Cholo-Goth Duo Prayers Is ‘Ready to Bleed'

Prayers debuts their Sherman Heights-filmed "Ready to Bleed" music video

Prayers are literally "ready to bleed" for their music.

In fact, frontman Rafael Reyes sustained third-degree burns filming the music video of the band's second single, "Ready to Bleed," which is nothing short of bloody. The duo consists of Reyes and his partner-in-crime, Dave Parley. Their talents lie in Parley's ability to salvage the glory days from Pet Shop Boys, Joy Division and David Bowie with a fist-bashing of 808 drums using his MPC 5000, and Reyes' voice, which sort of channels a cholo angst version of the Cure's Robert Smith with the apropos dark-themed, catchy hooks.

The "Ready to Bleed" video (watch it here) was directed by Reyes and takes you into the hoods of Sherman Heights where it's dark and the women vampires are feasting off the singer's blood, committing him to "cholo goth" liberation. Reyes who is Michoacan-born and San Diego-raised, coined the term cholo-goth to describe Prayers' music.

The video takes viewers into the barrios of a San Diego version of Jay-Z's "99 Problems," with Parley as our Rick Rubin, and Reyes dissecting HOVA out of the frame and inserting himself as the cholo version of Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan. The video does not shy away from referencing the dark rituals of Satanism, Catholicism and Olmec Magick.

Reyes knows street life all too well from being a Sherman Grant Hills Park 27 gangster. He's had his run-ins with the law and is on his second strike. For him, music is a third chance at having a better life.

"My music has saved me from myself," Reyes said, "and it has saved others from me."

Prayers is at the Shakedown with Old English on Feb. 10.
 

Dita Quiñones is a multimedia journalist born in Tijuana with a passion for Latin alternative and hip-hop music news. Her main goal is to uplift and inform so that the Latino and Hip-Hop community get knitted into the fabric of American history. In addition to SoundDiego, she contributes to Latina, FOX News Latino, Poder, VidaVibrante, and HipHopDx. She is also the founder of the infamous music and politrix blog GN$F! Follow Dita on Twitter or on Facebook.

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