The Ditmas Park Word: Meet Daniel Garcia, A Musician And Barista At Milk & Honey And Qathra
From new transplants hailing from places across the city, country and globe to residents who have lived in our area for decades, our neighborhood is home to an amazingly diverse collection of people. This interview is part of our “The Ditmas Park Word” series, in which we’ll get to know some of our wonderful neighbors who make our community what it is today. For today, we interviewed Daniel Garcia, a barista at Milk & Honey and Qathra.
How long have you lived in the neighborhood? I have lived here in Ditmas Park for two and a half years.
What prompted the move to our neighborhood? I moved here from Dallas, Texas to perform in a new musical at Playwrights Horizons called “Fly By Night.” In Dallas, my band had been hired to perform and arrange the music for this new musical. I live in a house in Ditmas Park that develops up and coming musicians and is run by a company called BKLYN1834. The company provides support and opportunities to musicians and visual artists. This year, BKLYN1834 started releasing records and we are going to release a compilation of new music every four to six months.
Where did you live prior to here? Prior to living here I lived mostly in Denton, Texas. I’m originally from Fresno, California.
What do you like about the neighborhood? I love this neighborhood. There is a lot of history here, and it is amazingly beautiful. I give music lessons in the neighborhood (voice, guitar, and ukulele), and I enjoy working with the many talented kids who live here.
Are you settled here or just passing through? I feel like I’m settling here.
Do you have favorite restaurants in the neighborhood? I like Café Tibet, Qathra, and Lea.
What is the neighborhood’s best kept secret? The amount of talented people who live here — writers, musicians, and actors.
What do you think of Brooklyn’s newfound popularity? I think it is cool because I meet people from all over the world working at Qathra and Milk & Honey.
How long have you been working at Qathra and Mike & Honey? I have been working at these two restaurants for two years. I walked into one of the restaurants one day and told the owner Max that I wanted to work there because his establishments are classy, yet still affordable.
What do you like about your job? I like dealing with the customers, as I’m a people person. And I love a good cup of coffee.
How do you make a really good cappuccino? You need to start with good coffee, have a good espresso machine, and do not overheat the milk.
What instruments do you play? I sing and play guitar, bass, drums, piano, and the ukulele. I produce music, write songs, and also work as an engineer.
What musicians and projects are you currently working with? My band is called Foe Destroyer. I also play with a singer named Ro James. I’m currently working on a solo album.
Do you have any dream musical projects? I’m living my dream projects.
Where can we see your band play? In New York we will be performing on July 31 at C’mon Everybody and August 1 at Rockwood Music Hall.
What kind of music do you play? My band plays minimalist garage rock. We are a singer-songwriter trio, and every member of the band writes and plays every instrument. Some of our influences are Queen, Nirvana, The Beach Boys, and Sonic Youth.
Do you have any funny work stories? I had left the coffee shop to go to Dallas to perform in a stage version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and when I came back a woman said to me, “You are back; I’m so glad because I think you are hilarious.” I said, “Thank you.” And then she added, “But my husband hates you.” And I asked, “Why?” She answered, “He does not get your sense of humor.”
I treat every day as an opportunity to have a lot of fun, especially at work. I love to laugh and to make other people laugh too.
Did you have any preconceived notions about living and making it in New York as a musician? I thought that if your band can make it here, than you can make it anywhere. Now living here represents to me looming opportunity. You never know whom you could meet here and how they can change your career.
If you know someone you’d love to see featured in this series, let us know! You can email us at editor@ditmaspark.com.
About the author: Amy Nieporent has lived in Brooklyn all of her life and has called Kensington home for the past 21 years. Amy has worked in news and documentary production for HBO, The History Channel, ESPN, NBC and CBS. She never plans to leave the borough and in the end will be buried at Greenwood Cemetery. Her cat, who came from the Sean Casey Animal Rescue in Kensington is named Brooklyn.