Today we’d like to introduce you to Marko “Darko” De Anda, “Dapper” Dan Archuleta, and Raoni Mancera.
So, before we jump into specific questions about your group, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Marko – I was in the Navy for about a decade, but before I enlisted, I was working as a jazz guitarist in Austin Texas, so of course, when I got out of the military, I wanted to start performing live music again. As luck would have it, a buddy of mine from my ship days mentioned that his brother Dan played upright bass in San Diego and that I should message him on Facebook, we hit it off immediately and the music came pouring out organically, we had great chemistry but needed a drummer, so we held tryouts. I hit up Raoni because we had played in a different band together and I liked his dedication to the craft, he ended up being that crucial missing piece we needed in order to become Los Muertos. Since then, we’ve dedicated as much of our free time as possible to rehearsing regularly and arranging live performances.
Dan – I was in limbo, in between bands. I was talking to my brother Jon about putting a band together and he said I need to link up with his old shipmate from the Navy.
I don’t remember if I message Mark first, or if he message me, but we were talking through Facebook. Sent a few songs back and forth and we were both on the same level, as far as how our original music sounded and where we want to take our music career.
So, we went to a Revend Horton Heat show, drank tequila and decided to start a band.
We practice for a few weeks and immediately knew we were on to something good and we needed a badass drummer.
Mark reached out to a friend of his who plays the drums and we hit it off from the start. Raoni was introduced into our trio, and the rest is history in the making.
Raoni – I was in two bands that broke up within the same month, so I reverted to solidarity. I started working graveyard shifts to help pay for a home studio. I figured I can play all the instruments, I don’t need any stinkin band! I just needed to get good at recording. After a while, I was itching to play shows again and wanted to collaborate with like-minded people. Jammed around with a lot of friends but nothing caught my attention long enough to “be a band”. I met Mark when he came in to play bass for a few of these jams. During an air break, he started playing guitar. I immediately asked, “why are you playing bass?” The dude can shred. The group ended and a few months later (after Mark had met Dan), I was trying to start a band playing guitar and mark hit me up asking if I still play drums. I went for a try out where I met dan. Dan is such a solid bassist my timing automatically got better. The music was exactly what I like to listen to. It was like an interview but we were conversing through music. I joined “Los Muertos” right before the month of May 2019. All you need is timing and tone and these guys had it in spades.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Raoni – Struggles? I’d say finding a balance. No matter what I do, I try to give it everything I have, while I’m doing it. It can wear you down if you aren’t careful. ‘Leaving nothing for the swim back’ mentality. I’d add to that finding time to sleep. Being an Insomniac working night and trying to sleep during the day is a struggle in itself. Luckily, in “Los Muertos,” we treat the band as a career job and the music with the utmost respect.
Marko – Since we first started, things have grown very quickly, I think the biggest challenge has been scheduling and finding time for the band; we all work full time and have our own responsibilities, families, and obligations. Dan is a commercial diver and rolls joints for a cannabis company, I train personnel in the expeditionary warfare community as a civilian, Raoni works graveyard shift as a security guard, it’s like playing Tetris with our schedules. Most would consider what we’re doing a side hustle but we treat it like a full-time job.
Please tell us about Los Muertos.
Marko – Los Muertos is Spanish for the dead, we felt it was a fitting name because all band members are Latino, and we are all intrigued by death and the macabre. A lot of our songs conjure dark imagery as it pertains to love, death, and murder. I’ve always been fascinated by the contrast of beauty and darkness, so we write catchy, melodic music about personal demons and the darker side of life. We go out of our way to make the live shows worth seeing, it’s 2019, people want something worth snapchatting and we don’t want to bore those that come to see us regularly.
Raoni – We are professional face-melters, & the songbirds of this generation.
Dan – Los Muertos is an American RocknRoll band from San Diego, California. Our music is influenced by rockabilly, punk rock, blues, and jazz, to name a few. We have an exciting live show and it reflects in the studio.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Mark – I always ask the guys why we never met earlier, but I truly believe things happen when they’re meant to. Everything has grown organically in its own time, I wouldn’t change anything.
Raoni – I still would have wanted to start the band sooner.
Dan – *could not be reached for comment, possibly on a soul journey in the Himalayas.*
Contact Info:
- Email: LosMuertosMusica@Gmail.com
- Instagram: @Los.Muertos.Band
Image Credit:
John Arquilla, Ruben Herrera, Raoni Mancera, Mark De Anda
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