DANNY ALCANTAR - SLUUR
Name: Danny Alcantar
Band: Sluur
Duties: Bass
(photo credit: happy Disney tourist)
Danny Alcantar is the bassist of Sluur. Sluur plays darkwave / shoegaze filled jams that have finally filled the void of not having such a band play that vein of music in El Paso, TX. If you like bands such as The Chameleons and Joy Division then they’ll fit perfectly in your playlist. When I first heard them, they instantly reminded me of a mashup of Echo and the Bunnymen, Magazine, and The Cure. The fluidity, the intensity, and the overall melodic nature of their songs is what initially captivated me. After seeing them multiple times, their consistency is what latched me on and is the reason why I continue to listen to them. I’ve actually personally known Danny for quite a long time. One of my first memories of him was when I was in college and I bought a record off him in the hallway after finishing one of my undergraduate classes. This must have been around 09’ or so. As the years have passed, we still continue to ask each other what our favorite albums of the year are and ask each other what shows we look forward to. Another random and funny thing is that we usually get told that we kind of look like each other. For instance, last night I saw Sluur and I told one of the members of the touring band that they had a great performance. That person then told me I did a great job of playing. Funny thing is that I didn’t play so either that person thought I was Danny or simply wanted me to screw off. Either way, this is Chris interviewing Danny and not the other way around.
Goofy
Favorite zoo animal?
Komodo dragon. Closest thing I’ll get to seeing an actual dinosaur.
Fruit roll ups or granola bars?
Fruit Roll-Ups. Especially the ones that have shapes in them that you can cut out.
When you order a burrito what do you normally get?
Chile relleno burrito with beans and guacamole.
Would you rather wear a Sublime shirt for the rest of your life or get a Sublime tattoo on the back of your neck? You can’t cover up either one.
You’re an asshole for this question but I’m gonna go with the neck tattoo because at least when I look in the mirror I won’t have to see that awful logo.
You used to work at a bowling alley. Do you like to bowl and are you any good?
I like bowling but I do not like putting used shoes on. I don’t bowl enough to buy my own though. Also I am terrible and usually bowl games of 100 or less.
Posers are _________________.
Everywhere
If a Sluur was an alcoholic drink what would it consist of?
It’d be scotch on the rocks. Specifically Lagavulin 16. Love that smoky taste.
Personal
When did you start playing shows? What got you into wanting to play music?
Don’t exactly remember my first show but I’ve been playing for around 8 years now. Always been into listening to all kinds of stuff. My brother got me into a few bands and I set off from there. Picked up a guitar first, then bass, and just went for it.
What bands are you currently in? What other bands have you been in?
Right now just Sluur. Been in around 4 or 5 other bands. Most notably though XSM (which technically we never broke up. Our singer, Marc, just moved out of El Paso because he’s a poser). XSM was self proclaimed as “stupid man hardcore” haha. I was also in Urban Struggles when I lived in Phoenix and this other short lived hardcore band called Spite. Members of those bands were/are in Avon Ladies/Destruction Unit/Biocidio and just about every other good punk band in the Phoenix area.
You work at Monarch and generally get to see a good amount of shows. What type of bands or music genres would you like to see more of in El Paso?
I think we’ve been getting some decent shows as of late. Sometimes there can be a dry spell but the few dedicated people that bring stuff here do a good job. It would be cool for more darkwave/minimal wave kind of shows to happen here though.
Favorite pizza place in El Paso?
Tough one, but I’m gonna have to go with Peter Piper. Large three cheese but it needs to be fresh. It’s not nearly as good the next day.
Besides music, what other passions or hobbies do you have?
Other than collecting records or booking the occasional show, I enjoy making drinks (don’t call me a mixologist though haha) and doing lots of reading. Sometimes I’ll just read a random wikipedia article and get lost all day learning about useless shit. If you ever wanna talk random facts on ancient civilizations I’m the guy to ask.
What are some of your most prized vinyl records?
I don’t have anything worth thousands but these records mean a lot to me: Samhain - Initium lp (first press) and all my other original Misfits records I own, Gauze - Equalizing Distort lp, Poison Idea - Pick Your King on blue vinyl, Neanderthal - Fighting Music 7”, Crossed Out - s/t 7”. Those last three 7”s got me into hardcore and are all worth about $100 each.
What’s your DJ name? This is serious since I know you actually spin records and don’t wave your hands in the air with an iPod on shuffle. What type of music do you like to spin mostly?
