by Sarah A. Peterson

Shakespeare would have said “parting is such sweet sorrow,” but for the members of Fresno metal band Your Hero is a Villain, that is not the case.

They plan to keep in touch.

“Us three all attended high school together,” says vocalist/guitarist Steffen Clark. “We played our first high school talent show together in 2006, and have been playing together ever since.”

But the trio (including Clark, bassist/vocalist Connie Cantu, and drummer Anthony Maggi) has decided to part ways in order to pursue different projects. “Our former guitarist Josh Wright and I are working on starting a new metal band with former members of 24 Hour Big Foot Attack and Louder than Waves,” Clark says. “Our band’s name is still in the works, but we’ve written five songs already.”

But Your Hero Is a Villain has had a good long run. “As a group, we have played a variety of events,” says Clark, “from house shows and churches to bars and venues like Kuppajoe, Strummers, and Club Retro.”

Their music backgrounds are similar despite their differing musical tastes. “Connie and I performed in various choir groups in high school,” Clark says, “and Anthony played the drums in some high school drum groups back then. But we all have our own influences. Anthony is a huge fan of Korn and Slipknot, while Connie is a Lennon/Beatles fan.

“I grew up listening to everything my parents listened to, from Judas Priest to Alice in Chains. It wasn’t until maybe sixth grade that I got into heavier music like Slipknot and Marilyn Manson.”

But it wasn’t until his freshman year of high school that Clark really gave serious thought to becoming a musician. “I saw how easy it was to just pick up a guitar and play it,” he says. “I started just messing with it for an hour a day, and then eventually started bumping up my practice sessions to two hours, three hours, etc. I was hooked.”

And when it comes to composing, Clark makes the most of the latest instrumental technologies. “I use a program called Guitar Pro 5,” he says. “It’s a guitar tablature program that plays back what you input in midi form, and it covers all instruments. I usually start with writing each riff on guitar, and then the drums, and then the bass.”

Clark will definitely miss Your Hero Is a Villain, but he’s looking forward to future projects. “We’re definitely going for the older metalcore sound of bands like Killswitch, Atreyu, and Bullet for My Valentine,” he says of his next venture. “And we are hoping to play our first show April 10 at Fulton 55.”

Check out more local band & musician profiles in KRL’s music section.

Sarah A. Petersonis a library assistant with Fresno County Library, with a Bachelor’s in English and a Bachelor’s in Journalism from California State University, Fresno. In her free time, she makes soap and jewelry that she sells at Fresno-area craft fairs. She has written for The Clovis Roundup and the Central California Paranormal Investigators (CCPI) Newsletter.