle of the bands held at the Foursquare Church in Sante Fe Springs,” explains Willy, and though they are not a Christian band (one of the most dominant misconceptions of Sibrian…), they “decided to participate in the event anyway.” As fate would have it, there just so happened to be a music scout in attendance who was looking for bands to include on the soundtrack. Seems they were just in the right place at the right time.
But back to ‘Population Zero’ and some of the themes dealt with on the record. Kevin points out one “humorous” topic is found in the song “151”, in which he indicates some of the pitfalls of “drinking yourself silly at frat parties,” such as “ending up closer to someone that [you] wouldn’t dare be seen with if you were sober.” But, for the most part, the guys deal with more serious subject matter. The song “GMR”, for instance, has special meaning for the guys, as Kevin wrote it in response to a horrific car accident “that nearly cost the life of a good friend as well as my own,” he relates. Meanwhile, the aptly-named title track, “Population Zero”, pertains to just how overwhelming change can be. Says the frontman, “Some more than others are not able to cope with change and they are ultimately stuck in a world of their own.” Likewise, Larry confides that the song “Larry” (yes, it’s named after him), “is about how no one can escape change.” Thoughtfully, he adds, “Sometimes you will not notice that the people closest to you have changed only because you have changed with them.”
It makes sense, then, that Kevin’s main inspiration for writing his lyrics comes when he notices that he has changed or feels differently about something, confiding, “I think the best time to express emotions is as you feel them.” Though Kevin does most of the songwriting, Willy mentions that Larry has co-written some of the newer songs “with excellent results.” The guys have written one song all together, entitled “Take It Back and Say You’re Sorry”.
In terms of the musical side of Sibrian, the guys have taken some of their influences, which are as disparate as metal bands like Slayer and Iron Maiden (as well as some black metal bands), the pop of Michael Jackson, and of course punk, and have melded them all into their own creative brand of fun and melodic – but still aggressive – punk rock.
So just why should people check out Sibrian’s live show? Willy confidently lists the reasons: “Lots of movement, crowd participation, and most of all, a variety of emotions.” He goes on to say that much of Sibrian’s “music is aggressive, but the fact is that we still have craploads of fun onstage” and is adamant the crowd does too. On the flipside, he also says that that’s one of the bands biggest challenges – consistently getting people to come out to shows. “Sometimes we’ll have a full house, but other times we’ll be playing for a select few,” he explains, adding, “But that only pushes us to try harder!”
There is absolutely no doubt Sibrian will tour California hard in 2004. Unfortunately, however, Kevin reveals their prospective national tour is not to be, but he assures, “That’s not going to stop us from doing everything we can to get our name out there and about the states.” Likewise, they won’t be going abroad just yet, but in time, surely it will all fall into place. Hey, it’s all good. The guys don’t have to rush into anything - they’re young and seem to have a bright future ahead of them.