Pick Up Your Cross With...

Solid Mind is one of the High Desert's best kept secrets, but not for long.  They are definetly on the move towards recognition with their extreme and in your face rap-core style.   With a heart for God and mind set on His word, they are reaching out to their generation and making an impact.  

Part One:  Chris Centola (Guitar)

Part Two:  Ken Klein (Vocals) and Tony Aiello (Guitar)

Part Three:  Vic Mendoza (Bass)

Part Four:  Pete Centola (Drums)

Solid Mind Interview:
Part One

GILBERT: “We are at Calvary Chapel the High Desert, and today we are here interviewing, Chris Centola guitar player, lead guitar player, am I correct?

CHRIS: “Yes”

GILBERT: “of Solid Mind. Chris, I’m going to ask a couple questions here, please answer to the best of your ability. First question: how and when did the band form?”

CHRIS: “We formed in September of 1998 when a bunch of us musicians from New Life Chapel Youth Group and Calvary Chapel decided to get together and form a rap-core band.”

GILBERT: “Awesome. How would you say Solid Mind has changed since the beginning?”

CHRIS: “I’d like to think we’ve gotten a little more professional. I think that really we haven’t changed too much but we’ve grown alot spiritually.

GILBERT: “Who came up with ‘Solid Mind’?”

CHRIS: “My brother Peter, our drummer.”

GILBERT: ”What does it mean, does it have any purpose?”

CHRIS: ”We’re saying that through Christ we can have a solid mind, that we have that solid assurance in our mind that we have salvation through Him.

GILBERT: “What is the purpose of Solid Mind as a whole band and as an individual, as a guitar player in a band?”

CHRIS: “I would say they are both the same, to go out and minister to the people of this world. And to use our music to bring as many people as we can to know Jesus.

GILBERT: “Is there any record deals in the works for Solid Mind?”

CHRIS: “We just cut a compilation deal with Rescue Records that’ll be out on August first that will have our song, ‘Upside Down’ along with P.O.D.’s ‘Snuff the Punk’ and various other artists. And otherwise, no real big deals.”

GILBERT: “We at RHYTHMSTX understand you guys are endorsed by BC RICH, is this a rumor, or what’s going on here?”

CHRIS: “Yes, we are hooked up by BC RICH.

GILBERT: “Is there any further more endorsements by anybody else?”

CHRIS: “Nope, no other endorsements.”

GILBERT: “Chris, can you tell us how many times Vic has seen ‘The Prince Of Egypt?’”

CHRIS: “Enough to wear out the tape. (laughs) Probably about 12.”

GILBERT: “So, as a musician Chris, how would you rate yourself from 1 to 10?”

"We’re saying that through Christ we can have a solid mind, that we have that solid assurance in our mind that we have salvation through Him." ...Chris Centola

CHRIS: “Right now, I would rate myself a 5.

GILBERT: “A five?”

CHRIS: “I feel I need to pursue my musical studies more to better myself as a music minister. This is something I’ve been convicted of lately.”

GILBERT: “Chris, could you tell us who is your inspiration, in the band, or let’s say someone who motivates you such as maybe a wife or maybe an idol of some type.”

CHRIS: “Yeah, my wife Becky keeps me pretty motivated. She’s always helping to keep me in the right direction I should go with the band and everything else.”

GILBERT: “So Chris, what do you think of ‘Out Of Place’?”

CHRIS: “’Out of Place’ is a very cool punk rock band. They have awesome ministry, awesome music, and pretty funny jokes.”

GILBERT: “Thank you Chris. Thanks for the interview today.”

Back to the Top

Solid Mind Interview:

Part Two

GILBERT: “ Today we have Ken Klein and Tony Aiello the Italian Stallion in the Studio for RHYTHMSTX.”

TONY: “Who are you?”

GILBERT: “I am the PR, my name is Gilbert Hernandez, Public Relations. We’d like to ask you a few questions about Solid Mind. The first question you can answer individually or as a group. I want to know how,”

CHRIS (in the background): “Are we going to go get something to eat?”

