Interview Equilibrio Vital (by George Rossolatos)

Equilibrio Vital, the golden years and why their music and artistic vision are still relevant today. Interview with Guillermo González (GG), Jaime Moroldo (JM) and Elena Prieto (EP) (by George Rossolatos)

GR: When did Equilibrio Vital officially form and what was the original line-up? What changes were made to the original line-up throughout Equilibrio Vital’s career?

GG: The group was formed on June 1, 1980 with Marcos Chacón (guitar and voice), Jaime Moroldo (plastic artist) and Carlos Serga (guitar). On the 18th of the same month I (Guillermo González) (bass and flute) joined and then, gradually, Elena Prieto (voice, writer and actress), Arnoldo Sergas (Bass, guitar), Aracely Ramírez (plastic artist) and Laureano Rangel (drums). This was the original formation of Equilibrio Vital, from which Aracely Ramírez, Jaime Moroldo and myself still remain. In 1986, Carlos Serga left the group and was replaced by Maximino Suárez on keyboards, guitar and choirs. In the beginning of the 90's, Elena Prieto left the group and from that moment onwards there have been many changes in the formation of the group. However, we can assume as a reference-point the line-up that existed at the time the subsequent records were released by Musea Records:

-Tribute to Marcos Chacón 2003 (reissue of the album Equilibrio Vital on CD with the addition of three songs recorded between 2000 and 2001): Marcos Chacón: Guitar, voice/ Guillermo González: Bass, sax, flute and voice/ Jaime Moroldo: Graphic design, Manager /Aracely Ramírez: Assistant manager, organization/Jorge Luis Ayala: Drums, Vocals/ Jacinto González: Acoustic guitar

- Kazmor El Prisionero 2006 (reissue of the album Kazmor El Prisionero on CD with the addition of five songs recorded between 2004 and 2005 in electro-acoustic format): Guillermo González; Acoustic guitar, flute, voice/ Jaime Moroldo: Graphic design, Manager/Aracely Ramírez: Assistant manager, organization/ Arnoldo Sergas: Bass, organization/ Endgork Moroldo: Keyboards /Jorge Luis Ayala, Drums, voice/ Cesar Jaime: Acoustic guitar/ Víctor Pérez: Acoustic guitar / Gabriel Abreu: Cello.

- Return 2010: Guillermo González: Electric and acoustic guitar,flute, voice/ Jaime Moroldo: Graphic design, Manager/ Endgork Moroldo: Manager, Keyboards, Design/ Aracely Ramírez: Assistant manager, organization/ Arnoldo Sergas: Bass/ organization/ Jorge Luis Ayala: Drums, voice / Cesar Jaime: Acoustic guitar

EP: Although this question has already been answered by Guillermo, I know that its first seed was sown with the band called "Cúpula", in the mid-70s. Created with the aim of participating in a massive concert, called Resuelto, at the César Girón de Maracay bull-ring. Marcos Chacón already had his goal set very clearly. The members of that band were in some respects similar to the later formation of EV:  Marcos, Tony Prieto, my brother, and Carlos Serga as musicians, but also Jaime Moroldo, who was not a musician, but one of those friends who believed in the band’s vision. At that concert we met almost all of us. I only went to a rehearsal in which Marcos told me to sing something, then I was at the concert with some friends of mine and my father, who was very excited about the project and to see my brother playing there. Since then, Angel Navarrete, the future manager of Equilibrio Vital, had his eye on the band. Several years passed before we saw each other again. There were many important changes in everyone's lives. So, entering the 80s, Marcos decides to move on with the project of creating a professional band that would perpetuate itself through its music and break the stigma that rock was dark. Everyone agreed on not limiting the band’s output to music, since Jaime was a plastic artist and I liked writing. We added theatre and body work. It was at that point when I joined as a singer and Guillermo González as a bassist. The group didn’t have a name yet, and it took us a while to come up with one, there was a lot of controversy about it. Anyway, my brother also joined as the drummer, after his return from the USA (where he studied at Boston Berklee College of Music), but he left as soon as we gave a rare first concert.

