I have always believed that as human beings we are capable of leading double lives. One life may be directed toward what society wants us to be and another towards our adventurous inner being. Well, what do we get when both double lives are filled with recognition, adventure and tons of excitement? Frankly, the answer is a fascinating existence. Chasseur Magazine has been granted with the opportunity to sit down with a young man who’s reality is beyond extraordinary. Living as both a talented musician in a band and well-praised model Efren Garza is the epitome of the ideal double life.
I must ask this before I begin. What came first modeling or music?
Honestly, music has always been first. But, modeling is my career right now and it is going well. Both music and modeling are very important.
Being that you have such a rich musical background, tell me what other instruments do you play?
I play Bass guitar, Basic drums and a little Ukulele.
What about your band? How did you all come together to form such a talented group? Also, what is the story behind the name?
Right now we are unnamed but we go by “Project Fragments” …for now. We are still deciding on a name since we are new. My best friend and I actually formed this band. Also, we were in another band before. We all understand each other musically so we are able to work even when we are away from one another. When we are in different places we send over pieces that we have worked on and once we meet we put it all together. I feel like we are all going for a similar sound so we can come up with cohesive ideas very easily.
It must get rowdy at some of your shows. I have been to a few rock shows myself. But I do wonder . . . Is there a proper way to “Head Bang”?
(laughs) Everyone head bangs differently. When the song slows down or stops I head bang at a slower pace. (Demonstrates slowly) When the speed of the song increases the head banging does too. I like to do this 360 spin with my head when I play guitar.
So being that you are in a band and happen to be a model as well what has been the reaction from the ladies?
The reaction is good, actually. One day I was on Facebook and I noticed I was tagged in a Facebook group about hot guys in metal bands. I received all of these friend requests from girls, it was so weird. That was the first time that has ever happened to me.
What initially attracted you to the fashion world, being from such a harmonious upbringing?
My friend suggested that I should model. So, I went to an agency and they signed me.
Tell me about your craziest experience while performing or even after shows.
The craziest experience was in the 1st time I played a show in Guatemala. My band was a metal band BUT we were a Christian metal band so we did not know what to expect. Also, people did not know what to expect from us as well. After we performed we won the love of the audience and the crowd was going crazy. That was the best experience because we were unknown in this area and suddenly we were respected like the other bands.
In your mind, what is the biggest difference between the music industry and the modeling world?
There are a lot of differences between the two but the biggest one is the people. The crowd I know from the music scene varies from the people I know in modeling but I like both. Everyone comes from different backgrounds and ideas.
Random Question: You have such lovely hair! When was the last time you cut your mane?
Five years ago (laughs) But, I still trim it myself.