For Industry Members

This page is intended for members of the press/industry. Below you’ll find hi-res photos to use for print and also some interview questions with answers that can be used as part of interviews we do with you.

GROUP PHOTOS

To download a hi-res version of these images right click the link and select ‘save target as’

From left to right: Pete, Adrian, Gerard, Eric, Mike

From left to right: Pete, Adrian, Mike, Eric, Gerard

INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS

Mike

Gerard

Adrian

Eric

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

– Where are you from?
We are Diablo Royale, a hard rock band hailing from the melting pot of New York City.
Adrian Barrios – Lead Vocals, born in the Philippines and lives in the Lower East Side
G-Man – Guitars, born upstate New York and currently shacking up in Queens
Mike Sankari – Drums, from Long Island but nowadays kickin’ it in Manhattan
Eric Choy – Guitars, born in Hong Kong and residing in Brooklyn
Pete Connors – Bass, raised in New Jersy, living in Pennsylvania.

– How did you guys get together?
Mike, G-Man, and Choy got together and started writing songs and auditioning people from Craiglist and posting up Wanted Ads in all the rehearsal studios in the city for about 9 months. When we finally found Adrian it was as cliche as “the second he walked in it clicked”. He came in, sang a couple tunes and shot-the-shit with us so it just felt right.

– How long have you been together?
Around 3 yrs at this point

– Where did you get the name?
When Adrian moved to the US he lived in an area around LA nicknamed “Little Tijuana”. His neighborhood was full of tough-guy Latinos that used to give him a hard time because he would blast his rock music pretty loudly, calling him “El Diablo”. Eventually he got kicked out of his apartment and when he went back to return the keys one day, spray painted on his door was the message: “Adios Diablo Royale!” We all thought that was a cool story so we chose that as our name.

-Who are some of your influences?
A lot of the more aggressive rock bands that have existed in the last 30 some odd years. Since we are five different guys we all have our personal tastes but mainly we’ve been influenced by groups such as Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Pantera, Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine, Stone Temple Pilots, The Rolling Stones, Dream Theater, Megadeth, Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, etc.

– Who/how do you write your songs?
How it works with us is we all have input on the songs in one form or another. The main ideas or riffs could come from any one of us or any combination of us and then it’s brought to the rest of the band and we put it through the ringer. Sometimes someone will bring in a song that’s basically finished but even when that happens, the others put in their two cents and the details get worked out.

– What are your songs about?
We don’t really limit ourselves in what we write about because we feel there is so much that happens in everyday life. We have songs about everything from political views, to being hung-over, to striving to reach a higher state of being so it’s a pretty wide spectrum. Adrian is definitely the main lyrical writer, but G-Man and Choy have contributed here and there.

– What are some accomplishments?
Our song “Promised Land” was played on Sirius Octane Radio and we also performed a few shows to 500+ people at the national venues Highline Ballroom and Grammercy Theater in NYC over the past year. We were number 7 in the “Top 9 of ’09” countdown on 101.9 FM (green Day andMuse were also part of this countdown). We also got written up a couple times in both Revolver Magazine and Classic Rock Magazine. We were also the Flipt-Up Band of the Year in 2008 when we were named the best Filipino-American band in the United States. We also received a few endorsements with DR Strings, Vox and Marshall Amps and have been furthering our touring to a regional level.

– What’s next for the band?
We’re always doing something or at least throwing around ideas. We are already working on new songs for the next recording and plans are in the works for a music video or documentary. We don’t like to sit around without gigging for too long so we are also looking to further expand our touring capabilities and ultimately to be able to be doing it nationally and internationally.

– Where can we find more info on the band?
For all things Diablo related go to our website at www.diabloroyale.net
We also have profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, ReverbNation and a few other online sites

– What’s your best tour experience
To pinpoint one specific instance is hard. We enjoy ourselves when we play away from home and to be honest I don’t remember a lot of the shows, it’s all a little hazy so I guess that’s a sign that a good time was had. Plus the longer we do this the more Spinal Tap moments keep popping up so you know those are always hysterical.

– What’s your worst tour experience
We’ve been pretty lucky with our touring but all the times we drove through inclement weather is no fun and actually quite dangerous. Driving a packed van through snow storms and rain of biblical proportions in the middle of the night with bright lights from on-coming traffic shining in your eyes is definitely not our idea of fun! That and constantly having to smell G-man’s farts in the van, which are totally killer.

– Where did the title “Greedy Dogs” come from?
Adrian came up with that title for the song and we thought it was appropriate because a lot of the inspiration for this album came from all of the bullshit going on in the world with big companies and institutions getting their asses kissed while the little guy is hung out to dry. The people that are supposed to be looking out for us just aren’t.

– How are the groupies treating you?
“…with open arms and open legs.” – The Who

– What do you think of the new rock coming out today?
It all sounds the same…vocals with too many layers, bands with no dynamics, cookie monster growling, poor melodies, non-memorable riffs, solos (if there is a solo) that are not phrased well, etc. Basically music without much substance or integrity but that’s how it goes: 92% shit – 8% gold.

– Who’s faster, Diablo Royale or Superman?
At flying…Superman.
At drinking…DR.