KEN: (to Chris): “Yeah.”

GILBERT: “That’s Chris Centola, hold on.  Ken, tell me how and when did the band start, form? Chris basically gave us a brief description about it.”

KEN: “What do you mean?”

GILBERT: “How did the band start, how was it formed?”

KEN: “It’s better to ask Tony, because Tony has it like memorized, the foundation of Solid Mind.”

GILBERT: “How did the band start and form?”

TONY: “Well, like...”
GILBERT: “And when did it form.”

TONY: “When did it form? It was almost about a year ago probably.”

GILBERT: “What motivated you to form too, like I know you were telling me about...”

TONY: “Well, like it was wierd because, like God’s been telling me to start a band like for a long time. I mean He’s been raising me up in music just to do this. And um, I knew Ken way back in High School, it’s kind of like a big story. I mean, Peter and Chris, they went to New Life where I went and I asked them if they wanted to start a band, and they were like, sure. And right around the same time God showed me to go to Calvary Chapel and talk to Ken and see if he wanted to start a band. And I asked him and I said hey, would you be interested in starting a band, and he says, yeah. And at the same time Vic was sitting there next to us and Ken was saying, why don’t you pray about it Vic, maybe you never know, God might want you to play in the band, you know playing bass. And at that time we had another bass player, but that obviously didn’t work.”

GILBERT: “And he stunk I heard.”

TONY: “Well, I wouldn’t really say that.”

KEN: “No comment.”

TONY: “No comment. But God just put it together I mean it wasn’t me at all, nothing, it was just, God just works in wierd ways, you know, mysterious ways.”

GILBERT: “Do you have anything to say about this Ken? What motivated you besides Gilbert Hernandez of Out Of Place?”

KEN: “I was sick of all this weak music, and all these bands that never would preach the gospel. And to go into these shows, and no one would be preaching nothing, and just sick of watching Christian music be a bunch of, a parade. So with me, I took the opportunity to do things like the way I thought they should be done, like praying before the set, opening up the Bible during the set, you know...God allowed it to happen. So, it kind of motivated me, like other people’s weakness, while God was my strength.”

TONY: “God saw our hearts, you know that we didn’t want to go out there just to become famous and to become rock stars, but that we wanted to do it for ministry.”

KEN: “Like Out Of Place, because they’re rock stars.” (laughs)

GILBERT: “How would you say the band has changed from the beginning, since the beginning?”

KEN: “Well, Tony’s gotten cuter. He’s lost like ten pounds.”

TONY: “I’ve got an eyebrow ring now. Well, I’d say God has shown us a lot of patience and faith, patience. We’ve learned, I’ve learned patience and faith. Trusting God in everything, I mean hoping for things we have not seen, you know.

KEN: “Yeah. Amen.”

GILBERT: “What about Ken?”

KEN: “What was the question?”

GILBERT: “How do you think the band has changed since the beginning?”

KEN: “I see a brotherhood instead of a band. I see accountability in Christ. And I see uh, I see a unit instead of like individuals. So I see like a lot of, I guess the best word is a bond. A better bond, you know and I see growth through everybody in the band. I see growth through certain people that, well through all of us, you know.

GILBERT: “How has Solid Mind changed like in your life, like practice wise and show wise and like road wise?”

KEN: “Well, basically it took my eyes off of God. No, I’m just kidding. No.”

TONY: “It’s actually helped me like to stay more focused, like accountability you know. There are kids out there looking at me and I’ve got to be for reals, you know. I can’t be no fake out there.”

KEN: “Could you have picked a bigger tape recorder? (laughs)”

GILBERT: “Hey, this is our band recorder, dude.”

“I was sick of all this weak music, and all these bands that never would preach the gospel" ...Ken

TONY: “That’s fine, I’m sure it will work great.”

KEN: “I’m just kidding, I’m just trying to break the ice, ok go ahead.”

TONY: “But you should have pressed record. I’m just kidding.”

KEN: “Go ahead Gilbert.”

GILBERT: “Ok, Chris told me that Peter came up with the title ‘Solid Mind’ is that true?”

