Midnight Prophet
My name is Andrew Vaz and I formed Midnight Prophet in 2006, after having composed for many years and wanting to share my music with the world. The name came from the fact that many songs were formed during those hours and I wanted to help others through my songs.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
I started composing for Midnight Prophet around the time I was graduating from Media Arts at Sheridan College. The songs at that time were comprised of deeply personal feelings on trauma from my past and became really cathartic as they became fully fleshed out tracks for my debut album. I did a small launch party to celebrate the release , but wasn't expecting much attention. It wasn't until a few years later when I was called on to write a track for a national campaign for the American Cancer society. The track I composed had already seen some evolution from what I put out with the debut, and it reflected themes of hope and harmony not evident in my earlier work. This started me on a path to create the next album, which ended up being a short EP. It was also concept based, reflecting the downward spiral of an individual who lost his true love, but ends up realizing that love is universal. Had a small detour when I composed a modern worship album, and then was starting to compose for my next when this pandemic took hold.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
I performed a lot as a kid, through choirs and plays, but it wasn't until high school that I really started performing as a musician. I was in the school band at that time, and then in college had a brief stint as a synth player with a rock band. My CD launch would be the first time performing under Midnight Prophet and it was especially memorable being the first time I got to see reactions for that material.
Your musical influences
My early work was highly influenced by Moby and Radiohead, especially Thom Yorke's solo stuff. As time went on I also became entranced by artists like Coldplay, Muse, Above & Beyond and Raine Maida.
What equipment do you use?
I record everything in a home studio, comprised of a Rode USB condenser microphone and a Mac running Logic Pro. For live performance I have a Roland Piano, Yorkville amp, Senheisser microphone, and various percussive instruments.
