I left Cuba when I was fourteen months old, in April 1965. I have no memories of Cuba, only the stories my parents told me.
My first influences as a drummer came from the music my parents had heard: artists like Benny More and Celia Cruz. Other influences were the parties and dances to which my parents took me, where there were local Cuban bands like Espíritu del Caribe and Típica Antillana.
I grew up in Los Angeles and the scene then was predominantly the Glam Rock from Hollywood. When I joined Slayer, we noticed that there was not much room for us, so we had to travel to San Francisco to achieve some kind of acceptance and success.
My experience with Suicidal Tendencies has been incredible. ST was one of those punk bands that I started listening to when I was 17 or 18 years old. Playing with them today is very exciting. I enjoy its music a lot and it brings me good memories of the music and the history of the band.