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Carlos D. Corrales (aka Carl D. Connor, CdC, Fedda, Confed, Fed) is the singer songwriter for the band The Eventide.

Late Early-Beginnings

Born and still thought to be residing in the Wirral (Dob unknown) Carlos picked up his first guitar at the ripe old age of 18 and without tuition began writing songs immediately. Instantly taken under the wing of John Mennie he wrote and recorded a number of songs, the majority of which were heavily influenced by John's 60s style. Among these initial recordings was a song called 'Damage is Now Done' about infant child abuse. The vocal to this haunting panpipe piece is rumoured to have been sung in complete darkness and is wholly autobiographical (as are all his songs). This kind of self-exorcism of personal demons was to continue to develop over time.

As a favour to John, Carlos uncharacteristically agreed to record 2 cover songs. He provided the vocal to Cliff Richard & The Shadows, 'Tough Enough' and 'Without You'. These songs stayed loyal to the originals however Carlos' vocal completely overshadowed the original versions.

The 15 or so tracks recorded at this time formed the compilation 'From the Shed' and are so rare that the only reasonable way to get a copy is to know Carlos or John themselves.

Flying the Nest

Soon Carlos was sent out to find his own direction. John had reinforced Carlos' already 'Perfectionist' attitude and this mindset would come to assure that every song written came with the perfectionists' seal of approval. This attitude also meant that Carlos would never be happy with anything he ever recorded.

A 19 year old Carlos met up with Simon Kerr, a guitarist from Liverpool. Carlos and Simon wrote and played original blues music and rock songs. They were soon joined by guitar maestro Dave 'Fergi' Fergusson, with Simon switching to bass. Their style was an unintentional cross between Incubus and Red Hot Chilli Peppers. The 3 youngsters were later joined by Simon's cousin, Steven De Souza, on drums. Naming themselves, 'Cartel', the band honed their skills but stopped short of playing any live gigs with this line up. This was partly due to Fergi's decision to travel around Africa and Australia. Pedro Alemendros was drafted in as Fergi's replacement. Pedro being Steven's brother.

Showtime

After an amount of rehearsing that only an obsessive perfectionist could begin to comprehend, the band played their first gig. Carlos had never seen a live band play before and coupled with the fact that he had only ever listened to only a handful of bands, he was completely unaware of the general quality of live music. He thought that everyone who played live had to be as good as Nirvana, Guns n' Roses, Incubus, Alice in Chains etc. He worried morbidly that they may not be as good as the other bands on the bill.

The bands first live appearance was at the Liverpool Barfly in 2004. A nervous Carlos took to the stage alone to play 'Last This Time' and he thought that the audience could see him shaking. The song is a finger picked number which one reviewer said sounds like a beautiful river of guitars with soaring vocals. The performance was so powerful that the bar staff accidentally dropped a crate of bottles on the floor and literally ran to see who was playing. Those waiting for drinks forgot their orders and followed suit. The audience immediately knew that something special was happening and Carlos was joined by the rest of the band who proceeded to play their 1st ever gig like seasoned pros. During this performance people were seen holding their mobile phones in the air so that those at home could hear what was going on. After the gig Carlos was offered a chance to put down vocals for a local renowned DJ however this request was politely rejected as dance music wasn't something he could relate to. The band was also offered a festival spot by an organiser who was also at the gig. Not bad for a first appearance.

The band continued to take audiences and organisers by surprise. They were almost always told by organisers, staff and audiences that they were the best band to have played there. This was quite a compliment considering the band's infancy and the renown of the venues. One girl cried throughout one of their live sets and was inconsolable for the rest of the night. She told Carlos that she'd just been to see Brian Adams and that The Eventide gig was a million miles better than anything she had ever seen before. She said she now knew what real music should be. Honest, vulnerable and beautiful.

It wasn't long before the band's demand for absolute perfection took its toll. Simon wanted everything to be perfect for Carlos and said on a number of occasions that they would just be another average band if it wasn't for Carlos's voice. Simon wanted the musicians to match the vocals and pushed them hard for this. Unfortunately this led to tensions and a frustrated and exhausted Simon reluctantly left the band, advising Carlos to go solo for success.

Carlos stuck with the band and soon their second bass player was recruited. Steven Penn was a young player from Ormskirk whose positive attitude and drive seemed tailor made for the band. The band had never been known for playing regularly but their rare performances continued to be as powerful as ever. After one particular gig in Manchester the band were hotly tipped by A&R executives as the most promising band in the country and one to keep a very close eye on. Things seemed to be going in the right direction for The Eventide. That is until the band unexpectedly split up. It is speculated that the demands for perfection had resulted in Steven De Souza and Pedro Alemendros parting company with the band. Carlos and Steven Penn were joined by Ian Bicker and Sean McClements on drums and guitar respectively.

