Dios: Pet sound peeves

Dios can handle anything, even the Beach Boys comparisons

By Mike Prevatt

Even in this age of hypersensitive entertainers and restrictive publicists, some in the limelight still believe that any press is still good press. The Hawthorne, Calif., band Dios--or Dios Malos, the official name the quintet is currently using to stave off lawsuits and such--has been misunderstood in the press more than once since its noteworthy Coachella appearance last year. But according to bassist J.P. Caballero, it could be worse.

"Someone asked once, `Do you feel that the pressure is hindering your creativity?'" says Caballero. "It's almost like there's more pressure being nobody and not having anyone wanting to analyze your records. The real pressure is playing to eight people in Fullerton on a Wednesday night and having school and work the next day. What else will give you an excuse to hang out, drink and dick around on the guitar for a living, and do things you like doing anyway?"

If there's any frustration the band has with its press coverage, which surged after a well-received performance at last year's Coachella festival near Palm Springs, it's the constant comparisons to the Beach Boys. Most of this is fueled by Dios' Brian Wilson-worshipping soundbites, and the fact that the quintessential Southern California act also hailed from Hawthorne. But, upon listening to Dios' 2004 self-titled debut, anyone familiar with `60s and `70s rock will hear that it is just as influenced by LSD-era Beatles and the folky predilections of Neil Young. In fact, Dios may be more like the Beach Boys in attitude than in sound.

"We like the Beach Boys approach because they were a do-it-yourself band in a lot of ways; they were a pretty self-contained band," says Caballero. "It's a flattering comparison, but I think our influences are bit more spread out than that. It feels kind of limiting if people just want to say, 'Oh, that Beach Boys band.' As far as we're concerned, we don't sound anything like the Beach Boys. We're a little more out there musically, I think."

If anything, the band's South Bay roots played a part in shaping its aesthetic, given how that area has much less hipster cachet than, say, the artist communities between Hollywood and downtown L.A. "I think if you live in a big city, you're more likely to sound more like whatever the fashion plate is at the time," says Caballero. "If you live in Echo Park or Silverlake, you're probably more predisposed to sound like a disco beat band, or a band with a real Gram Parsons influence, or something like that. That's cool and all, but we're influenced by not having those things around us."

And it's not like the L.A.-area clubs give artists from the surrounding communities a pass just because they're not too far away. During its six-year existence, Dios spent over three years fighting to get into the Hollywood venues, feeling like certain promoters and club owners were shutting it out. This changed in the last year or so, especially as the band toured with several major indie rock dignitaries. For a while, it seemed it couldn't turn down a band's offer to join its tour.

"I wish we were out more, actually!" says Caballero. "I think people want to bitch about life on the road. It's hard if you're not making [any] money, or if you're a punk rock band and everything is a struggle. But...it's like, hmm, this is my job, having an excuse to make music and meeting people. It's like a paid vacation. You'll always deal with bullshit elements and the world's assholes, but compared to, say, being a sheet metal driller, it's a lot more fun."

Speaking of live shows--and misconceptions--Dios wants to remind folks that just because its musical output is mellow, dreamy and largely downtempo, that doesn't mean it plays the same way in concert.

"There's plenty of quiet parts and textures, but there's definitely a lot more violence [live]," says Caballero. "We're into very loud drums and a strong rhythm section and movement. That's what people can expect--and the thrill of seeing semi-creepy ethnic dudes playing on stage, which you don`t get a lot of these days."