Another Dream Today: An Interview with Denver Harbor

The future for Denver Harbor is a bright one

We are often regaled by the positive stories of bands and the friendships forged through music. But often it seems, the other side of this face is overlooked, and many times when bands fall apart, friendships crumble too. Will Salazar was in such a situation. A member of a seemingly lifelong project one day, the next, lost in the sea of uncertainty of when everything falls apart. But instead of succumbing to these hardships, Salazar decided it wasn't time for him to quit on music just yet. The passion and heart that drove him for so many years still yearned for the stage. The destruction of Fenix Tx was something he never counted on, a realism he thought he would never have to deal with;

"Ending Fenix wasn't actually my choice at all. We were actually in the studio recording some demos for the next album and just about to start vocals when Adam and Damon told me that they didn't want to do it anymore. So we went our separate ways."

It was a change that did not sit well with him. 

Lost and seemingly disillusioned, Salazar considered closing the door on the music industry for good and contemplated walking away. It was the love and passion for music that led him back to writing. "Fenix Tx's break up was definitely not planned so when it happened I really didn't know what to do." says Salazar. "For a little while I thought I would just get out of the music business completely. But after about two months of doing nothing I wrote a song then got a chance to jam with a couple friends of mine. They thought the songs were cool so I wrote a few more. Then I ran into Aaron and Ilan and we talked about jamming and then it just went from there."

And from there, Denver Harbor was born, "It is music I would like to listen to and it has an infinite amount of influences. Since every single song has a totally different vibe it is really hard to describe but there is definitely some punk, hardcore, emo, rock, reggae, rap, alternative, classical, blues, jazz and metal influences."

For Salazar the change from Fenix Tx to Denver Harbor was definitely a huge step in another direction. The change allowed Will to do things differently and it allowed him the freedom to do what he always wanted musically. His new band will do things differently he explains, "In Denver Harbor I definitely want to play to a wider audience, so I write music that seems like it could exist in more than one genre. Hopefully it has something for everyone. In Fenix I wrote all the lyrics and melodies and we collectively wrote music, but the entire band shared in the criticism whether it was good or bad. This time around I think I will be the only who gets blamed if a certain song sucks." 

Having recently recorded a five song demo EP, they now want to get the music out and into the hands of listeners. The band has talked to some smaller labels to get some immediate distribution for the EP but they are also looking to sign with a label that is right for them. "We are definitely interested in signing with a label" explains Salazar. "I want to make a career out of music and I know the other guys in the band do as well. Since it is very hard to accomplish on our own we will take all the help we can get from any label that would be willing to help. There have been a few labels that have come to see us and most of them seem really interested but in this business you can never tell what they are really thinking."

And how about a possible reunion with Fenix Tx’s first label Drive Thru? The label that owes a big portion of their own success to Fenix Tx (then known as RiverFenix), “That idea exists on different planes. One is, would I go to Drive Thru Records and the other is would Drive Thru Records take on Denver Harbor? I have always thought they did a great job with promoting their bands so it would definitely be a good place to be. Now whether it would ever happen wouldn't be left up to me."

Before the band signs with a label, they will remain busy, "Well we're just living day by day and playing as many shows as possible to create a buzz and a story" says Salazar. "As for touring we are going to keep very busy with the help from some friends. We'll just keep doing that until something happens."

With his future in music being Denver Harbor, Salazar took the time to reflect on the past and his previous endeavor; ”Who can say if the band was right or wrong in the decisions that we made but I didn't want to make that change in the first place. From this point I am just going to play the hand I was dealt and see how it goes." There is a fine line between the business of the industry and the friendships forged, ”You know before we actually started making money in the band I never considered the differences. I most definitely do think there is a fine line between personal relationships and professional relationships now. It is really hard to keep both separate when one totally affects the other."

While Salazar is clear on where he’d like his future to go, his passion exceeds those of his own work. He recently helped Don't Look Down record their new EP, Five, and explains his dabbling into more than just songwriting, "A friend of mine from a band called Lefty was managing the band and he thought I might be able to help them get a good sounding demo CD. I had met the guys in Don't Look Down a while back and remembered them being cool so I went out to meet them in Jersey. We took a couple of days in their practice studio and worked out some songs. Then we took a couple more days and recorded at a professional studio in Maryland, then after about four days they had a demo that turned into an EP. It was a lot of fun and I think it is something I would like to do all the time if I had the chance to do it."

Salazar hopes the future for Denver Harbor is a bright one. He has learned from the past and his passion for music is stronger than ever, "I hope we can be out on the road doing what we love to do, making music, shaking hands, kissing babies and rocking out for a long time."

Through all the ups and downs, Salazar has learned this, "Nothing is for certain but music can definitely change your life."