Indie rock bands Prawn, Dikembe, Caravela and Alumine are set to take the stage at the downtown venue Loosey’s on Friday night.
Loosey’s is a downtown staple located at 120 SW 1st Ave. The bar and venue is known for good drinks and good company. Friday’s show kicks off at 9 p.m. with an $8 admission fee to those ages 18 and up.
Both Dikembe and Alumine are local Gainesville performers. Alumine is the stage name for friends and bandmates Alumine Soto and Pedro Sanchez.
Soto was born in Argentina and grew up in Miami, adding a Latin flare to the band’s indie sound. Soto, who first started learning guitar at 13, said he was never the standout musician among his friends. Still, there was something that connected with him about making music that was more than just a hobby.
“I just got really in sync with the creative outlet aspect of it really young. I just felt like I could express myself,” Soto said. “All the kids that I was learning guitar with were playing a certain type of music, and I was always kind of shying away from that and focusing on learning chords and singing.”
Soto said that for the boys of Alumine, music is inevitable. Regardless of commercial success, both Soto and Sanchez are devoted to giving music their everything: time, money and focus.
“Music shapes my entire experience,” Soto said.
Following the release of their debut self-titled extended play in March 2017, Alumine toured the West Coast for the first time last year. Now, the boys of Alumine have their sights set on an international tour including stops in Canada and Mexico.
Though the band is hesitant to release too many details, Soto said to expect some major announcements in the next month or so via the band’s social media.
Caravela is made up of brothers Frank and Stephen Graniero. Born in suburban New York near the Hudson River Valley, the two have been playing music as long as they can remember. Frank says the boys were practically born with guitars in their hands.
Though the brothers played in separate bands in their high school years, they always found themselves playing together one way or another. Now, Frank said that he couldn’t imagine playing with anyone but Stephen.
“It’s amazing,” Frank said of working with his brother. “He’s the best partner I could ask for in this crazy music game that we’re doing.”
In March, Caravela released their single “Champagne,” the first piece of a larger project that Frank said has been in the works for nearly two years. Now it is nearly complete. Caravela is preparing to release their next full-length album within the next few months.
“It’s the closest to our most authentic sound,” Frank said. “We just can’t wait to play these songs live.”
And they plan to. Frank said that Caravela’s set at Loosey’s will be jam-packed with the new and unreleased tracks.
The members of Prawn and the Graniero brothers have been friends for years, even sharing a house in Brooklyn, New York some time ago. Now, Caravela is joining Prawn on their national tour that includes this stop in Gainesville.
The drive to create and share music is like an addiction for Frank. The connection that music creates with others and the feeling that it produces keep him coming back for more.
“It’s like, there’s no better feeling than when you write that part that you didn’t see coming that takes you to a place that you’ve kind of always dreamed about and never knew,” Frank said. “It’s a feeling that I’m constantly chasing.”
Members of the indie rock band Prawn are pictured above. They along with bands Dikembe, Caravela and Alumine are set to take the stage at the downtown venue Loosey’s on Friday night.