Regarding the second question: Marcos Chacón liked progressive music, but also Venezuelan rhythms. So we started with a song called Pensamientos, a very “Onda Nueva” style which was the first song we ever recorded, in a home studio located in Cagua, not very far from Maracay, where we lived, and was played on radio Satélite. Then followed the song Guerra, in a progressive rock vein, recorded in a professional studio named Color that belongs to Corporación Los Ruices in Caracas. Although, musically, Pensamientos and Guerra had little in common, they were made of the same stuff, so to speak. Equilibrio Vital, finally, created their identity through harmonies which brought many headaches and hundreds of hours of rehearsals. We all contributed with some songs, myself included, but most were by Marcos. Thus, regardless of whether the tracks were symphonic, progressive, pop or blues rock themes, they were marked by the same seal and I loved that. However, it must be said that there were transcendental songs like Xigrilian, recorded altogether in one go in the studio, that no one will ever know what an experience that was. We gave ourselves permission to do what we wanted to do and we believed in it, whatever came out, as long as we put our seal.

GR: Equilibrio Vital’s first two albums may be labelled as the forefathers of contemporary folk metal, but also prog metal. Heavy riffs a la early Iron Maiden and New Wave of British Heavy Metal intermingle with etherial vocals, prog keyboards and folk woodwinds. It is truly amazing that the band has not been recognized more broadly for its contribution to these subgenres which have become mainstream over the years. In fact, from this perspective, EV’s music is as contemporary as ever, while new vistas open up for becoming relevant anew to new audiences. Who brought what into this versatile compositional armory and what were your main influences?

GG: The members of the group converged on the taste for Progressive Rock, Jazz-Rock Fusion and Hard Rock of the 70's. Personally at that time, my main influences were 70's Progressive Rock like Genesis, Pink Floyd, Yes, Camel, Focus and Jazz-Rock Fusion style musicians like Mingo Lewis and Chick Corea, among others. However, it is important to say, although it seems that it has nothing to do with the question, that one of the main foundations of our musical style is based on a phenomenon that occurs when making music and that Marcos Chacón discovered, which he baptized it with the name of Energy Induction. This phenomenon is based on the principle that music is an expression of the soul and that the musician must learn to let himself be carried away by it both when composing and playing; the music tells you what to do. When the musician does so, he is charged with energy and in turn induces that energy to whoever is listening to him; hence the name energy induction (emotions and feelings are energy). He made us notice this in the group and together we developed and matured this concept so we always treated our music in this way. We also think that this applies to all of the arts. For this reason, since then I have been compiling notes and experiences regarding this way of studying music, which I wish to publish soon because I feel it is important to share them with others.

EP: Well, this exposition that you just made, is exactly the result of how different we all were and how we wanted to respect each other which invites the question ‘who brought it’? Marcos, first, and Guillermo, second, were the originators, but then each one of us added lots of ideas that were accepted or not. That was something not easy to achieve because sometimes we had long discussions. This is why we spent hours upon hours rehearsing. And each one could put their grain of sand. The result was what it was worth and the angers (yes sometimes was like that) passed.

GR: Share with us some of the most memorable moments from your early period live shows. The live recording that will be featured as bonus cd in PQR’s re-release of your debut album is a living testimony of live-shows that were amazingly dynamic, with enthusiastic audiences. In what respects, would you say, live audiences compare between the late 70s/early 80’s and nowadays?

GG: The first massive concert we did in 1982 was undoubtedly memorable for all of us in all its aspects, firstly because before, we had only played in small places, secondly because it was the first time we played with a professional sound company and thirdly because it was in this concert when a headhunter from the COLOR label contacted us, from which point onwards our recording career took off. The second concert, which was also totally memorable, was in 1983 when we performed two shows at the Maracay Opera Theater with the aim of presenting our first album called Equilibrio Vital, which had just been published two months ago (that is the concert that will appear as a CD in the reissue of this album). That same year we also participated in the filming of the film Rock Venezolano together with the bands Témpano, La Misma Gente and Resistencia. It was a concert filmed at El Poliedro de Caracas with an attendance of more than 25,000 people, which for the Venezuelan standards of that time, was an exorbitant amount of people. In fact, I think that this concert of Venezuelan rock artists had the highest attendance in the country’s history.

