Local band Alcantara releases first EP

Based out of Raleigh and inspired by punk, post-rock and post-hardcore, the band Alcantara says they're known for their "off-kilter grooves and earworm melodies.” On Friday they took the stage at the Local 506 on Franklin Street, a venue that isn’t a stranger to their electrifying music. This time, Alcantara wasn’t an opening act, instead headlining the show — a release party for their new self-titled EP. 

Lead singer Brooke Suffridge spoke of the encouraging turnout, noting that her favorite thing to do after shows is make friends with audience members and talk about what lyrics resonated with them most.   

“It was so crazy seeing them play their show. People were singing along. They already knew the lyrics. I'm like ‘This is mind boggling. We're just a small little DIY band, and we're already connecting with people,” Daniel Mitre, owner of Boared to Death Records, the label Alcantara is signed to, said.

Suffridge was the last member to join the band that started off jamming in a storage unit. She brings a classical music background to a group whose members have been playing in bands since their teenage years — bassist Myles Peterson even played in four bands at once when he lived in Brooklyn, NY.

“When I joined, they were asking for tracks of me singing, and I sent a track of me singing in Latin,” Suffridge said. 

Guitarist Justin Blau jokingly interjected saying, “We're a very ‘yes and’ band…”

Suffridge’s vocals were one of the reasons Mitre was drawn to Alcantara, as he believes there should be more female-fronted bands in the punk and post-hardcore scene.

“Obviously Punk has traditionally been led by a lot of white males in the 80s and certainly in the 90s. And that's not what it is these days. Screw that. Punk is open and welcome to every walk of life," Mitre said.

Peterson and Blau found the band on Craigslist where guitarist Eric Bliss posted an ad looking for band members.

While pursuing a music degree, Blau produced and booked for musicians. Although it was exhausting and expensive, he said it was still a lot of fun and gave him the experience needed to record and mix the band’s demo.

Alcantara’s members each have full-time jobs in various fields such as IT and cafe management, to support themselves and their growing families. This leaves only a few hours a week for them to write, rehearse, record and perform. 

Mitre, who also works at a game publishing company in addition to running the label, spoke about how the music industry has changed over the years, especially for underground subculture music such as punk. 

“We have to do it from the love of our heart and never do it thinking that you're going to get paid as a rock star, right? You probably won't,” he said. 

The 5 songs on Alcantara’s EP are the culmination of the last two years, with the band describing it as the best of their work so far rather than a thematic curation of songs. 

“People can only play back what they recorded on their iPhone at shows for so long,” Suffridge said of their choice to release now.

The band began practicing at Night Sound Studios where Alcantara was offered to record their demo. However, they held off as they wanted to first workshop the songs with live audiences to get a sense of what it feels and sounds like to perform outside their practice space. 

Blau said that an audience's reactions can influence which songs they highlight in a set list and which ones they promote more. 

For Suffridge, danceability is a big factor for what songs make the final cut. Although she enjoys slower, more introspective ballads, she believes energetic songs let the audience have a good time and act as an emotional outlet for the band.

“I feel like with a lot of our stuff, there's a lot of angst to get out, especially with the political climate. It's been oversaid, and I can't say that I came up with it, but like, when times get bad, the music gets good,” Suffridge said. 

Alcantara views finding their band's unique sound and identity as a work in progress. Sometimes they write songs that don’t sound like the rest of their discography, but Suffridge thinks that is a testament to their current stage — they're growing, figuring things out and learning from every step. 

Suffridge said they are always dissecting new releases on their band’s group chat, discussing what they like and don’t like as well as insights on the lyrical and sonic elements. 

“It's cool to have a new song drop and to dissect that with your friends. But if it's like this random band from the middle of nowhere, it's like, ‘They're just like us!’” she said.

Mitre likes to encourage the bands he represents to build a collective network, which is seen through Alcantara’s efforts to attend other local bands' shows not only to show support, but to learn from them. 

“I love the North Carolina music scene. It's less the rock star syndrome of like, ‘I can't wait to one day make it huge,’ which, I mean, would be cool,” Suffridge said. “But more than that, it's not worth it to get anywhere, if you don't have real relationships with real people.”

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