Al Cisneros

Al Cisneros
Cisneros in 2019.
Background information
Birth Name	Alberto R. Cisneros
Born	23 September 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	1989 - 1997, 2003 - Present
Labels	Tee Pee Records, Holy Mountain Records, Southern Lord Records, Tupelo, Earache, London, Neurot, Drag City, Sinai, Samaritan Press, Third Man Records, Pressure
Associated acts	Sleep, Om, Shrinebuilder, Asbestosdeath
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 Cisnros would form 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 information, visit the Riffipedia page on 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 full-length 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. Four years later as a surprise on 20 April Sleep would release their fourth album The Sciences via Third Man Records and embark on their most extensive touring cycle to date in support of the album.

Om

For more information, visit the Riffipedia page on 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. From 2009 - 2018, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe (Lichens, 90 Day Men) would join 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.

Shrinebuilder

For more information, visit the Riffipedia page on Shrinebuilder.

In the mid 2000s Cisneros and Hakius expressed interest in working with Scott Weinrich on forming a new band together, with this project gaining ground following the dissolution of The Hidden Hand. Shrinebuilder would be founded by Cisneros and Wino along with Neurosis guitarist/vocalist Scott Kelly in 2008. As Chris Hakius had retired from music at that point the band would recruit Dale Crover (Melvins, Nirvana, Redd Kross, OFF!) in the drum role. Development of an album would begin in the Winter of 2009.

Shrinebuilder was released in October 2009 to critical praise. Following the album's release, the band announced a string of concerts, and the first Shrinebuilder track, "Pyramid Of The Moon," was added to the band's Myspace page. On 11 November 2009, Club My War arranged and hosted the band's first live show in the United States with two performances at The Viper Room. A short string of dates followed that year. In 2010 the band would tour the United States and Europe in support of the album when their busy schedules would allow. Plans for a second album would be intended as early as 2010.

Following a short European tour in 2011 surrounding a re-scheduled appearance at Roadburn Festival, Shrinebuilder would disband. This would largely be due to conflicts between Wino and Cisneros as all four members would move on to other projects.

Solo Releases

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 20 February 2015.

In 2022, Drag City would release a box set containing seven 7" records, comprising of most of Cisneros' solo works, along with three unreleased songs. In September 2022 Cisneros and Drag City would surprise release another 7" in Suicide of Judas.

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.

On 21 April 2019 it would be revealed that Rickenbacker bass company had developed an "Al Cisneros Signature 4003AC" in acknowledgment of the musician's frequent interest in the Rickenbacker brand for decades.

Bands

• Asbestosdeath - Bass, Vocals (1989 - 1990)
• Sleep - Bass, Vocals (1990 - 1998, 2009 - 2019, 2022)
• Om - Bass, Vocals (2003 - Present)
• Shrinebuilder - Bass, Vocals (2008 - 2011)
• Al Cisneros - All Instruments, Vocals (2012 - Present)
• Wovenhand - Live Bass (2020)

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 Records, The Music Cartel)
• 2003 – Dopesmoker (Tee Pee Records, Southern Lord Records)
• 2014 – The Clarity (Adult Swim Singles, Southern Lord Records)
• 2018 - The Sciences (Third Man Records)
• 2018 - Leagues Beneath (Adult Swim Singles, Third Man Records)
• 2019 - Sleep Live at Third Man Records (Third Man Records)

With Om

• 2005 – Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain Records)
• 2006 – Conference of the Birds (Holy Mountain Records)
• 2006 – Om / Six Organs of Admittance (Split 7" with Six Organs of Admittance) (Holy Mountain Records)
• 2006 – Inerrant Rays of Infallible Sun (Blackship Shrinebuilder) (Split EP with Current 93) (Neurot Recordings)
• 2007 – Pilgrimage (Southern Lord Records)
• 2008 – Live at Jerusalem (Southern Lord Records)
• 2008 – Gebel Barkal (Sub Pop)
• 2009 – Live Conference (Important Records)
• 2009 – God Is Good (Drag City)
• 2012 – Advaitic Songs (Drag City)
• 2014 – Live (Outer Battery)
• 2019 - BBC Radio 1 (Drag City)
• 2022 - Live at Amoeba (Holy Mountain)

With Shrinebuilder

• 2009 – Shrinebuilder (Neurot Recordings)
• 2011 – L•i•v•e (My Proud Mountain)
• 2011 – Coextinction Release 3 (Coextinction)

Solo

• 2012 – Dismas 7" (Sinai)
• 2013 – Teresa of Avila 7" (Sinai)
• 2013 – Ark Procession 10" (Drag City)
• 2014 – Toward Nazareth 12" (Drag City)
• 2014 – Empty Tomb 7" (Samaritan Press)
• 2014 – Lantern of The Soul 7" (Sinai)
• 2020 - Apple Pipe / No Tobacco 7" (ZamZam Sounds)
• 2022 - Sinai 2012-2022 Dub Box 7x7" Box Set (Drag City)
• 2022 - Suicide of Judas 7" (Drag City / Sinai)
• 2022 - Rosin Split with The Bug (Pressure)

Guest Appearances

• Six Organs of Admittance – The Sun Awakens (Bass and Vocals on River of Tranfiguration) (2006, Drag City)
• Harvestman – In a Dark Tongue (Bass and Vocals on The Hawk of Achill) (2009, Neurot)
• Melvins - Sabbath (Bass and Vocals) (2018, Amphetamine Reptile Records)

Equipment

Basses

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

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