EP: I can say that every concert brought us plenty of fantastic sensations. I remember especially one 

concert at el Domo de Barquisimeto, when all the equipment went off and only the vocals and

Laureano´s drums were audible. So, what happened was me and Laureano giving our souls 

improvising. Drums and voice sounding together as if communicating in an incredible language. 

Moreover, this was perceived as being part of the show, so the crowd got crazy, as the band was

struggling to solve the problem.  The audience in those days was completely attached to the 

sound and the bands, and that helped musicians a lot. Nowadays? It has been more than fifteen 

years since I last went to a massive concert, so I cannot tell you. But I guess it must not be very 

different if the audience is where they like to be, listening to what they are dying to hear.

GR: Although ‘Kazmor el Prisionero’ was of equal musical value and quality to your debut, it wasn’t supported to the same extent. What happened at that time that drove EV off course?

GG: Well, I think it was because the support of the media for the Venezuelan Rock movement 

began to decline in Venezuela and the presentations began to be little by little more sporadic 

until in 1987 this movement almost completely declined due to the country’s economic recession.

EP: Off course? Really? No way!!! The music is not a lonely path, it´s a wood full of  diversity. Marcos defended it and we all did. With Kazmor we all wanted to move forward and to create new songs with new sounds and messages. We also wanted to move the Project of multi-art, because we were only known as musicians. That was the reason why the manager Angel Navarrete decided to quit, as he did not agree with this direction. He wanted more songs like Gerra. But Marcos was a creative machine, he had too much music inside him. Also, Kazmor is a story that I wrote. We all dreamed about a movie called Kazmor. But the truth is that to be in Venezuela was not the best for a band like Equilibrio Vital. I always thought about it. I said many times to Marcos: ‘We are in the wrong place’. But we couldn`t change this. We were really sort of money, even for moving to Caracas where the good recording studios were. 

GR: EV had a solid sociocultural and political vision, in complementarity to their unique prog rooted style. Please describe this vision, as well as how it is reflected aesthetically in the band’s iconography, imagery and symbols. Has this vision changed over the years and how?

GG: Through our song-lyrics we almost always sought to convey, and we still do, a message of 

reflection and awareness covering topics such as: No to wars, You must find your way and your

truth, Things do not happen by chance, Believe in yourself, Be authentic, Children do 

not deserve so much destruction, You live all the time in a hurry and you do not stop to

reflect on who you are, Let's save the planet, etc. Before talking about the iconography,

I must first say that we think that perfection is obtained by achieving a balance between

the spiritual part of the human being and its biological part, hence the name of 

Equilibrio Vital; the bird on the first records symbolizes the search for that balance.

JM: During our first meeting in 1980, there was already talk of a name for the group that would link it with our ideals. Today, despite a fairly significant time span, those same concepts remain the same in principle. The image that identifies us emerged on that same year after a long process of talks. As a design, it went through several stages, from being a simple drawing to becoming a black silhouette, which represents a bird as a symbol of stability and harmony. It remained that way for almost 30 years, currently the logo is reinvented with the acronym EQV.

EP: When me and Marcos separated as a couple, I left the band, before all the new changes, including his death. But I can tell you that anything that happened there, we all talked about it before. The image of being dressed in light colors, the bird that represented us, all was part of our beleifs in those days. But life changes and beliefs can change as well. So, nowadays, I cannot answer this question because I didn´t follow the inner meaning of the new symbols, although I understand them as part of an evolution.

GR: EV personnel have been and are versed in multiple arts. How did this multi-artistic panoply aid you in enriching your music with multiple expressive modes, both during live shows and in your recorded material?

GG: In our first shows we performed plays that ended in a concert, but later the visual arts were 

the ones that enriched the stage-setting of Equilibrio Vital, as well as the lighting work for each 

show. When I joined Equilibrio Vital, I only composed instrumental music and listening to the 

songs of Marcos Chacón and the writings of Elena Prieto enriched my compositions since I 

learned to compose music with lyrics, which made me venture into singing. Jaime Moroldo’s 

painting also inspired me a lot in my compositions.

EP: It helped lots. We felt supported in many areas, even in administrative. It enriched the 

music, because everybody gave their own idea of a new song or arrangement. That was 

fantastic (and complicated), because those who were not musicians, were involved as humans. 