This was a young line-up with all members being late teens, early twenties and their youth seemed to be both a blessing and a curse. The new members were technically gifted but their playing seemed to lack the cultured maturity of the previous line-up. This resulted in their manager saying that the band now sound like a Carlos D. Corrales tribute band. During this very short-lived line-up (about 3 months) the band recorded an e.p. with 3 tracks. Twisting Fate, Dos Dos Nuevo and Prince Charming (Another rare cover). These tracks were recorded superbly and Prince Charming was destined to gain a lot of attention. It was rocked up and super-cool and like all cover versions should be, it was a different take on a classic track. The energy of these 3 songs was startling however the e.p. never saw the light of day save for those given out at a handful of gigs. Once again the gigs were powerful and their amped-up version of Prince Charming resulted in a stage invasion at Boobstock (A controversial gig to raise money for a girls breast implants). The audience jumped up and down on stage singing the words to the songs for an extra 10 minutes whilst the band continued to play without missing a beat, even though you could no longer see them. The security stood dumbfounded, worried that the stage was going to break any minute.

Despite a great e.p. and gigs, it was clear that the new line-up wasn't right. Carlos took over a year and a half off from music, avoiding all sources of music and not listening to a single note. While his guitars gathered dust, Steven Penn and Ian Bicker went on to form The Jacs. Carlos had completely turned his back on music; he'd finally fallen out of love with it and didn't miss it. The drinking continued as impressively as it always had done and he was enjoying single life around town, at one point he seemed to be dating up to 6 girls at once.

Eventually he looked at the band website and openly admits he doesn't know why. The website in question is no longer there but there was a section on the site where you could listen to the music and leave a message. Carlos noticed that his old love had left a message under the song 'You'. It simply read, 'Do you remember your muse?' followed by a kiss. The message was from Hannah. Carlos said he has never felt a sensation like it before in his life. He said, 'It was like an out of body experience or stepping into a dream. My senses were so overloaded that everything seemed to be covered with a white sheen. I could hardly see. It was the most intense stimulation I have ever felt, more than any drug. I was completely suspended for a prolonged period of time.' Carlos dealt with this sensation the only way he knew how, he picked up his guitar. 'I sat down in a daze, pressed record on my tape player and just started singing, the words just came out spontaneously'. What followed was an 8 minute song that was completely improvised and created in one take. 'It was as if the song had always been there waiting for an excuse to come out.' This 8 minute version was sent to Hannah (who has the only copy in existence) but the song was shortened considerably for use with the band. Only one problem – The band hadn't spoken for a long time.

Reformed Characters

Carlos contacted Steven De Souza to suggest getting back in the rehearsal studio. He knew that Steven had not wanted to quit the band and had left out of loyalty to his brother. Steven said that he would certainly want to be a part of the band again and advised Carlos to speak with Pedro. Carlos and Pedro met up in a well known biker-pub in Liverpool called The Swan. Pedro was surprised when Carlos asked for lemonade rather than his usual Jack Daniels. This was a far cry from the gigs they played together where Carlos was so drunk that he would sometimes not realise that they had already performed. This lemonade marked the beginning of Carlos' sobriety.

At this time he also met Stacey Butler, a student from London, at the end of a 48 hour binge. They met in the Krazy House (A heavy metal club) while he was out with ex bass player Ste Penn. Stacey was wearing a Snow White costume so Carlos casually said hi. They swapped numbers and the next day Carlos took him to watch his friends (Endeci) play at The Cavern Club. After a few weeks of dating, Carlos deleted the numbers of other girls on his phone and began seeing her exclusively. Although Carlos was still drinking himself into catatonic states his binges were becoming significantly less frequent and very soon he would become completely sober claiming that alcohol had always tasted nasty to him anyway.

The Eventide now had 3 of the pieces of the puzzle and only a bass player was missing. Carlos had heard that his old friend Graham Rodriquez-Lopez was looking to join a band. Graham had been vocalist for the Death Metal band Bloodrush however Graham had expressed interest in doing something with more meaning and knew that The Eventide would provide this. Carlos knew Graham was a gifted guitarist and accomplished Death Metal vocalist however he was concerned that he would have trouble switching his focus to bass. Carlos was also worried that Graham's explosive temperament would seem out of place with the harmony of The Eventide. It was clear however that Graham had mellowed considerably, his spirituality had deepened and, after an audition, it was clear that he was set to become the band's 3rd bass player.

The band reformed in 2008 and Carlos began writing again. Not known for being overly productive, he prides quality over quantity; Carlos still wrote enough new material for an album. He then announced that he had rekindled his love for music and that it was his wish to enjoy it like he did when he first picked up a guitar. He was determined that business and perfection would not stand in the way of having fun and this attitude could be heard in the songs he wrote. Although the new tracks were as deep and meaningful as ever, the tempo and tone seemed brighter and more optimistic. There was also a more philosophical outlook.

The whole band shared a new found enthusiasm, partly because none of them thought they would play together again. Their confidence and love for music was restored and the old faith was abundantly clear. The band began recording their debut album 'A Faith Consortium' in late 2008 over a course of 6 days. The band has described this as a release quality demo album and is a mix of the old and new. The album is expected to be available late 2008 / early 2009.

A Faith Consortium

Reported Track List

Twisting Fate

The Fly

A New Beginning

Dos Dos Nuevo

Decisions Indecisions

No Easy Way

Hannah's Song

Show & Tell

Last This Time

You're My Rain

Links:

Myspace