13 March 26 - april 1, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Party of One Dallas artist Kevin “Kavvi” González is going it alone as he continues Dallas indie- pop project Luna Luna as a solo act. BY SEAN STROUD D allas indie-pop band Luna Luna burst onto the local mu- sic scene near the end of the last decade and quickly be- came one of the most cele- brated acts in North Texas. Their 2018 debut album, For Lovers Only, catapulted them seemingly overnight to the class of musi- cians destined to break out of Dallas. Songs like “For You” and “80’s Tune” established their funky, smooth sonic palette, which they further refined on tracks such as “Com- mitment” and “Call Me Up” in later releases. These days, Luna Luna looks, sounds and moves a little different. The band is one of the headlining acts at the upcoming Thin Line Fest in Denton, a five-day festi- val celebrating music, film and photogra- phy, offering performances at multiple local venues. This time, though, frontman Kevin “Kavvi” González will be the only original member on the Dan’s Silverleaf stage. Last June, Kavvi announced in an Insta- gram post that keyboardist/vocalist Danny Bonilla, bassist Ryan “Gordo” Gordon and drummer Kaylin Martinez were no longer involved in Luna Luna, and that he would be continuing it as a solo project with a rotating live band. Going forward, he would act as the sole creative force, much like Kevin Parker of Tame Impala. Understandably, fans were shocked by the sudden lineup change, and many seemed more concerned with the nature of the split than what it meant for the music. “... But was there a falling out?” one user commented on the announcement post. “Did the other 3 want to part ways? I’m happy for you, but sincerely hope this is an amicable split and not one of animosity.” Going It Alone W hen we recently caught up with Kavvi over Zoom, he quickly as- sured us that there’s no bad blood and explains that, in a way, this is a re- turn to form for the project. Luna Luna be- gan as something he made in GarageBand back in 2017, and when one of his friends “needed a band” to play a gig at Spinster Re- cords, Kavvi quickly signed up despite hav- ing no band to speak of. “I just decided I was gonna say, ‘Yes’ and fake it till I make it,” he says. “Eventually, I landed on Kaylin, Ryan and Danny, and stuck with that group.” The four-piece was together from 2018 to 2025, allowing them to grow as artists along the way, which eventually included moving to Austin together and ingraining themselves in the scene there. Kavvi looks back on the last seven years fondly, but says, “I think that’s a long time to be with four people.” He al- ludes to how much work a one-on-one rela- tionship can be on its own, and adds, “Now imagine adding three other people.” He explains that their musical tastes and goals began to differ after the release of their most recent LP, 2021’s Flower Moon. He felt that rather than giving Luna Luna a swan song, going solo was the best way to honor the project. “I don’t feel like I have to adjust my taste anymore,” Kavvi tells us. What’s Queued Up H is newfound sense of artistic free- dom is reflected in Luna Luna’s more recent releases. For Siempre, Pt. 1, the first EP from this new era, finds the Colombian-born, Dallas-raised musician ex- perimenting with other genres and transi- tioning from the occasional verse in Spanish to now writing full songs in the language. “Perdóname” is a slow, sensual tune, while “Como Tú” is a fast-paced dance track that’d fit right in at the club. “Ven y Ven” delves into cumbia, something Luna Luna dabbled in before on the 2024 single “Una Vez Más.” “I feel like I have to pay a lot more atten- tion to the lyrics when I’m writing in Span- ish,” he says. “I have to be more intentional on the lyrical side. I feel like I could get away with more in English.” Many of Kavvi’s uncles back in Colombia also play music, which has bolstered his natu- ral draw toward the craft. His musical jour- ney began in middle and high school band, where he cycled through several instruments before landing on the trumpet. Things really started to take off after he received his first guitar for Christmas at 14 and began teaching himself how to play. That journey has led him to this full-circle moment of sorts, as he learns to go it alone again. Kavvi is currently working on For Siem- pre Pt. 2, which he plans to release before the end of the year. Luna Luna’s latest single, “Sola Esta,” offers a glimpse of what to ex- pect from the EP. The track beautifully blends bedroom pop chords with the electri- fying elements of club music, nodding to the band’s past while evolving its sound in a way that feels fresh. In many ways, a project that Dallas quickly fell in love with is still finding new ways to make us fall even harder. You can catch Luna Luna at 7 p.m. on Fri- day, March 30, at Dan’s Silverleaf as part of Thin Line Fest. ▼ JAZZ PUSHING POETRY FROM A COZY CORNER AT THE WILD DETECTIVES, THE LOCAL POETRY SCENE IS GETTING ALL JAZZED UP WITH THE HELP OF GENRE FUSION BAND D-CLAIM. BY ISABELLA FERRERI E very third Thursday of the month in the heart of Bishop Arts, jazz fusion band D-CLAIM transforms the indie bookstore and cafe The Wild Detectives into a poetry paradise. The founder of D-CLAIM, JD Debris, formed the band while at Southern Method- ist University. As an alumnus of NYU with a Master’s of Fine Arts and Creative Writing, Debris formed D-CLAIM’s humble begin- nings while interviewing for the Writer in Residence fellowship at SMU. “It was an idea I floated, a dream proj- ect,” Debris says. “At SMU, I was able to make the connections with Project Poëtica to get this off the ground... I got connected to Manny Galindo first, and from there, Manny put some names out there, and we con- nected with other musicians. Just been roll- ing from there.” The contemporary electric jazz band fea- tures different poets every month. Debris says that some poets like to put together a cohesive set, while others just want to free- read. The collective tries to match each po- et’s vision, giving them a “compatible arc” to the soundtrack that the band provides. “We are not necessarily playing the tradi- tional accompaniment for those forms by any means; we are not even playing tradi- tional jazz,” Debris says. “Those art forms are always evolving and we want to be part of that evolution.” Debris aims to create the kind of spark that allows the poetic medium to evolve while also giving jazz new material — a sym- biotic exploration. And although the band is electric, they share a “lowkey, loungier and quieter setup” to complement the coziness of The Wild Detectives. Keeping the Faith W hen conceptualizing the band, Debris was inspired by his men- tor, NYU professor and acclaimed American poet, Yousef Komunyaka, whose poetry weaves together personal narratives, jazz rhythms and vernacular to create visu- ally complex images of peace and war. “Yousef gave me some tips that I still carry with me: Keep the faith, and time is al- ways part of the equation, so don’t be afraid to wait and let things marinate.” Sebastian Páramo, SMU assistant teacher for the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences, is among the featured poets who have shared the stage with D-CLAIM. Páramo first heard about Debris’ work when the latter began his fellowship at SMU. “It turned out he’d read some of my work, and I started to read some of his work... as soon as he moved to Dallas, we started con- necting over poetry, and he shared his vision for this series that he was going to put to- gether,” Páramo says. “So he decided to fea- ture me as one of the first poets.” | B-SIDES | ▼ Music Ashley Rosas Luna Luna is now a solo project led by Kevin “Kavvi” González. >> p14