KEN: “Yes.”

TONY: “Yes it’s true. We had all kinds of wierd names, but like Peter, he found it in the video store.” (laughs)

KEN: “He found it with the video games.”

TONY: “Yeah, he found like the name solid or something and then then we put mind together, I don’t know, Solid Mind.

KEN: “It’s off actually a Metal Gear. The new Metal Gear game.”

GILBERT: “Really?”

KEN: “Yeah.”

GILBERT: “Metal Gear.”

KEN: “It said solid something and then he thought of solid mind.”

TONY: “We were really praying on a name, like a cool name, that was just straight out and God brought it.

GILBERT: “That’s way cool.”

KEN: “Yeah, I agree.”

GILBERT: “What is the purpose of Solid Mind as a band, and as an individual as like yourselves.

KEN: “Ok, wait wait, there are two questions there. You gotta ask one at a time.”

GILBERT: “Ok, what do you think the purpose of Solid Mind is as a band?”

KEN: Music that’s a little more harder, but with a Godly message behind it. And for them to see the more liberal side of Christ, not saying that we’re like promoting liberalism or nothing, but to see the more of the reality of a walk through us, you know by people talking to us at the shows and stuff. And I see it just as more of just an alternative for anybody you know that likes the harder scene, you now to really hear the Gospel and to really see how I think Christ would have done it.”

GILBERT: “What about you Tony?”

TONY: “He said it all."

GILBERT: “Amen.”

TONY: “I have to agree totally with everything he said right there.”

GILBERT: “For the band right?”

TONY: “Yeah, for the band.”

GILBERT: “What about individually? Let’s start with you Tony first.”

TONY: “What our purpose is?”

GILBERT: “Individually, you’re purpose.”

TONY: “Um, just to reach this world, because I mean, they are dying and going to Hell basically and I mean, we have to be bait on a hook I guess, and we have to draw them in. Sometimes it takes hard-core music or whatever our style is to bring them in. I mean, if they like a certain style and they will say hey, I like that band Solid Mind you know, and then we preach to them, you know. Not throw it in thier faces but just say it in a loving way.”

KEN: “What’s the question again?”

GILBERT: “Individul as in a band.”

KEN: “Meaning what?”

GILBERT: “As an individual how do you feel you like, what’s your purpose as an individual as a lead singer in a band, because you are the front man basically.

KEN: “I think my purpose God has me there for is to bring a, like I said again, like a reality to Christianity, not like the plastic image that people portray, you know but the real life day to day struggles that like our generation faces. You know it’s more of, I feel my job on stage is to really to break it down and show them a reformed heathen, you know. And let them see Christ in me glowing you know, as well as my other band members. But it’s more or less my position in the band, is more or less just to be an ambassador for Christ. Just to tell it like the Gospel say it.”

GILBERT: “Does the band have any future plans, now you guys are getting big now?”

TONY: “We hope to get signed, yeah. That would be cool.”

KEN: “Yeah. We plan on going on tour some year.”

GILBERT: “Any record deals?”

KEN: “No.”

TONY: “There’s this record compilation.”

KEN: “And a lot of shows.”

TONY: “A lot of shows.”

GILBERT: “This question is for Tony. Tony, we at RHYTHMSTX are very proud to have you as a guitar teacher. Can you tell us some of the stuff you teach your students? No lying now.”

TONY: “What I will be teaching to the students.”

KEN: “He will be teaching them the every day riffs of Solid Mind, see it’s four easy professional chords with a couple triplets.0

TONY: “Well I will be teaching basic theory on the guitar and like scales and modes and a lot of weird excercises in chords and um stuff to do with rock guitar, maybe a little classical, a little jazz.”

KEN: “Rock guitar? (laughs)”

TONY: “Rock guitar is what we play. If you don’t like it that’s too bad. Punk rock is rock, so it’s rock.”

KEN: “Punk is not dead.”

TONY: “Excuse me, I’ll say it Ken’s way, hard-core.

KEN: “Punk is not dead.”