We are talking about their perceptions, their feelings of what they were listening. So they could 

create in their artistic area something connected with what they had listened. That was always 

an experimental experience. Marcos dreamt of creating music that spoke directly to the 

unconscious. Jaime did it with his paitings, I think we made it with Xigriliam.

GR: Both of the first two albums are concept albums in many respects. What are their permeating themes and how are they reflected in individual tracks?

GG: Our dominant themes are generally the ones I mentioned above and are reflected in these albums as follows:

Equilibrio Vital Album

Guerra: No to wars

Tras del sol: Living behind the sun, beyond the memories of God

El emigrante: You must seek your path and your truth.

Aliento y Esperanza: Things do not happen by chance

A mi padre: Song in honor of the memory of Marcos Chacón's father

Kazmor The Prisoner Album

El ausente: Song dedicated to the Absent

Kazmor The Prisoner: You are a Prisoner of yourself; let your soul escape

Mi Canción Parte I: Song dedicated to relationships

Prisa: You always live in a hurry without reflecting

Inocentes perdidos: Children do not deserve such destruction

Mi Canción Parte II: Song dedicated to relationships

GR: What sort of technical constraints did you face when you were recording your first albums that could be easily managed with today’s technology?

GG: I think that the main limitation occurred when editing the errors that were made during the 

recording process, which was sometimes very complicated, something that is now much easier 

to tackle thanks to the use of recording software.

EP: The editing now is faster and more precise, the levels, saturations and effects are feasible with a touch or automatic, but the best is the voice and how easy you put it in tone when it´s not and the many additions you can afford. However, those moments of the audio technician working together with the musicians are the best, in the past it was completely handicraft. I loved those moments. 

GR: Which prog band mates can you identify from Venezuela and abroad? Bands you toured with or used to rehearse in the same place? Were you acquainted with any of the seminal bands that are featured in PQR’s celebratory Prog Venezuela releases, that is, Estructura, Tempano, Aditus? If yes, in what capacity and how would you describe your relations?

GG: Yes, I met the people of Témpano in their beginnings and I actually attended several of their 

rehearsals. Their two guitarists rehearsed with me for a short time in a band called Obertura, just

before I joined Equilibrio Vital. Then I shared the stage with Tempano in the movie Rock Venezolano 

but they had a different formation. Also, Aditus' guitarist, Álvaro Falcón, was my 

electric guitar teacher from the beginning and once he invited me to see a rehearsal of 

the band. Then I shared the stage with Aditus some time later in the mid 80's, with 

Equilibrio Vital, but this time the guitarist was not Alvaro but Pedro Castillo, one

of the initial members of Temprano. I also interacted a lot with Petete, the guitarist

and singer of the Same People, a band with which Equilibrio Vital also shared the stage

in the movie Rock Venezolano. Likewise, once I personally met Agni Mogollón, bassist of 

the group Estructura, at the studio where we recorded the first albums and we had 

several conversations.

EP: Our relations with other bands were polite and gentle. Relations between musicians are so particular... But we´ve never rehearsed with others, we built our own little studio and that allowed us to work as much as we wanted. I personally had a very good friend in Aditus, Edgar de Sola, a founding member and drummer.

GR: Can you give us some background info as to why there is a time lag between the popularity of progressive rock in Europe (mid 70s) and the time it begun to take off in some parts of Latin America, such as Venezuela and Mexico (i.e. late 70s, early 80s)?

GG: I can only talk about what happened in Venezuela. Before the 80s, Venezuelan Rock bands 

were not taken into account by businessmen and the media and only foreign Rock artists 

appeared in this country with the intervention of some Venezuelan band that acted as an 

opening act only to comply with the laws, but did not receive much publicity. However, at the 

beginning of the 1980s, an economic recession occurred in Venezuela and bringing artists from 

abroad required considerable investment at that time. It was then that they began to look towards 

Venezuelan artists and therefore record companies. What I mentioned above that in our first 

massive concert a headhunter from our label approached us, it was something that although in 

other countries seems to be normal, here in Venezuela it was very difficult to experience.

