Carlos Hernandez


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    Ava Luna

    "After almost a year of writing about Ava Luna off and on here, I finally had opportunity to see them live. What they’re doing now is a little different then on their debut, focusing in on the tension between a charged post-punk drum-and-synth-bass rhythm section (Alex Smith and Nathan Tompkins respectively) and the combined vocal talents of manic frontman Carlos Hernandez and a trio of startlingly gospel-voiced backup singers. The combination is fresh and invigorating and, live, posesses a magnetic appeal. Ava Luna seems poised to catch on dramatically this year so seize the chance to see them now."
    - Impose Magazine

    "Ava Luna’s frontman Carlos Hernandez is charming in the geek-who-could-probably-take-over-the-world-with-his-pinkie-finger kinda way. The band started as his solo project in 2002, but expanded when he decided to form a girl group, a la the Ronnettes, but with an edge. The now six-piece ensemble has a cross-genre sound that’s hard to describe in a sentence: doo-wop harmonies meet punk sensibilities on a spaceship headed to Mars. It’s absurd that such a unique and irresistible sound has managed to stay under the radar for so long. Get on this, guys. Seriously."
    - L Magazine - Best of NYC, 2009

    "Dunno if the ability to absolutely own a house party is a great indicator of musical prowess, but last winter Ava Luna, on its first run through Baltimore, basically did just that. Three vocalists making up a sort of girl group singing from a staircase, synth lines pounded out as if from a mad roller-rink organist, and a frontman with a croon so honeyed you almost feel violated--it lasted less than a half hour, but it was more than enough to convince us of a great, irresistible live band."
    - Baltimore Citypaper

    "Heavy on the fiercely burning funk and aggressively grinding grooves... A winning mix of strong vocals, hammering beats and a taut’n’tuneful arrangement that keeps everything bumpin’ along at a sturdy unwavering clip"
    - Jersey Beat Fanzine

    What do you get when you mix smooth naïve-soul sounds, pounding electro-robot-dance beats and a truly unique-sounding lead singer? An unexpected, original sound that you must hear to understand.
    - New York Examiner

         Unify

     Unify is a colourful, fun and rich take on the now popular falling blocks style games. As you progress, the colors and music evolve and the game becomes faster and more colourful. The sounds have been created by Carlos Hernandez which feed the gameplay with the ever so loved 8-bit sounds (some sampled from sonic the hedgehog) and 80’s pop beats.
    - CreativeApplications.net

         Instrumental Composition

     Movement II of Giraffe Sounds - Winner, Bertelsmann/BMG World of Expression Competition, First Place in the Instrumental category

    Elegy (for the Victims of 9/11) was featured NPR show The Fishko Files way back in 2001. She said some kind things over the radio, but I'll be damned if I remember what they were. I was in high school at the time.