GILBERT: “Amen. Can you guys tell us how many times Vic has seen ‘The Price of Egypt’?”

KEN: “No man knows.”

TONY: “Well, probably about nine or ten times probably. It might have been like twelve.

KEN: “Twelve maybe.”

TONY: “Because I’ve seen it with him once and I think he’s seen it with the rest of the band.”

KEN: “I think he’s infatuated with the songs.”

TONY: “He knows the songs by heart, he’s got the soundtrack.”

KEN: “And he sings along with it because he feels happy when he hears the songs.”

"I feel my job on stage is to really to break it down and show them a reformed heathen, you know"...Ken

GILBERT: “How would you guys rate yourselves as musician’s from one to ten? Tony first.”

TONY: “Um, it’s hard for me to say because I’m not like a prideful person, and I don’t think I’m that good, but Ken, Ken I don’t know. I’d say like eight and a half.”

GILBERT: “What about you Ken? As vocals, you know getting the real rap beat in there with your beanie on stage and your mic around your neck and all cute looking?”

GILBERT: “How do you rate yourself from one to ten?”

KEN: “As a male model, or?”

TONY: “As a singer.”

GILBERT: “As a singer.”

TONY: “As an experienced singer.”

KEN: “I’d say uh, seven.”

GILBERT: “Ok.”

TONY: “I got a higher number.”

GILBERT: “Do you guys enjoy being on the road with each other?”

KEN: “What? Say that again.”

GILBERT: “Do you guys enjoy being on the road with each other?”

KEN: “I find it very comfortable being around a lot of sexy musicains such as Tony Aiello.”

TONY: “You know, this is going to be on the internet.”

KEN: “Oh (laughs)”

TONY: “Well, I hate it. No, it’s pretty fun. It’s just like you got a cool road trip where we’re like heading down to a show and it’s really really fun. I enjoy it, it’s like something I’ve been wanting to do my whole life. I want to do it for the rest of my life.

KEN: “So do you Tony, plan on being single, as Paul says it best?”

TONY: “Not really.”

TONY: “At least for a couple more months.”

KEN: “Months,” (laughs)

TONY: “Or years. I’ll have to smile more.”

GILBERT: “I know you guys eat at Denny’s alot. What would you guys order usually at Denny’s when you get there, because I know you guys hang out with Out Of Place a lot. And what do you guys think about Out Of Place?”

TONY: “Out Of Place, they are pretty cool guys, I knew them before they were Out Of Place.”

KEN: “You know they put themselves out of place.”

TONY: “You know, they are good brothers, I love them very much.”

KEN: “Yes.”

GILBERT: “So, back to the food question. What do you order at Denny’s a lot?”

TONY: “Oh my gosh, like a chicken ceaser salad or something. And one more, there’s one more, actually I had it last week, I get like the super burger. It’s the only thing they serve.”

KEN: “A super burger (laughing).”

GILBERT: “Chris Centola’s back, we didn’t ask him. Chris Centola, what is the main dish you usually get at Denny’s because I know you eat out at Denny’s a lot with Out Of Place.”

CHRIS: (In his best Southern Preacher voice) “Well, my brutha. I usually get mmmmm...”

KEN: “UH-HUH!”

CHRIS: “Can I get an amen!?"

KEN: “UH, AMEN!”

CHRIS: “The meat lover’s skillet, mmmhhhmmm”

KEN: “UH-HUH!”

GILBERT: “That’s all I’m saying dude. Alright. That’s all the questions, guys. And would you guys like to add anything here?”

KEN: “I’d like to say that the guys from Out Of Place are...”

TONY: “Very attractive.”

KEN: “Very attractive.”

TONY: “Is Johnny going to listen to this? Well Johnny (starts beat-boxing Run DMC style). See ya Johnny.”

KEN: “I’ve got a message for Johnny too. Johnny, your video, I saw at Vic’s house encouraged me to be a bold Christian. Your jet black hair lavishing in the wind, it touched me. (Blows kiss).
(laughter all around)

GILBERT: “Solid Mind”

Back to the Top

Solid Mind Interview:

Part Three

GILBERT: “Today we’re interviewing Vic Mendoza from Solid Mind. Most known as Poccahontas, for his beautiful hair and his conditioned silky skin. Vic, we at RHYTHMSTX would like to ask you a couple questions.”

