Nahum Reyes is a Salt Lake–based musician originally from Mexico City. His personal project started at the beginning of the pandemic is called Ages The Poet which “is more in the vein of electronic music, synth wave, dreampop, a little bit of post punk in there, even some techno and dancey music,” explains Reyes. Also the front man for Lord Vox with members Fernando Garcia (drums) and Allan Orellana (bass, also a member of local psych band Musor), Reyes creates music here that he describes as psychedelic/desert rock vibes, garage-y and balladic at times.
Recounting early memories of his dad playing records in the mornings or tapes on a drive, Reyes shares how he was exposed to ballad singers from Mexico like José José and José Luis Perales. For him, hearing those artists spilling their hearts out in their songs through love and heartbreak “was really powerful to me; to look out the window and see scenery of the beach or the mountains along with this music. It just kinda marked me,” says Reyes.
While Reyes pursued music in his teenage years, he experienced a lull where music was put on the back burner. Eventually, he returned. “A big catalyst in my music … is meeting my wife Marielle. She sort of brought back all this fire that I had to write music … and to record it,” he says. Playing with more tools and instruments, Reyes began renting a studio space to record on his own. It was here that he met his soon-to-be bandmates, Garcia and Orellana, and his time with Lord Vox began.
According to Reyes, Lord Vox brings out his rock ‘n’ roll persona, his rebellious and party self steeped in nostalgia. But with Ages The Poet, Reyes demonstrates his musical range. His inspiration for this project is an admiration for what he calls “poetry”: “Throughout history, throughout the ages, there’s always beauty and art—which I chose to classify as poetry. So in every age of the world, there’s been great poetry,” he says. As an artist who has been inspired by this poetry from many different ages, he considers himself a “poet of the ages,” hence the project’s name. The songs are a compilation of old melodies and lyrics he’d written down throughout his life with the goal of bringing to life the sounds he’s heard in his head.
Hear the song “mas alla,” which means “beyond,” off of his album Seeker. Find Seeker on Bandcamp. You can keep up with Reyes’s two projects on instagram @agesthepoet and @lordvoxmusic. To see Reyes perform live, catch Lord Vox at Metro Music Hall on April 22, as well as at the upcoming Kilby Court Block Party on May 14.