Rafael Reyes (artist)

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Rafael Reyes
Born (1975-08-02) August 2, 1975 (age 48)
Cotija de la Paz,[1][2] Michoacán, Mexico
Other names
  • Leafar Seyer
  • Nite Ritual
Occupations
  • Author
  • artist
  • musician
Spouse
​
(m. 2018)​
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
  • synthesizer
Years active2010–present
Websitewww.chologoth.com

Rafael Reyes (born August 2, 1975), also credited as Leafar Seyer, is a Mexican American author, artist and musician credited with creating the cholo goth genre of music,[4] which lyrically explores the realities of gang and street life.[5]

Reyes frequently mixes Western esotericism with Olmec beliefs.[5]

Biography[edit]

Reyes joined the Sherman 27th Street Grant Hill Park gang when he was a teenager to save his father's life after a skirmish at a local market.[6] Upon graduating high school, Reyes opened San Diego's first vegan/vegetarian Mexican restaurant, Pokéz, with his father.[7] After running the restaurant for eighteen years, and after his father's death, he sold Pokéz to his younger brother.[8] In 2011, he wrote and published Living Dangerously,[9] a roman à clef about his life as a gang member, and toured California to promote the book.

Music[edit]

Looking for a more direct way to interact with an audience, in 2011, Reyes formed his first band, Baptism of Thieves, followed by Vampire.[8] With the break-up of those bands, he created Prayers (credited under the pseudonym Leafar Seyer) with Tijuana-born Dave Parley.[10] He also performs solo as Nite Ritual.

Prayers released their debut album SD KILLWAVE in 2013, with two videos, "From Dog to God" directed by Chukk Nastee aka Charles Christ and "Ready to Bleed".[11] Prayers then released an EP entitled, GOTHIC SUMMER, in mid-2014.[12] Prayers opened for the Cult during that band's 2014 tour.[5]

Reyes conceived Prayers' video for the song "Gothic Summer," the title track of their first EP, released in May 2014,[13] which won the 2015 San Diego Film Festival Award for Best Music Video. Gavin Filipiak, the video's director also won for Best Editing in the music video category.[14]

On May 26, 2015, Prayers released the title track of the Travis Barker-produced second album, "Young Gods" as a video single, through Noisey/Vice Magazine.[15] In the song, he references Aleister Crowley: The lyrics "do what thy will shall be the law" is an homage to the English occultist's "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law," while Crowley's magical formula for Tetragrammaton is explicated in the song's final lines.[16]

Art[edit]

He also began to focus on his artwork, showing in San Diego.[17] He has since shown in Los Angeles at Coagula Curatorial with John Fleck and John Roecker as part of the successful "Two Johns and a Whore" group show.[18][19]

Reyes developed and then left Diamond Dogs, a group of retired gang members with an interest in art and music, as an outlet for young men looking for an alternative to gang life. Diamond Dogs provides outreach, emotional and artistic support in a positive environment while stressing the importance of community and family.[7]

In January 2015, Reyes was included in a special exhibition at the LA Art Show, "Dark Progressivism: Metropolis Rising" which included important Southern Californian Chicano, Cholo and street artists.[20] "Dark Progressivism: Metropolis Rising" was the first international showing of this uniquely Southern California genre.[21][22]

Reyes's sculpture Southland debuted at Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH) as part of "Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment" which ran November 22, 2017, through January 2018.[23] The exhibition included many important, influential, and internationally known artists from Southern California, many of whom, like Reyes, created new work for the museum show. Prayers videos were incorporated as part of the overall installation.[24][25]

On February 24, 2018, his first solo art show in several years opened at These Days, in downtown Los Angeles, dovetailing with the release of Prayers' video, "One 9 One 3".[26]

Personal life[edit]

Reyes met Kat Von D in 2016, when Von D appeared in a video per Reyes' request. Reyes also wrote the song "Black Leather" for Von D, who provided vocals for the duets and additional tracks. The song is on the album 'Baptism of Thieves'. Von D is featured in the video for the song.[27][28] Reyes married Kat Von D legally on February 21, 2018, in Beverly Hills.[29] The couple have one son together, Leafar. Reyes also has a daughter from a previous relationship from whom he is estranged.