VIC: “Ok.”

GILBERT: “How and when did the band form?”

VIC: “How did it form? That’s kind of a long story and when was like almost a year ago.”

GILBERT: “Could you basically give us like your testimony? Maybe a little short brief testimony of how you joined the band.”

VIC: “Uh, yeah. It’s kind of a really long story. I guess to put it in short, I was kind of pretty much doing my own thing about a year ago and uh, I kinda like almost fell away and ended up jamming for a secular band and stuff and then uh, I got kinda tired of it and then God convicted me and I ended up quitting the band and the Tony came over to my house and he asked me if I wanted to play bass and I then asked him if he needed a bass player so it was kind of weird how God set that up. So sure enough not even like a week later or so I started jamming with them, and it was kind of a weird thing.”

GILBERT: “Way Cool. What’s the purpose of Solid Mind as a band, what do you think?”

VIC: “I think there’s a lot of reasons. I think it’s number one I think it’s to tell people about Jesus Christ, but one of the major things for me is to really just to encourage other Christians and to like, even just you know other bands just to stay bold and you don’t have to be a flake or follow the crowd or whatever, just follow Jesus Christ. You know, so.

GILBERT: “What’s your um, everybody in the band has different goals for Solid Mind. Basically they are all the same, from all the interviews I mean, but, what is your goal as a bass player, and you know, being so rock-star-ish?”

VIC: “Rock-star-ish? (laughs). I don’t know, I don’t consider myself as that. God’s given everybody a specific gift and I’m just using that for His glory. I think as far as what my goal is for the band, is just to, like I said earlier, I want to be able to set an example and just show people that you know, you can play hard music and still be saved. You know and just to encourage people and you know with the gift that you have and stuff. I mean, it’s not about just trying to rush out and trying to get a career for yourself because I don’t think that’s one of the reasons. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with playing music and to have a career for it, there’s nothing wrong with that. But I don’t think that’s my major goal for, why I’m in Solid Mind you know. I think it’s just because I have a gift and I want to use it for God, and I just want to show people that you could do that too, and just watch God just open the doors you know and just because your band don’t go good it doesn’t mean you have to quit music and stuff you could just always play and glorify God.

GILBERT: “When you are on stage, what are some of the things that go through your head?”

VIC: “Ah, probably, wow look at the crowd. (laughs) Are they liking us, do they like us? I don’t know, it’s just, I try to keep my focus on God while I’m up there and just, you know. Because if I don’t dude, I just start losing it and then get all scared. I always get scared before every show. That’s because I’m always worrying about things, like if things are going to go right, or you know if something, am I going to break a string or whatever and stuff. I shouldn’t have to worry about stuff like that, but. You know that’s just the main thing I just want to just concentrate on God and just let God work. It’s amazing to see God work in the crowd. You know, because if the crowd likes it then, you know it’s just a blessing to us and then it encourages us to make better music and you know and just to go out there and put on a show for the kids and whatever, and just to tell them about God. I mean you can totally see the crowd and how the Spirit hits their heart. It’s just amazing.

GILBERT: “I know there are no record deals right now for Solid Mind, but if there was, what record company would you like to be signed with?”

VIC: “Dude, a major. (laughs) I would like to get on a major label, but that’s just up to God. And it depends on how, um good we play I guess as far as a musician. You know, I mean I would like to get on a major label, but that’s just up to God, and how spiritually tight we are with God. Because if, I mean if you get rushed out there and get on a major label you can totally loose your focus off of God and just like getting business into your head and stuff. Because I’ve seen a lot of good you know musicians loose it just because of business you know. So I mean, wherever God leads. I mean I would like to get on a big major label, but um as far as Christian label you know anything’s fine for me as long as it’s in a you know world wide distribution or whatever. It could be Tooth-N-Nail or anything. I mean whatever God has planned, it’s pretty much open to that.

