VALUES HERE Frontwoman Chui Kanela Talks Debut Full-length Take Your Time, I’ll Be Waiting (The Witzard Interview)
VALES HERE pictured at The Dischord House, Washington, DC (SOURCE: @thehardcoreyogi Instagram)
Take Your Time, I’ll Be Waiting, the debut album from VALUES HERE is out today on End Hits Records. Led by Barcelona-based vocalist, model, and tattoo artist Chui Kanela and legendary guitarist/Hardcore Yogi John “Porcell” Porcelly (Gorilla Biscuits, Shelter, Judge,) VALUES HERE have painstakingly hand-crafted 13 anthemic, energetic Melodic Hardcore Punk anthems to shout and dance along with. The album itself is optimistic and hopeful, keeping forth a Positive Mental Attitude (P.M.A.) mindset throughout. With production handled by Tom Soares (Shelter, Leeway, Sick of It All) and mastering by Dave Kutch (OutKast, Say Anything, Pete Rock,) the band—rounded out by by bassist Tim Brooks (BOLD, Running Like Thieves) and drummer and personal trainer Vinny Panza (Shelter, Youth of Today)—were able to create a dynamic sound complete with songs that would fit on the radio as much as they would connect with sweaty fans jumping around in a mosh pit. You can listen to Take Your Time, I’ll Be Waiting below and purchase a copy of the album here. Last fall, we got the unique opportunity to chat with VALUES HERE frontwoman Chui Kanela, via email, which we are, unfortunately, just now getting around to publishing after the calamity of the holiday season. Check out out interview with Chui below, which has been lightly edited for general clarity. Plus, you can Follow VALUES HERE on Instagram for regular updates.
I. Who are the members of VALUES HERE and what is each member's role within the band?
Chui Kanela: John "Porcell" Porcelly - guitar
Tim Brooks - bass
Vinny Panza - drums
Chui Kanela - vocals
II. How did all of you initially meet and decide to form VALUES HERE together?
Kanela: Porcell & I met in a Shelter show in Barcelona, [Spain] and I mentioned I was a singer and it had been long since {I’ve] had a band; my last band split in 2013 and I had been singing solo since then, so I missed it so much. He joked about making a band together and, dude... you cannot joke with me! I take things really seriously. So, we kept in touch, via Instagram, and since I was being really insistent with the band idea, he sent me some tracks that he had unused [on] his computer to sing on. I sent the first song finished and recorded [it] in the following hours and he liked it a lot. It was “Will Be Tomorrow.” That's one of the reasons why we used it as the first single and first song on the record, too! It's special for us.
III. What is the intended meaning and/or significance behind the album title, Take Your Time, I'll Be Waiting?
Kanela: It's one phrase of the song “We Get Stronger.” Since the record took so long to [get] finished, we thought it had that meaning, too, because we had to be very patient.
IV. Who or what would you readily cite as some or your greatest sources of inspiration and influence while creating Take Your Time, I'll Be Waiting?
Kanela: We didn't [want] to sound like anyone, but it's normal to have influences of different bands and styles. I always say that we made a mix of the Youth Crew spirit with 90’s Skate Punk melodies. I can be singing the most Poppy melodic song in the world, but I will always be a Posi [positive] KJid and no matter the age, we are still Youth Crew!
V. How exactly was Take Your Time, I'll Be Waiting recorded? I know all of you are from different parts of the world, correct?
Kanela: Luckily, nowadays, [it] is very easy to work being [located] in different places. We made lots of [videocalls] and we used Dropbox to send the tracks back-and-forth.
VI. In addition to and/or aside from the members of VALUES HERE, who else was involved in the creation process behind Take Your Time, I'll Be Waiting?
Kanela: Tom Soares was the producer and he helped us with the sound of the record. He spent thousands of hours working on it to make it sound perfect.
VII. How did you guys end up selecting End Hits Records as the label to ultimately help release Take Your Time, I'll Be Waiting out into the world?
Kanela: End Hits [Records] supported us from the very beginning, I remember we only had, like, four songs demo’ed and they were already [excited] with the band and telling us to do the record with them. They, also, had [worked] with Shelter and they were great. The people that work there are amazing! We are super-happy to be with them.
VIII. What was the importance of P.M.A. (Positive Metal Attitude) throughout the making-of processes behind VALUES HERE's Take Your Time, I’ll Be Waiting?
Kanela: First, have in mind that we started right before The Pandemic started, like, three days before the Lockdown, so P.M.A. was (actually, it always is) our moto of life. We had to overcome sooo many things, but we always knew that at the end, everything was going to work. That's why we sing “we get stronger day by day!”
IX. For fans of VALUES HERE, who else would you recommend fans check out in the same Hardcore/Punk vein?
Kanela: I think Saves The Day is a band very similar to us; very melodic, but not over-produced. 7Seconds, Shelter, for sure, Dag Nasty, Pennywise...
X. What can you tell us about the album cover image selected to represent Take Your Time, I'll Be Waiting for VALUES HERE's inaugural effort? Who was the photographer behind the image(s)?
Kanela: The [selection] of the cover image was eternal. We were all commenting on our personal tastes and no one had the same idea. My boyfriend is a professional photographer (Ivan Manteiga Photo) so, we had that in handy. One day, we were doing a different photoshoot with me painting a graffiti [mural] in a D.I.Y. skatepark right next to our house at 7:00 in the morning. When we finished the graffiti, we took some more random pictures for me to use them [on] my Instagram, but when the band saw that one, they liked a lot. So, it became the cover.
XI. What's planned next for VALUES HERE?
Kanela: We want to play as much as possible. So, now we are looking for tours and [to] play all the shows that we can.