EP: South América is popular for Latin rhythms, that´s the main, the top music business. That made it harder for a Progressive band in those years, when the world had so many European and North American bands with iconic musicians: Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Jetro Tull, Kansas... There were so many and so good.  We dreamed of having a place beside them!  The owner of our record Company was Mr. Ricken. He  trusted us and was very helpful. But I think that for him to manage a full band, a very democratic band, was a huge thing to handle. It was hard, and in Venezuela, who cared? He didn´t need that, he wanted something special, yes, but nice and easy going. We were not very easy, I know. Even me, I was tired so much of complaining. He, Mr. Ricken, already had enough money and popularity, he was just thinking of retiring. He wanted us because he liked us. I know he knew we would give him the sound and the energy he was expecting.  But even if we had something he was looking for, he finally didn´t get it.  I felt that on him. At the end, we had to look for another recording studio. Not easy, because the band was not in the capital city of Caracas, and regular traveling was expensive. I was the only one that lived in the capital. But it should be mentioned that Mr. Ricken bought a full collection of Jaime´s paintings, so maybe there is evidence of what EV’s music did to Jaime´s art. Being part of Equilibrio Vital meant having very limited income, because we chose to work hard to keep the band strong and together, so we helped each other in many different ways. Jaime helped a lot by selling his paintings to Mr. Ricken. 

GR: Do you think that descriptors such as Rock Venezolano are relevant nowadays in an increasingly globalized milieu? Does country-of-origin still perform a differentiating factor in selecting and appreciating music or has it receded in the background, in light of genres such as K-Pop or J-Pop, for example? Especially as regards prog rock, a loosely articulated genre that is actually as versatile as a music genre can be, can country descriptors contain inventiveness and the scope of potential cross-fertilizations? 

GG: In Venezuela, Rock, in general, has declined a lot and progressive Rock bands are very few, 

having been replaced by Latin styles such as Reggaeton and Salsa, among others. However, I 

think that in other countries interest in these styles continues to be maintained and it is important 

that it continues to do so.

EP:  There is an incredible “Retro” movement happening nowadays! I can see how the movies are remixing old LPS, and very young kids are now listening and singing songs that were top ten in the 80’s! So, why not? I believe it´s a must. I think there must be a country of origin, but I accept that there are more possibilities thanks to the globalized milieu.

GR: What sort of cultural resources (books, artists, movies, folk myths) have been influential in moulding your individual artistic personas and vision?

GG: The books that impacted me when I was young were Richard Bach's Juan Salvador Gaviota

and Illusions, as well as Hermann Hesse's Siddharta and the Bible. With reference to artists, 

apart from the musicians I referred to above, I was influenced by the suspense and horror 

soundtracks of movies that I watched as a child and teenager in movies and television series, 

as well as the impressionist music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. However, I must also 

say that Marcos Chacón's music as well as his way of thinking represented an enrichment and 

development for me as a human being.

JM: Even though we were young, we already had a cultural base before the founding of the group. Then, over time, immersed in Equilibrio Vital, surely each one found other interests linked to art such as, in my case, painting, design, etc.

EP: I loved the “Realismo mágico” style books, because, even before reading them, I had that way of writing, of course in a very amateur way. My musical influences were very global. I was born in Spain where music was popular, and especially easy listening due to the dictatorial government. But when I moved to Venezuela, me and my brother got in touch with so many different things. I learned how to sing Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, and the only three notes I learned on guitar; I also learned Carole´s King songs. Then, all those songs and artists from Woodstock Festival came to our ears and I just loved that delayed world movement. I was only thirteen! Number thirteen means big changes in my life. I was also born on June 13. My brother got addicted to Black Sabbath and he invited me to understand them…But that was a bit hard to me. Then came all the others: Rolling Stones, Santana, Deep Purple, Chicago, Fleetwood Mac... So many and so different!!! I loved that moment of the music world.  In Venezuela I got very attached to Vytas Brener and Gerry Weil. I loved them both!

GR: Did you receive recognition outside of Venezuela during the late 70s/early 80s (e.g. gig/album reviews by the foreign press), and if yes, from which countries?

GG: Yes, Equilibrio Vital was reviewed in some magazines in Japan, the United States, Brazil, 

Colombia, Peru, Chile and Ecuador, at that time.

GR: The band has remained inactive for some time now. What has each of the core members been up to ever since your official disbanding? How have you been keeping the essence of EV alive?

