Tour Journal

Rock Asylum Comeback

January 19th, 2011 marked the return of ZO2′s Rock Asylum and we were honored to break the silence as the first band on. The night started off with red carpet appearances by Marky Ramone, Dee Snider and Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister, and Jerry Gaskill of King’s X among others. We took the stage to a packed house and did what we do best; we rocked our balls off. One of the better performances of our career (if we don’t say so ourselves), the place exploded and there was no mistaking the power and energy that went back and forth between the band and the crowd. Many special thanks to Paulie Z and ZO2 for putting the whole night together. A night worth remembering and revisiting, we had the cameras rolling, so check back soon for the video!

Gig With Jesse Blaze Snider in Philly

We were invited back to Sweeny’s to play with Jesse “Blaze” Snyder, but unfortunately Jesse was forced to cancel his appearance due to unforeseen circumstances. No matter, the rest of the bands played on, and we’ve never seen Sweeny’s so packed before. All in all, this was our most successful showing at Sweeny’s and we’re hoping it continues.

Gotham Rocks Long Island

The first ever Long Island Gotham Rocks and we were honored to be the out of the town band for a change. What a great turnout! Lulu’s was packed, the stage, sound, and lights were all spot-on, and all the bands played very well. Looks like Lulu’s will be a new regular stop for Diablo Royale in Long Island.

Halloween At Six Flags, The 2nd Happiest Place On Earth

Well, it’s that time of year again, which means we’re playing the 6 Flags Fright Fest down in Jackson, NJ. This year was just a great as the previous years; the park was packed, the stage was decked out in Halloween fashion, and there was a nip in the air. We hit the stage at 7 and despite the cold, managed our way through a fantastic 45 minute set and were followed by Charetta and The August Infinity. Thanks again to Patricia for putting the whole thing together, and to Nick from The Musicians Rock Network, who was on hand to film the bands.

The Hardest Band At CMJ This Year

This was our first time playing the CMJ music festival. Lucky for us it was at our favorite NYC hangout, The Local 269, where the owner Jules and bartenders Bill and Sasha know how to take care of their customers. It’s been a while since we played at home in NYC, and it’s always great to come back to a more intimate venue where we can really connect with the fans. We packed the place, and then it emptied out when we were done. What else can we say?

Battle Of The Bands, And The Winner Is…

What can we say? We came, we rocked, and despite some great competition from the other 8 bands, WE WON! A DR tip of the hat to Flounder who did an amazing job and placed 2nd, and special thanks to Mt Airy Lodge and Rock 107 for putting the whole event together. On a side note, G-Man learned the finer points of how to play Craps (it was a $100 lesson) Choy learned that jack and cokes at the Craps table will quickly catch up with you, and all of Mt Airy lodge learned that despite Oktoberfest beers flowing, the band can still kick some ass.

Absorb Music Festival, Williamsport, PA

We headed out to Williamsport, PA on Friday for a little RnR before the show on Saturday, when we found ourselves in a dive bar somewhere on the edge of town. While we were hitting up the bar and pool table, there was a blues/jam band playing. When they were done, we figured “Why not?” With a little coaxing of the bar owner and promises not to be “too loud”, we threw together a quick half-hour set of covers and had the place jumping. Seriously, there was one guy who was well over 50 (every bar has at least one, right?) and this guy was dancing something nuts. We thought his legs were going to break off.

Saturday we played at the Absorb Music Festival, we played a great set and had a very warm reception (we mean that literally, it was 95 degrees out). To quote the emcee of the event “Ok, we’re all going to have to turn it up a notch for this next band…..” Another great gig, another great stage; and we’re looking forward to going back.

Santos Party House for Jade’s Birthday

Happy Birthday Jade! This was a great, relaxed, no pressure gig at Santo’s. We were excited to share the stage with Philly’s Automatic Fire, which features members from Silvertide. The night was a blast and we’re looking forward to going back again on Wed the 25th.

