Al Cisneros

Al Cisneros
Cisneros performing live with OM.
Background information
Birth Name	Al Cisneros
Born	September 23, 1973 - San Jose, California, United States
Occupation	Musician, Chess Teacher
Genres	Stoner Metal, Sludge Metal, Doom Metal, Experimental Rock, Dub
Instrument(s)	Bass, Vocals, piano, percussion
Years active	1990 - 1998, 2003 - Present
Labels	Tupelo, Earache, London, Tee Pee Records, Holy Mountain, Southern Lord Records, Neurot, Drag City, Sinai, Samaritan Press
Associated acts	Sleep, Om, Shrinebuilder, Asbestosdeath, Al Cisneros
Website	Official Om Website

Al Cisneros is a musician originating from San Jose, California. Notably, he actively performs in Sleep and Om while having been formerly involved with Shrinebuilder and Asbestosdeath. Cisneros is also known for his meditative mannerisms on stage and grooving along to the music he performs.

Background

Asbestosdeath

In 1989 he formed the sludge metal band Asbestosdeath at the age of sixteen. Cisneros handled bass and vocals with Chris Hakius on drums and Matt Pike and Tom Choi on guitar. Cisneros and Asbestosdeath released two EPs between 1989 and 1990. The group would disband by December that year.

Sleep

For more info, see Sleep.

When Choi left Asbestosdeath, Cisneros, Hakius, new member Justin Marler and Pike renamed themselves Sleep. Cisneros jokingly called himself "Luke" in the early days of Sleep, in homage to 'Luke's Wall', the title of the outro to War Pigs. Cisneros also kept a picture of Tony Iommi in his bass suitcase as a further example of the band's worship of Iommi and Sabbath.

Cisneros' earliest musical interests included an appreciation of Black Sabbath, in particular their first four albums.

In 1991 Sleep released their first album Volume One, gaining a following in the underground doom scene. In 1992 they released their next album, Sleep's Holy Mountain an influential album in the early development of stoner metal.

Between 1994 and 1996, Sleep worked extensively on what would become their third fullength album, Dopesmoker, a single song lasting one hour. However, their record label at the time refused to release it, and in 1997 Sleep disbanded. Frustrated, Al Cisneros would quit doing music entirely for years.

In 2009, Sleep would reunite at All Tomorrow's Parties for two performances, doing the entire Sleep's Holy Mountain album along with selections from Dopesmoker and an unreleased composition. From 2010 onwards the band would be active again with Neurosis drummer Jason Roeder. What was intended to be sporadic shows has become a fully reunited band by 2014, with a new album in the works following new single The Clarity in 2014.

Om

For more, see Om.

In 2003, Al Cisneros had an interest in playing music again after spending a great deal of time away from doing so. He would recruit his Sleep bandmate Chris Hakius and form the two-piece band Om. The band would record a total of three albums together before Chris Hakius retired from music in 2008.

Since 2008, Grails drummer Emil Amos has performed with the band. Since 2009, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Of Lichens) has joined as a multi-instrumentalist, adding to their evolving sound. This lineup would release two more albums and remain fairly active, slowing down their activity by 2016. The band has a sixth album in the works.

Solo Projects

In December 2012 Cisneros released his first solo record Dismas on his own Sinai imprint, following the religious tones themed in OM but with more of a dub approach. A second solo record Teresa of Avila followed in March 2013. A 10" EP featuring two longer songs, "Ark Procession" and "Jericho", was also released in 2013 via Drag City. In January 2014 a 12" EP featuring five songs was released via Drag City.

Two more solo dub releases would follow in 2014. First was a collaboration with avid V. D'Andrea of Samaritan Press to create Empty Tomb / Sepulcher Dub, limited to 1000 copies. The other was a third 7" on the Sinai imprint entitled Lantern of the Soul.

Cisneros performed a solo dub set at Empty House Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 20, 2015.

Personal Life

Sometime after his departure of Sleep, Al Cisneros became a chess teacher. Sometime in the 2010s, Cisneros would leave his longtime home of California to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He currently resides there with his wife.

Along with Black Sabbath, Cisneros also maintains a keen interest in dub and reggae music. Also while not following any organized religion he is deeply spiritual.

Bands

• Asbestosdeath - Bass, Vocals (1989 - 1990)
• Sleep - Bass, Vocals (1990 - 1998, 2009 - Present)
• Om - Bass, Vocals (2003 - Present)
• Shrinebuilder - Bass, Vocals (2008 - 2011)
• Al Cisneros - All Instruments, Vocals (2012 - Present)

Discography

With Asbestosdeath

• 1990 – Unclean (Asbestos)
• 1990 – Dejection (Profane Existence)
• 2007 - Dejection, Unclean (Southern Lord)

With Sleep

• 1991 – Volume One (Tupelo)
• 1992 – Volume Two (Off the Disk)
• 1992 – Sleep's Holy Mountain (Earache)
• 1999 – Jerusalem (Rise Above, The Music Cartel)
• 2003 – Dopesmoker (Tee Pee Records, Southern Lord Records)
• 2014 – The Clarity (Adult Swim Singles/Southern Lord)
• 2018 - The Sciences (Third Man Records)

With Om

• 2005 – Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain)
• 2006 – Conference of the Birds (Holy Mountain)
• 2006 – Om / Six Organs of Admittance (Split 7" with Six Organs of Admittance) (Holy Mountain)
• 2006 – Inerrant Rays of Infallible Sun (Blackship Shrinebuilder) (Split EP with Current 93) (Neurot)
• 2007 – Pilgrimage (Southern Lord)
• 2008 – Live at Jerusalem (Southern Lord
• 2008 – Gebel Barkal (Sub Pop)
• 2009 – Conference Live (Important Records)
• 2009 – God Is Good (Drag City)
• 2012 – Advaitic Songs (Drag City)
• 2014 – Live (Outer Battery)

With Shrinebuilder

• 2009 – Shrinebuilder (Neurot)
• 2011 – Live (My Proud Mountain)
• 2011 – Coextinction Release 3 (Coextinction)

Solo

• 2012 – Dismas 7" (Sinai)
• 2013 – Teresa of Avila / Levitation Dub 7" (Sinai)
• 2013 – Ark Procession"/”Jericho" 10" (Drag City)
• 2014 – Toward Nazareth/Indica Field/Harvester Dub/Yerushaláyim/Version 12" (Drag City)
• 2014 – Empty Tomb/Sepulcher Dub 7" (Samaritan Press)
• 2014 – Lantern of the Soul/Untitled 7" (Sinai)

Guest Appearances

• Six Organs of Admittance – River of Transfiguration. The Sun Awakens (2006, Drag City)
• Harvestman – The Hawk of Achill. In a Dark Tongue (2009, Neurot)

Equipment

Basses

• Rickenbacker 4080/6
• Rickenbacker 4003
• Rickenbacker 4003S5
• Rickenbacker 4004
• Rickenbacker 4003W

Amplification

• Ampeg SVT and various Ampeg cabinets
• Custom "Vivekananda" Electric Amp USA power unit
• Electric Amp USA Master Volume Unit
• Green Amp Matamp slave unit.
• Two Matamp 4x15 custom cabinets.
• Electric Amp USA 2x15 "Jericho" cabinet.
• Two Electric Amp USA 4x12 cabinets.

Effects

• BOSS DS-1
• Boss TU-2
• Raagini Digital Electronic Tanpura, used with Ernie Ball volume pedal.
• DOD overdrive/preamp 250
• ROLAND RE-201 SPACE ECHO
• Electro-Harmonix POG2 Polyphonic Octave Generator
• Mountainking Electronics Megalith Fuzz pedal