GG: Equilibrio Vital has never stopped working and much less is it true that there has been an official 

dissolution. After publishing our first 2 records Equilibrio Vital and Kazmor El Prisionero, the band continued 

during the eighties and nineties playing in Venezuelan territory and we made some independent productions 

of which some songs were published on radio and television stations in Venezuela, and later on the Internet 

in two promotional CDs: Continuidad por siempre (2004) and Extremos Temporales (2008). Later, at the end 

of 1999, Musea Records contacted us through Mr. Alexis Lope-Bello to reissue the material from our 2 vinyls 

in CD format. But when Alexis saw that the band was still active, he suggested that we include songs from 

what we were doing at that time and so we did. We included 3 tracks in the reissue of Equilibrio Vital: 2 in 

electric format and one in acoustic format. The reissue of Kazmor El Prisionero would come later. However, 

having finished recording these tracks and just before sending this material to Musea Records, Marcos 

Chacón, founding member and main composer of the band at that time, passed away, leaving me in 

charge of the musical direction. From that moment onwards we decided to venture for several years 

into the electro-acoustic format, sharing the stage in Caracas in 2002 with Premiata Fornería Marconi 

among other bands, and participating soon after in the Baja Pro 2004 festival in Mexicalli, Mexico, 

alongside bands like IQ, Anekdoten, Clearlight and artists like Richard Sinclair (Ex-Camel) and Allan 

Holdsworth. For this reason, to the material that was going to be reissued from the Kazmor El Prisionero vinyl, 

we added 5 tracks in this electro-acoustic format, since it was the style of music we were making at the time.

Later, in 2009, we participated in the projects of the Colossus Magazine of Finland: Tounen 

Tytär II, a tribute to Finnish progressive rock bands, where we performed a version of Jukka 

Tolonen's theme: Impression of India and Dante Alighieri's Purgatorio with a theme of my 

authorship called Juicio Final. In 2010, Musea Records released our third album called Retorno 

with themes by me, Marcos Chacón and Endgork Moroldo. After this, Jorge Luis Ayala, 

Jacinto González and Apolo Abreu left the group and Nerluis De Andrade joined as the band's 

drummer. We continued to perform live in Venezuela and for several years we have concentrated 

only on studio work. Unfortunately, in 2020 another founding member of the band passed away: 

Arnoldo Sergas, however, we are currently working on the development of a new record material 

for Equilibrio Vital (with the electric format of the beginning, although there are two acoustic songs).

 JM: The band never dissolved, only restructured. The essence of Equilibrio Vital lives in the
minds and hearts of those of us who continue forward and not only in music. Equilibrio
Vital is a way or philosophy of life, not only in the artistic aspect, but rather
as a way of thinking that seeks to expand consciousness.

EP: I left the band a couple of years before Marco´s death. Over the next sixteen years I was working with my voice in another way: dubbing. I did great jobs like lots of voice-overs for Warner Brothers series, some movies and lots of TV Globo novelas. After that, I moved to Spain where I live now. Here I’ve been singing in many venues during night shows, but not my own songs. When I started this, I thought it was horrible, but the truth is that it allowed me to sing songs that I’ve always loved and that could not have happened if I belonged to an original band. I stopped due to Covid. But I manage my own Pilates Studio for twelve years now, and continue writing. My son Marcos became a Graphic designer and illustrator, and we have both been keeping the essence of EV alive. Now, my theme life has changed a bit: I live life as it comes, no matter what it brings, until it stops. Before that, I will always enjoy everyday and everyone in a very humble a grateful way.

GR: Have you been listening to emergent and by now established genres such as prog metal? Are there any neoprog bands that have attracted your attention? What do you think about the contemporary scene and the proliferation of bands compared to the 70s/early 80s when only a handful were in existence? Does the quality of contemporary musicianship compare to the scene’s forerunners or gems are getting more scarce to locate amidst the hype?

GG: Although there are very good bands, the one that has caught my attention the most is Symphony X. I think that, in general terms, the fundamental difference between the earlier bands and the contemporary ones lies in the compositions. In my view, the earlier bands let themselves be carried away more by the music at the time of composing and the sung compositions had much more developed melodies.

