Armed with a bold collection of albums and singles from multiple creative corners of metal, hardcore and hard rock – Guitarist, guitar-tech, producer and composer Osi Pavez kindly took part in an interview.
We talk everything from career building in music to writing songs, networking, ambition, and plenty more. Here’s the conversation in full.
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Hi Osi – great to connect, thanks for the interview. To introduce things – where are you based, and what first inspired you to learn guitar and composition?
Hi! Thank you for your interest in my work. Currently I’m based in South Florida – USA. But my career and life started in Santa Cruz – Bolivia. My dad was a musician and I guess he inspired me into that career path. Eventually finding my identity in the metal scene, further motivated me into producing, composing and recording as well.
What prompted you to create the project Ztate Of Mind – why this name, and what does the music represent for you?
Ztate of Mind is my first professional project. After spending a year in Chile learning how to be a sound engineer, I went back to Santa Cruz and decided it was time to boost the metal scene in my hometown. My brother was part of the band at the time and we started funding our first record by doing a Slipknot tribute, which was very successful.
The name comes from the lyrics of a Slipknot song. Eventually we started composing and entering contests. We won every time and that’s how it took off. We have had different band mates, but everything was managed by me and my wife, Vannesa Trigo, who does the photos and videoclips for the band.
The Tower Of Skulls album is immense – what was the creative process like for this, and how does the storytelling and musicianship tie together?
This album, I feel like, is my favorite so far. We decided to experiment with new sounds. We stepped away from trying to sound like Slipknot or other bands that were our influences, and decided to go with our gut. I composed the musical part of the album. Around that time, political changes were destabilising our country, so Samuel Vargas, the lead vocalist, used that as inspiration to work on darker lyrics that reflected what we were going through. This is not our native language so it was challenging to write deep lyrics, but very satisfying to have the end project.
How did Contracultura come to be, and what does this group bring out in you creatively that your solo work does not?
Contracultura is a hardcore band that has existed for over 25 years. It was one of the bands I admired the most from my hometown, because they shared the same faith as I did and they were amazing musicians. In the year 2021 they invited me to join them as a guitarist, even though I was starting projects in the United States. It was a wonderful experience as I would travel back and forth for concerts or interviews. But the best part was that I was part of something I dreamed with, which was sharing the gospel with the underground scene, while doing something I love which is music.
You’re also a guitar tech, engineer and producer. How do you balance these disciplines, and what is it about the guitar that draws such passion from you?
I think they all come hand in hand. When you are a Musician, almost without trying, everything in your life starts lining up with your passion. I started as a guitarist and that is still my main instrument. Producing and composing came naturally as there were no other producers for metal in my hometown.
Guitar tech was a learning opportunity of my craft. Each part of my work comes together in everything I do and I love that. I am now focusing in expanding my role as a producer for different genres, and also starting my new solo project which is also faith based metal.
How important is collaboration and networking for building and maintaining such a multi-faceted career in music?
As in any career I believe is the most important aspect. We are nothing without a community, and collaborating is the greatest tool to expand your knowledge, experience and reach.
How often do you hit the stage as a live musician, and how does that experience compare with the writing and more drawn-out studio sessions required to record?
Although I wouldn’t call it a stage, I play on the worship team every Sunday at my local church. But for my other projects I have concerts about once a month or every two months. This year I will focus on producing and may perform a little less until my new project takes off. The experience of playing live beats everything else, but in order to get there we need to work on our craft in the studio and everything else that inspires us to create.
If you could only share one track or video with a new listener to represent your style, which would you choose, and why?
This is a hard question because I’m exploring a new genre with my new project called Bless The Waves. But I would say The Blackest Black from Ztate of Mind represents my biggest challenge musically.
What would be your single biggest ambition as you make your way through 2025?
I want my new project to reach as many people as possible, and I also want to be completely satisfied with the outcome. This is my new special project and I’m focusing all my energy in it. At the same time I want to explore and learn more about the new genres I will be working with. The challenges will be learning experiences and hopefully I will come out a much better musician, composer and producer by year’s end.
What’s the best piece of advice you could give to young or aspiring musicians who dream of building a career within the creative space?
Never give up, never stop practicing, and find ways to surround yourself with like minded people. This is a hard career path, but it takes off when you are open to learning and don’t give up.
Is there anything else we should know?
My new project, Bless The Waves, will come out with a new single in April. We have an Instagram page where we will post updates @blessthewaves. I’m very excited about this. I hope this is a project that God uses to bless as many lives as possible, and I do everything through His grace. Thank you!
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Find Osi Pavez on Instagram or check out Ztate of Mind on YouTube.
