DONKNG

DONKNG’s influences stretch from The Velvet Underground’s inspired art rock to irresistible pop, filched from The Stroke’s Is This It?. They are original, vigorous, and impaling. Hang with them; they have a vibe. If you don’t know what it’s all about, put on your red pajamas and go find out.

DONKNG : Camilo Isaza & Juan Salguero

Interviewer : Andy Andrade

[EDITORS NOTE: These photos are not from the Uncle Lou’s show. The were taken a few weeks later when DONKNG played a house show put on by Ugly Orange & Always Nothing.]



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A: Alright, so let’s start with names…

J: Juan Salguero, drums.

C: Camilo Isaza, uh, guitar.

*Someone approaches us from Lou’s*

“Hey, thanks for the show guys. Are you going to cover the Eagles anytime soon?”

C: Too many guitars, I need the triple neck.

A: *laughs* So you told me there’s an EP coming out?

A: Where are you recording it? Is it going to be digital or analog?

C: It’s a recording set up by our friend’s from Endless Pool, a band up in Gainesville. They have a huge practice space.

J: Yeah they made it into a studio and we have the option to record it on tape.

C: I think we’ll end up doing that. Maybe for the EP, we’ll just do a Bandcamp release.

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A: How many tracks? Four? Five?

C: We have a set list of twelve. But we might narrow it down to seven.

J: Just to give people a taste of what we’ve got. We don’t want to put out our tracks all out at once…

C: Without a base.

J: Exactly.

A: Where are you planning on playing before going back to Gainesville?

J: We’re currently in South Florida for the summer so we’re trying to get some shows in Miami, like at The Granary or The Church.

C: Hopefully, if we’re not losing too much money on gas, we’ll play Orlando more often.

A: Are you guys thinking of keeping it a two piece?

C: I think we’re open to getting a bassist. Juan and I have been friends since 4th grade and we’ve been playing music since like 10th grade.

J: One of us picked up music and the other followed. We were maybe 15 years old. Our chemistry is tight.

C: And our friendship too.

A: You can notice it on stage; it’s fluid and energetic.

C: We used to be a three piece before, called The Cornerstones. Just some instrumental stuff. We’re definitely interested, just not pursing it.

J: It’s just got to be the right feel.

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A: Current influences? Anything influencing your live performance?

C: With live performance, Slumberjack.

J: Yeah we love them. Velvet Underground too, for our sound.

C: Current Joy’s, Titus Andronicus, The Strokes.

A: How do you write your lyrics?

C: Juan’s an English major, so we’ll start coordinating lyrics and co-writing more songs together since we’ll be living together. What I do is recycle my lyrics and then cut and paste them were Juan think they should go to make them more interesting. I’m just trying to catch up, because we have all these instrumentals when we used to be The Cornerstones.

A: So this chemistry is constant, throughout the writing process.

J & C: Yeah.

A: You guys played a killer set tonight. What’s your favorite place to go hangout or eat afterwards?

J: We love Waffle House.

C: The first show we played was this all-age venue in South Florida called Tom’s Farm. We’re loading up our gear and someone put the bass on top of the car.

J: It was like a 12-minute drive and we completely forgot it was there. So I’m saying, “Where’s the bass??? Where’s the bass Camilo?” And there it was, still sitting on top of the car.

C: [That’s why] Waffle House is definitely our after-show spot. - The Vinyl Warhol