Meet The Ends, an eclectic trio of McKinney-based youth quickly building a name for themselves in the Dallas music scene. The Ends consist of drummer Carlos Echeverria, bassist Jackson Douglas, and guitarist Santi Lara, with Santi and Douglas creating a diverse duo on the vocals. The trio is evidence of the prevalence of the rock and alternative rock genres with the youth, as their healthy mix of aggressive, bass-driven riffs and melodic guitar leads display an understanding of musical creation that is rarely realized in the repetitive and monotonous releases that plague music charts.
The Ends recently performed a set at Curtain Club in Deep Ellum, where they blew us away with their stage presence. The performance was marked by Carlos Echeverria’s technical proficiency on the drums, which created a consistent, yet creative and meteoric command of the onstage sound. Jackson Douglas’ aggressive approach to the bass allowed him to display his versatility on stage, taking on fiery leads as well as dizzying bass lines under the guitar work of Santi Lara. Lara too showed evident versatility on the guitar, transitioning from energetic solos to chorus-driven rhythm. As a trio, The Ends show chemistry and connection as well as confidence on stage that greatly exceeds their years, and the three have a very bright future in the music industry.
Following their eye-catching performance, we had a chance to ask The Ends a few questions.
How did y’all start playing together?
Santi and I [Carlos] started playing together in middle school in a small band based in my garage. So in high school, Jackson and Santi decided they wanted to start a band. We formed a trio with Santi playing guitar and vocals, Jackson on bass and vocals, and me as the drummer. Over time we’ve bonded over creating a vibe and image that is unique to us, The Ends, with the help of Matt Sunthimer, our photographer and artistic director as well as our manager and promoter John Williams.
What was the inspiration for the name “The Ends,” and were there other names that almost made the cut?
We had a list of names that we all pitched in and one by one we eliminated until we had The Ends, which I think I [Jackson] suggested. Me and Carlos were really fighting for another name, Backyard, and I still like it, but for now we’re gonna just stick with our identity.
What musical influences have inspired you guys the most?
Our main influences have been a variety of noise rock styled groups such as ‘My Bloody Valentine,’ ‘Sonic Youth’ along with an approach of an alternative rock style such as ‘Radiohead’ and we tend to expand our influences and drift towards a direction those bands went to but not necessarily replicate their sound, for our style is to be unique and create our own sound.
How would you label The Ends’ music as far as genres go?
Differently indie rock/alternative rock to start off with but as far as styles and sub-genres we tend to be a noise rock, shoegaze and progressive rock group. Yeah, I know it can be very specific when it comes to these styles, but as a musician one tends to learn these variety of styles to specify a certain musical style.
What challenges have you guys faced while trying to emerge in the Dallas music scene?
As newcomers into the scene, we’ve had to work hard to make a place and name for ourselves amongst all the established bands and musicians in Dallas.
What has been your favorite experience so far with The Ends?
My favorite experience as of right now are honestly the rehearsals because of all the development we’ve gone through. I’ve observed on how Jackson learned to play the bass and get the hang of it within just a few months and then with Carlos who developed as well over the past 5-6 when he SELF TAUGHT himself to play drums and is doing a wonderful job at keeping tempo. The best experiences we lived, in my point of view, were mostly from our rehearsals because of all the new song ideas and new discoveries within our musical interaction. A lot of great things have happened throughout our development and our chemistry as of right now is ten times better than how it was when we first started back in July 2017.
What plans do you have for future shows and releases?
Our next show is gonna be an independent show we run somewhere downtown [McKinney]. Tickets are gonna be like $5, and we plan on doing that sometime this summer. As for releases, we are recording 2-4 songs soon to be released, and we’re gonna put in work to hopefully get an album’s worth of songs finished by the end of summer.
The band possesses great talent and originality, and have the stage set for a momentous rise in the music scene by the end of the summer. Be on the lookout for future show announcements as well as a full length album some time in the coming months.
The Ends are accompanied by the wonderfully gifted photographer Matt Sunthimer, (@sunthimerrrr) who provided the photographs for this post. Go check his work out on Instagram, his pictures are truly something special.
Interview by Nick Simpson
The Dallas Sound Machine 