GR: What are your perceptions about the relationship between bands and contemporary fandom, in a social media dominated age where 1-2-1 relations may be formed between individual fans and bands? Does the effacement of the distance between fans and bands contribute in any manner to the loss of an artist’s aura and the role he may perform in a fan’s life? How would you describe the pros and cons with regard to this matter?

GG: Well, all artists are human beings just like anyone else, with the same biological needs, 

eating, sleeping, etc., as any other human being; no one can escape this. I think that really what 

the fan should admire is the work, even if they have more personal contact with the artist. Now, 

what I really do not agree with is when people intrude into the private life of the artists 

transforming them into a show for the distraction of others.

GR: Some of you have pursued parallel professional lives alongside your roles as musicians with Equilibrio Vital. How have you been managing your dual roles? Please share with us what other professional activities you have been pursuing up until now, alongside your careers as musicians.

GG: I am a music teacher. I teach both instruments that I play in Equilibrio Vital and Musical 

Composition. I also teach classes in traditional education schools and give advice to those who 

wish to undertake a musical project.

JM: Once again, I must say that Equilibrio Vital is not just a musical group, it must be seen as a generating point for a different way of thinking. The individual or collective expressions generated by us want to bring to people a simple message that speaks of hope, trust, faith, to discover themselves as true human beings and thus begin to reveal what lies behind each one, until discovering their essence. The benefit is unique because it raises awareness. What we know as a society could change and be strengthened from that individuality to reach a whole group of people, with an unthinkable improvement. Because when you improve as a person, that action is automatically reflected in your immediate environment. To conclude, say that we are not dual, there are no parallel lives, we have diversified our learning, discovering some new things that we now use, but we continue to be ourselves, always applying what we have acquired since 1980.

GR: Finally, please give us a timeline of Equilibrio Vital with your career’s most important milestones.

1980

June 1: Equilibrio Vital is founded

1982

October 22: First great concert at Pabellón de Industrias. Maracay

November 20: Concert at the Monumental de Valencia

1983

July 31: Public performance of the first album at Teatro de la Ópera, Maracay.

October 2: Concert at The Concha Acústica de Bello Monte, Caracas.

December 11: Concert and filming of the film Rock Venezolano.

1984

June 12: Recording of the album Kazmor El Prisionero.

July 20 and 21: Concert at the Poliedro, Caracas.

November 20: Concert at the Anfiteatro Oscar Martínez Barquisimeto, sharing stage with the Venezuelan band Aditus.

1985

 March 30: Concert at the Anfiteatro Oscar Martínez Barquisimeto.

1986

March 14: Concert at the Anfiteatro Oscar Martínez Barquisimeto with the North American band Dear Force. 

March 15: Concert at the Gimnasio Cubierto del Polideportivo de Maracaibo. 

1989

Performance on the television channel VTV.

Interview in the Sonoclips Program of the RCTV television channel.

1993

November 30: Concert at the Teatro de la Opera, Maracay.

October 4: Concert at the Puntazo Sala Show, Maracay.

1999

December: Musea Records contacts Equilibrio Vital through Mr. Alexis Lope-Bello

2000

April: Beginning recording of the tracks that would be included in the first CD reissue of the Equilibrio Vital album.

2001

December 29: Marcos Chacón passed away

2002

July 31: Concert sharing stage with the Italian band Premiata Fornería Marconi at Teatro Santa Rosa de Lima, Caracas

2003

Beginning recording of the tracks that were going to be included in the CD reissue of Kazmor El Prisionero

Release by Musea Records of the Album Tribute to Marcos Chacón

2004

March 4: Concert at the Baja Prog Festival, Mexicali, Mexico.

2005

March 17: Concert at the Teatro de la Ópera, Maracay.

2006

CD release by Musea Records of the Album Kazmor El Prisionero.

2012

November 30: Private Concert at the Tavernella, Casa de Italia, Maracay

2013

June 28: Performing in electro acoustic format at La Maestranza.

July 11: Concert at  La Maestranza, Maracay.

July 13: Concert: Concierto por la paz. Parque de Ferias San Jacinto. Maracay

2014

August 6: Aragueña radio station anniversary concert outside of the Teatro Ateneo, Maracay.

October 28

Concert at the Café Caramba, Maracay.

2020

May 29: Arnoldo Sergas passed away.