Been going with Slurmz for a while but seriously thinking of changing it to Danny Yankee. If I’m going with a certain theme that night I’ll stick to genres related to each other but it usually ends up being lots of post punk/synth pop/cold wave kind of stuff. I’ve died with a laptop once or twice before but I feel like that’s cheating since you can just download anything you want. I always try to do vinyl at least.
What are some of your favorite record releases so far this year?
Haven’t kept up too much. Some stuff that I’ve enjoyed and purchased include: Repos - Poser (album title of the year), Rixe - Les Nerfs A Vif (great current French Oi), Lust for Youth - Compassion, Lumpy and the Dumpers - Huff My Sack (La Vida es Un Mus keeps on killing it), Blazing Eye - Lonely Corpse 7”, Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression (Iggy still sounds great, i’m a sucker for anything he does), Mind Spiders - Prothesis, Gag - America’s Greatest Hits, Tim Hecker - Love Streams. Definitely a few more but this year is only half way done so far. I need to spend some time listening to a lot of other stuff.
Best hardcore bands at the moment?
Dawn of Humans/Hank Wood and the Hammerheads, Rixe, La Misma, Green Beret, Repos (they still got it), & Gag.
Sluur
How did Sluur get it’s name?
I honestly have no clue about that haha. You’d have to ask the other members. I do know it was originally Slurr then it got changed to Sluur.
From what I understand, you’re actually not one of the original members of Sluur. When ex-bassist, Steven Madrid (Lake of Fire) left the band, how exactly were you brought into the equation? Had you been wanting to play this type of music before becoming a part of the band?
When Steve left, they were looking for a replacement. I think Jorge, the singer, asked me and I gave it a quick jam. Ended up picking up the songs pretty fast and even writing a few new ones. The sound has definitely changed a bit since I started playing. I definitely dug them before I joined. I had seen them a few times and liked the sound.
Sluur recently put out an EP that will later be coming out on a tape at some point. Can you give some insight on the recording process? Did Miguel Valdez (drummer of Sluur) record the EP?
The tape should hopefully be out before the end of this summer. Miggs (Miguel) has a pretty neat practice spot near central El Paso that we did the recordings at. We spent many late and drunken nights practicing and getting the sound right. Mattox practices and records there as well. This EP would not sound nearly as good if it wasn’t for Miggs and his recording techniques. He has tons of awesome gear. We owe a lot to him.
Was there a particular sound you were going for? Were there any particular albums/bands that you guys used as reference points for the new album?
We didn’t exactly want to “force” a certain sound. Some tracks sound shoegazey, others sound kind of psych but our new sound is definitely being inspired by more 80′s goth and death rock bands like Christian Death.
Who did the artwork for the Sluur – Choice EP? Did you guys have the design in mind or did the artist have free reign on the artwork?
We got our friend Malicia Dominguez to do it. She’s a great artist and has done artwork for XSM, Nalgadas and countless other bands. We knew her style already but told her we kind of wanted something 80’s and abstract and she came up with the current design. We tweaked it slightly but the original image is hers.
Does Sluur cover any songs? If not, what bands/songs would you like to cover?
As of right now we don’t, but I would love to do a Wipers cover or some Sisters of Mercy.
Sluur has a sound akin to bands like The Chameleons, The Cure, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen and other bands of a similar nature. What bands would you say directly influence your style of play in Sluur?
Those are all pretty spot on and some of my favorite bands. I’d probably just add Christian Death (Rozz Williams era), Sisters of Mercy (best bass lines in goth), and Crisis.
What are Sluur’s future plans? Any forthcoming tours/new recorded material?
Gonna put this current tape out in physical form. Once that is done we are gonna try to record another set of 7-8 songs. Hopefully even put out a 7”. I’d like to do a west coast tour or even Texas soon but gotta sit down with everyone and figure out our schedules. Definitely plan on playing out of town a few times before the end of the year.
What are Sluur’s next upcoming shows?
Next show is June 11th with Holy Wave (Austin, TX), Whispering Wires (Tucson, NM), Lenguas Largas (Tucson, NM) and Life Stinks (San Francisco, CA) at Monarch.
That wraps it up. Any last words?
Nothing much to add other than I enjoyed answering your questions. If someone asked me who wrote out all these questions I’d probably know it was Chris Trian due to your unique and great humor. Haha. Thanks for interviewing me! Wouldn’t mind interviewing you next.
Check out Sluur’s new EP – Choice at:
https://sluurmusic.bandcamp.com/releases
end.
Chris