Reyes served six months in prison in 2010 for assault, giving him strikes under California's three-strikes law, meaning one more conviction could result in him going to prison for decades or life.[30]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "THE PAIN IS NOT OVER | Leafar Seyer". THESE DAYS. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "6 takeaways from Leafar Seyer's Artist Friendly podcast interview". Alternative Press Magazine. February 4, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  3. ^ Wacey, Rob. "Prayers Biography by Rob Wacey". AllMusic. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "Cholo goth". San Diego Reader. November 6, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c Lisa Derrick (March 25, 2014). "Prayers: Cholo Goth Is 'Ready to Bleed' and to Rock". HuffPost. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  6. ^ "Prayers and the Cholo Goth Movement". Noisey Meets. Vice. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  7. ^ a b mikemaxwellart (August 29, 2011). "Live Free Podcast #62 W/Guest Mr Rafael "Baby Boy" Reyes | Mike Maxwell Art Blog". Mikemaxwellart.wordpress.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Holslin, Peter (May 23, 2012). "Former Pokez owner Rafael Reyes new band Baptism of Thieves plays experimental rock". Sdcitybeat.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  9. ^ "San Diego Community News Group – San Diego's underworld finds light in new book". Sdnews.com. October 6, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  10. ^ Holslin, Peter (January 20, 2014). "Killwave > Chillwave — An Interview with Rafael Reyes of Prayers". I Heart Goat Meat. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  11. ^ "Prayers are ready to bleed". San Diego Reader. January 28, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  12. ^ "The sonic redemption of Prayers". San Diego city Beat. June 18, 2014. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  13. ^ d'Ebre, Rodrigo Ribera (July 21, 2014). "Gothic Summer". HuffPost. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "2015 SAN DIEGO FILM AWARDS WINNERS Official Announcement". San Diego Film Awards 2015. Film Consortium San Diego. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  15. ^ "Premier: Prayers "Young Gods" Official Music Video". Noisey.Vice.com. Vice. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  16. ^ Crowley, Aleister (1976). "Magick in Theory and Practice". New York: Dover Publications. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  17. ^ "San Diego Community News Group – Urban gallery shakes up art scene". Sdnews.com. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  18. ^ "Lina in L.A.: Two Johns and a Whore | Los Angeles | Slideshows | Los Angeles News and Events". LA Weekly. January 15, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  19. ^ "Lisa Derrick and Rafael Reyes with his sculpture, Magdalene's Temple | The LA Beat". Thelosangelesbeat.com. January 13, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  20. ^ "LA Art Show Dark Progressivism". LA Art Show. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  21. ^ RGN Staff (January 2, 2015). "Cartwheel Art Debuts 'Dark Progressivism: Metropolis Rising'". Rich Girl Network. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  22. ^ Darling, Decadence (February 2, 2015). "The Dark Side of the LA Art Show 2015". Beautiful Bizarre. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  23. ^ "Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment". www.lancastermoah.org. MOAH. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  24. ^ "Preview: Dark Progressivism: The Built Environment ~ Nov 11th at MOAH". lataco.com. L.A. Taco. November 2, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  25. ^ Lutz, Christopher Ian (February 3, 2018). "Dark Progressivism: Scholarship in Streets". blog.lareviewofbooks.org/. Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  26. ^ Lina, Lecaro (February 23, 2018). "Prayers' New Video Celebrates the Pansexual Underground in Our Dark City". LA Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  27. ^ Lutz, Christopher Ian. "The Loneliest God: Lucifer in Leather". Disinformation.com. Disinfomation. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  28. ^ Blue, Jeannie (January 15, 2018). "Interview – Leafar Seyer of Prayers". Crypticrock.com. Cryptic Rock. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  29. ^ Kaitlyn Frey (February 21, 2018). "Kat Von D and Her New Husband Got Matching Manicures For Their Surprise Wedding Day". People.
  30. ^ Bennett, J (March 4, 2015). "Meet Prayers, the San Diego Cholo-Goth Duo Who Want to Break Down Every Barrier In Sight". Vice. Retrieved March 3, 2023.

External links[edit]

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