GILBERT: “As a musician how would you rate yourself from one to ten?”

VIC: “Ah, dude I’d consider about a five. I mean, I know I’m alright, but then again I know I don’t suck, but still I think as far as a bass player I think you can’t, I think there’s more to learn. Even like for a drummer or a guitar player or a singer I think, I don’t think you could really reach a limit of you know being the best or whatever. I think that you could go more, you know just keep getting better and better and better and learning different styles and you know learning your own style and stuff, so. I mean as far as myself there’s a lot I need to learn. Totally a lot. And the style that I ‘m doing now is really different than what I was doing before because before I was doing death metal and stuff and now I’m like playing this rap-core stuff. So it was like a different lead and I still don’t even know how to write rap-core you know. I just throw in death metal riffs sometimes you know and fills and it doesn’t really match but I have to improvise sometimes.

GILBERT: “How is it working with so many different people, like I know Ken is like hard-core and rap and Tony’s death metal and Chris likes Joy Electric and stuff like that?”

VIC: “And Peter liking punk.”

GILBERT: “Peter liking punk and how is it working together at practice?”

VIC: “It’s a struggle a little bit like as far as writing you know everybody wants to throw in their little ideas. Which is cool, I mean there needs to be a point where there needs to be unity. I mean if you are in any band there needs to be unity, and whatever goal you are trying to go for, for that style of music, like whatever band you are and whatever style you have to aim for that style and not try to get too on one person’s decision. It needs to be a unity thing. But I mean as far as us it gets kind of hard a little bit because one person wants to play punk and one person wants to play death metal and one person wants to play Pantera or whatever, you know and um it gets a little hard, but we need to like humble ourselves and just let God control it, you know. But everything we end up writing everyone likes anyway so. But at first it is kinda hard.

"God’s given everybody a specific gift and I’m just using that for His glory"...Vic

GILBERT: “We at RHYTHMSTX, we would like to know how many times you have seen ‘The Prince Of Egypt’.”

VIC: “(laughs) I think I lost count after nine, dude.”

GILBERT: “Why do you like the movie so much?”

VIC: “It’s cool dude, I’m totally as far as, I mean I love movies dude, I totally love movies. I’ve dreamed about being a film maker. I want to go to film school and stuff. And when it comes to like, even like Disney films or animated and musicals and I love that kind of stuff. And I think what they did with ‘Prince Of Egypt,’ I think that’s like a total masterpiece because they were able to take something that’s Biblical, even though it’s an adaptation, all of it’s only maybe fifty percent of it’s accurate, but they’d be able to take it and do something with it, and for the kids you know and still leave God in it. I have total respect for the movie, just because they um added you know, you can find the story of Moses in the book of Exodus, and that totally gained my total respect. That’s why I love it so much, you know. It’s art, but then again it’s Biblical and you know it still glorifies God to me and it still touches me and stuff, so that’s why I like it so much.”

GILBERT: “What do you think of Out Of Place?”

VIC: “Out Of Place? Uh, dude, only because they are good friends of mine, I think they are cool. But if I were to see them somewhere like at Reflections playing with Sacred Faith or something then you know, I’d probably think they were, just kidding dude. No.”

GILBERT: “Most people think that the lead singer is drunk on stage, um what do you feel about that?”

VIC: “The lead singer? The lead singer is,”

GILBERT: “Or the bass player.”

VIC: “Oh, the bass player, or the guitar player?”

GILBERT: “Yeah, the guy with the earrings.”

VIC: “The guy with the earrings, dude, he’s a hottie dude. I think all of them are hotties dude. And I think you know, they need to shave all of their heads off and keep their shirts off and just you know, play good music.”

GILBERT: “Vic, bass player, Solid Mind, thank you Vic.”

VIC: “No problemo.”

Back to the Top

Solid Mind Interview:  

Part Four

Unfortunately we were unable to catch up with Pete Centola, Drummer of Solid Mind.

But here is a picture taken at the Christian Headshop in Victorville, California.

Back to the Top