Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Arteaga
Hi Daniel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Snake Lounge began as a nameless collaboration led by myself and Bryce Ponnudurai for the purpose of giving an educational presentation on musical soundscapes to the Florida Atlantic University Department of Music. This collaborative project included an informational lecture on the history and significance of soundscapes, followed by a live demonstration of an original song called “Purple Veldt” which was a 30 minute psychedelic funk-fusion song with several complex and improvised soundscapes. The goal of this presentation was to educate our peers on a topic that we were passionate about and expand their minds to the vast possibilities of unorthodox music. We aimed to create a groove-based tune with soundscapes that transport the listener through different sonic environments. We asked some of our fellow music majors to help bring this project to life in Spring ’23 (the presentation was scheduled for Fall ’23) before leaving for summer break. During this break, Bryce and I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Japan. We learned and experienced a lot during this trip, one of the most significant things being jamming with the locals. Although we were already excited to give this presentation when we got back, it was these experiences in Japan that really motivated us to form a community-oriented collective back home. Four out of five of the Snake Lounge members were already a part of the presentation: Daniel Arteaga on Bass, Bryce Ponnudurai on Guitar, Alfred Williams Jr. on Keyboard, and Jake Nicholson on Drums. Shortly after our presentation titled “Soundscaping with Dan and Friends” our good friend Marcelo Puccini joined the collective on synth and percussion, thus officially forming Snake Lounge. The next project on the table was recording and submitting our song “Purple Veldt” to the 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Competition. Although we did not win, it was a great experience and we received so much support from our community. Since then, we have been playing at local venues and shooting content for our social media to try to spread our message through our music and make a living doing what we love.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We have honestly been blessed with a supportive community as well as a unique combination of skills and traits within the band that keeps all the work divided evenly. However, our biggest obstacle has definitely been getting gigs. Specifically, grabbing the attention of venues/booking agents enough to get a response. We are aware that our music is not for everyone, and that due to how “weird” it can get during our sets, it may not be the best fit for some places. That being said, it’s still frustrating and hard when we don’t get an answer at all. Only one or two places that we’ve contacted have actually been straightforward with us and said something along the lines of “We don’t think it’s a good fit”. Although that is unfortunate, we are so grateful to just receive any answer and much rather prefer that over no answer at all. Since we are a relatively new band, we are not too worried about this. We are doing everything that we can to be successful in this part of our career. We rehearse regularly, make content, follow trends (while still being authentic to ourselves), reach out to venues and collaborate with other bands, etc. These last couple of months have been really good in terms of gigs, and we are definitely starting to branch out and build a reputation for ourselves.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Snake Lounge is a psychedelic jazz fusion collective specializing in using improvisation and soundscapes to create a unique listening experience for the listener every time. We are most proud of our ability to take what we love from jazz and progressive music and transform it into an engaging and digestible experience for our audience. A prime example of this is our 2024 NPR Tiny Desk Competition submission. We’re often asked what genre of music we play, but it’s hard to put us in a box. We draw inspiration from a wide range of genres, from jazz, funk, rock, and alternative to indie. Our sound is dynamic and always evolving.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Since we formed well after the Covid-19 crisis, it hasn’t really affected us as a band that much. On an individual level though, we have learned to greatly appreciate the privilege of performing and experiencing live music, as well as connecting with the community. The crisis has also significantly improved all of our in-house project skills, such as being able to set up home studios and creating content from home due to the unfortunate circumstances that forced us to quarantine for long periods of time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thesnakelounge.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesnakelounge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556970088696&mibextid=PtKPJ9
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SnakeLounge
- Other: https://tr.ee/Hs9Cd8Zh8p
