Whisky Caravan: “Each One Sinks Their Own Damn Ship as They Please”
Whisky Caravan is at a rare and exciting moment in their career. After the conceptual album Imaginaciones, the band didn’t follow the usual path of “album — tour — break, ” but chose a more fragmented yet honest approach: a series of singles, each revealing a new facet of their upcoming record Invisibles. Una y Otra Vez, Murciélagos y Golondrinas, and the brand-new El Predicador all sound different, yet together they form a complete picture — not a strategy, but a state of mind.
At the same time, the band’s geographical scope is expanding: Mexico has become not just a stop on their tour map but a genuine source of inspiration and emotional energy. Despite this growth, Whisky Caravan remain true to themselves — without pretension, without talk of a “new level, ” and with rare honesty about their own doubts, fears, and contradictions.
We spoke with Danny about El Predicador, collaborating with Kutxi Romero, the role of the audience, their recording process, and where the “red line” lies that the band is not willing to cross under any circumstances.
In El Predicador, you talk about a dialogue with your own shadow. Was there a specific moment or event that led you to write this particular song?
Danny: I think it’s not about a key moment. Maybe it’s a cumulative set of experiences that make you rethink the figure of something higher. I suppose there’s some dark humor in thinking there is something or someone up there protecting us or giving us luck, and that’s the idea of the preacher. “I will pray for you again to a God who didn’t want to listen to me.”
Una y Otra Vez, Murciélagos y Golondrinas, El Predicador — three singles, three different moods. Is this a conscious strategy or did each song dictate its own rules?
Danny: They are different faces of the same coin. We don’t try to make a strategy out of everything. We released these singles because we thought they were the right way to show the character or the color the new album will have. It’s like when you introduce yourself to someone new; they know a little about you but still don’t really know you. The same happens with singles released ahead of an album. I think you have to listen to the whole album to understand what’s behind it and what led some guys to put together 12 songs, record them, and keep them under the name Invisibles.
From self-publishing to a contract with Artemisa Music: at what point did you feel the project had reached a new level? What changed within the band?
Danny: Nothing has changed in the band. In terms of how we work, we are still independent and do most of the work ourselves. We also don’t think we’ve reached a new level; we just try to make songs and play them live, as we’ve done since we started. Sometimes more people will hear them, sometimes fewer… It doesn’t matter. You learn to live with music and to let go of the desire and need to live off it.
After the conceptual album Imaginaciones (2022), you focused on singles. Is this a temporary tactic or a new working format? What does a single offer that an album doesn’t?
Danny: We live in an age of immediacy. Today you release a new song, and half an hour later it’s old news. We love long albums, but you have to adapt to the times you live in. Normally, we don’t pay much attention to these things, but occasionally we mimic the ways the machinery works today. I suppose we’ve been releasing singles because “that’s what you have to do now.”
In any case, the day of the album release will always come.
Kutxi Romero is a legend of Spanish rock. How did the idea of collaborating with him come about, and what did he change in your approach to Una y Otra Vez?
Danny: The truth is that we saw very clearly that this song could fit him perfectly, so we called him. Directly. It was a debt we had with our past. When you’re 15 and dream that one day you will sing with certain people… It’s impossible to count the number of times a Marea song has been present in important moments of our youth and adulthood. It’s a great honor to become part of the list of those baptized by Kutxi’s collaboration. Also, we discovered that under his hat there was a person as honest and humble as he is brilliant.
Mexico has become an important part of your map. How does the Mexican audience differ from the Spanish one, and how does this influence what you write?
Danny: I think Mexico has rejuvenated us. It’s exciting to start everything over in a new place for us, so far from home. They treat us wonderfully. We really enjoy talking with people before and after shows when we go. How they describe the music and what it makes them feel inside, how they enjoy it… it’s very pure and has a direct influence that inspires us. We write songs about what we feel, and in this album there are things brought directly from the last trip to Mexico because of how exciting it was — I even got married there. I hope we get to toast there many more times…
Tell us about a track that turned out completely different in the studio than planned. What went wrong, and why did it work in the end?
Danny: The truth is that there haven’t been too many changes in the studio. We’ve been working on the songs for months in the rehearsal space and have gone over them a thousand times. When I’m in this process, I obsess over every line. I don’t think I could finish an album if it weren’t taken out of my hands because there are always things to correct or change. While we’re doing this interview, I’m thinking of re-recording the entire lyrics of one of the songs, and I’m sure that will happen… Though it also comes in waves… Sometimes we settle too much. Damn, we are very contradictory… Especially me.
Your lyrics contain more questions than answers. Is there a topic you prefer not to talk about directly, and why?
Danny: There isn’t any topic we can’t talk about. But it’s true that I’m interested in talking about the hidden side of things and what’s behind what you see at first glance, what we have inside. That’s why I’m not very interested in talking about politics, because I don’t have many questions about it. I don’t know if I’m making myself clear. Why should I make a song about animal abuse being wrong or that fascism is bad? These are things anyone with half a brain knows… and if you don’t know, no one is going to make you change your mind because you’re an idiot. So we don’t need more songs about that. People make them, and they make them very well. I haven’t studied political science, but I have some experience with depression and in searching for reasons to keep going, so I talk about that. Although who knows, we might have to talk about those things someday… about how hard it is to have a roof over your head, phone addiction, sharing wealth…
What influences the sound of Whisky Caravan more: the personal experience of the members, external events, or the chemistry that arises in the rehearsal room?
Danny: The sound of Whisky is something that happens when we play together. Each one does their part, in their own way, thinking about what the song needs. It’s very natural after so many years. With four chords, we can make 40 different songs, and they all will sound like us because we know how we want to sound. That’s not easy, but I think we deserve to have a sonic space where we all feel comfortable. Sometimes you have to give in, but that’s part of playing in a band.
The Spanish rock scene is diverse: from basements to major festivals. Where do you feel at home, and which tradition do you feel closest to?
Danny: I think anywhere as long as the audience wants to participate. I’ve always thought the audience is more important than the band at a concert. We’re the ones watching them sing our songs and enjoying ourselves below the stage. If they don’t give a good show, the concert is a disaster. That’s easier to achieve in mid-sized venues, which is where I personally feel most comfortable.
If FOTKAI filmed your ideal concert, which exact moment would you want to “freeze” on camera forever?
Danny: I think the moment just before going on stage. The last drink before putting on your in-ears and stepping out. It’s exciting and scary at the same time, especially in new places. The final moment is also pleasant, it carries a lot of emotion when you sit in the dressing room drenched in sweat and it’s over. It should be like finishing a boxing match and seeing you weren’t knocked out.
The industry demands compromises. Where do you draw the red line — what are you unwilling to change in your music for commercial success?
Danny: That will never happen to us. There are much better-looking artists who drink less and are more manageable to achieve commercial success. No one cares if we change anything to be commercial because there are already people doing commercial stuff. In any case, a boat would be very useful for vacations for me and the guys. If we have to lower the distortion to get a boat, then we lower the distortion, I’m sure Víctor and Alberto would get over it while watching the sunrise naked, drinking champagne from the Whisky Boat…
Just kidding. We do not consider a change… definitely not…
Looking at Whisky Caravan ten years from now and describing their work with a single phrase, what would it be?
Danny: “Everything for a boat” or “Each one sinks their own damn ship as they please, ” something like that…
Interview by Andrey Lukovnikov