Philly Road Trip

Our 3rd trip back to Sweeny’s this summer and another great time. Thanks to Sweeny’s for having us, Staci Bolno for setting everything up, and thanks to Close To Death and Bound By Nothing (BxN) for sharing the stage with us.

Heading to York, PA

This was our first trip to the Depot, and our second trip to York. We met a great bunch of people and had a great time and can’t wait to go back. Thanks to Shattered Beneath The Shade for having us, and thanks to Bartender Jess for keeping the beers flowing.

Philly Mini-tour

For our 2nd trip we hit Sweeny’s and The Cherrywood. After the bassist for the first band at Sweeny’s had a heart attack the club asked us to play two sets which we did. Thankfully, he’s alright. The next night we played with friends Bound By Nothing at The Cherrywood. Thanks to Sweeny’s for some awesome cheesesteaks. We’ll be back on Aug 12.

Hey Brighton, we’re back

For our 2nd trip back to Brighton we were part of a killer line-up that featured Black Water Rising, Killcode, and Cycle of Pain. It was a loose, fun night and we were happy to take a few requests from the crowd including Zep’s “Living Loving”, and Soundgarden’s “Outshined”. Special thanks to DJ Alex for putting it all together! We’re looking forward to coming back.

A Biker Bar, Our First Van Problem & Rockstars in PA

Friday we headed out to Jugs and Strokers; a biker bar in Merrick, Long Island for 4 sets of music from 10PM – 3AM in what was our longest gig ever played. This place was great; cheap food and drinks, good people, and lots of tattoos and Harley’s…our kind of hangout. Unfortunately, the night ended with our van having some issues that ultimately cost us a pretty penny and half of our Saturday waiting for it to be fixed – which it never was. We made alternative arrangements and with all of us running on 2 hours of sleep, we sucked it up and made the 3 hour drive out to Hanover Twp, PA, for our first show at Rockstars, which luckily went off without a hitch. The 3+ hour drive back to Brooklyn was, needless to say, not the easiest thing in the world, but we are proud to say that over 100 shows to date and we have yet to cancel or miss one of them. We’re sure to be back at both Rockstars and Jugs and Strokers soon.

College Point In Elmira, NY Round 2

Our 2nd trip back to College Point and in classic DR fashion it was better than the first. This time around there were a slew of bands on the bill including Drop Clutch (Dirtbag Records) and Stemm (Steamline Productions). Many thanks again to Bridget for helping to set all this up, and to Jeremy and Jerome for running the show. We’re looking forward to coming back soon.

Elmira, The Land Of Emo & Death Metal

We squeezed the 5 of us into Pete’s car after rehearsal on Friday and headed out to PA for a little R&R before Saturday night’s gig in Elmira, NY. We met some good people, put our little stamp on Elmira and are looking forward to heading back again soon. Thanks to Bridget for setting this all up, and to Jerome for having us.

Jammin’ with The D.R.A.M.A. Kings

Our first trip to DC to play with The D.R.A.M.A. Kings at Jammin Java. This was a great club and the crowd was very enthusiastic. Despite traffic circles, streets with the same name, and a VA Trooper with a REALLY bad attitude, it was still a fun weekend. Some partied harder than others, and although we won’t mention any names (ahem…Adrian….) we will say that there is some rather incriminating video circling within the band.

Gotham Rocks @ Crash

Always thinking of new ways to entertain our fans, this time around we decided to play an extra set at the end of the night which consisted of some of the best songs by our favorite artists. Guest singing with us was Rob from FEFF, Nick from Zodiac, Pamela from 2nd & 2nd’s karaoke, Bob Scofield, and Angie Vargas. Another great night, another fun time, and another round of drinks for the band. We’ll see all of you at The Gramercy on the 23rd!

2/20/10 Local 269

Another great Saturday night at Local 269. The night started off with The August Infinity and 13th Floor, who always put on a great show. We closed the night out with an extended set that included a few covers we haven’t played in forever. A very fun, relaxing, and all-around great night had by all.