SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Silver Creek junior Jonary Ruiz involves himself in various forms of creation such as in music and film.

Since March of last year, Ruiz has been a member of the hardcore band “Cottonmouth.” Ruiz describes the sound of the band as having punk influence but being inspired more by the hardcore sound which has a “heavier, faster and more aggressive approach.” 

Ruiz is the guitarist for the band, an instrument that he has played for around 5 years. 

His initial interest in playing was a result of a program called “School of Rock” from which he saw “a little performance” from. Along with that, he is also inspired by “heavy music” which he says continues to be his favorite genre. Some of his favorites and inspirations include Slayer, Sunami, Outta Pocket and several other similar bands. 

Ruiz also shares that as he has attended more shows, he tries to be more attentive to the “styles and techniques that the guitarists use,” in order to learn from them.

Since the band is still relatively new, “Cottonmouth” only has 4 songs officially released which can be heard on just about any streaming service. Ruiz says that they are “working on the next album right now” and this time around he is more involved in writing and arranging the music. 

“Hopefully I can write, I can finish the whole thing by the summer so I can practice it and then go to the studio probably like late summer or the fall,” Ruiz said.

The band has performed twice so far but they already have more dates booked for March. The experience is something Ruiz describes as a little nerve racking but more exciting than anything. “Playing my first actual show with an original band is something I’ve been wanting to do all my life,” Ruiz says.

Ruiz’s dedication is primarily in music but in the past year he has also begun to gain experience in film making through the Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (S.V.C.T.E) program. This program allows for students to get introductory experience into their selection of a trade, in this case Ruiz chose filmmaking. 

He selected the course due to his affinity for collaboration and hands on work which filmmaking tends to have both of. Ruiz describes the course as “a big commitment” due to its time consuming nature but also makes note that it has helped him improve his professionalism and discipline and also given him the opportunity to attend several independent film festivals.

The films made in the program are typically around five minutes or less however Ruiz mentions that there have been several instances where he was busy filming up until midnight for his films. While it might sound rigorous, Ruiz describes filming as his favorite part of the whole process. “Actually being on the field is what I love most… being with my friends and working together, it’s just really fun honestly,” Ruiz says. 

In the downtime Ruiz has from these endeavors and school work, he likes to work out, box, draw and sew. Most recently he says he has gotten more into fashion and cutting up old clothes to try to create new custom pieces or patches. 

Ruiz says he is “not the busiest person ever” and it’s because of that he is able to partake in all these hobbies. He shares that his key to it is not trying to do all of his hobbies everyday and instead dividing it up into a schedule. 

When it comes to creating, Ruiz says his advice is to remain consistent in creating in your selected medium as that’s how you will be able to gain skill and pick up little details as you go along. He also says to try not to get in your own head and over critique your work. 

Ruiz says that “as long as you’re creating something and finishing it, that’s all that matters cause regardless you’re still gonna find mistakes at the end, but it’s most important that you learn from those .”