Northwest S.A. bands keeping it close to the family and in the 'hood

Both bands are made up mostly of members who attended Holmes or John Jay high schools. All of DEAdpOOL's members, aside from lead singer Gordon of Minnesota, and Dave Diaz de Leon graduated from Holmes. Much like DEAdpOOL, three of Angerkill's members are from the Holmes area with the fourth, guitar player Eric Tinn, hailing from Florida.

Angerkill is a family affair led by lead singer Dave Diaz de Leon. Diaz de Leon is actually the surname of three of the band's members. Frank, Dave's brother, is the drummer, and Jen, Dave's wife, is the bass player. Being in a band together, said Dave, is an asset to his marriage and family.

"This our escape and our balance, and we're able to experience it together," said Dave. "We usually don't go on many dates. Babysitting opportunities are usually expensed for our show dates or rehearsals. Even when we do get an occasional night out, we end up at a club supporting our local metal bands. But we wouldn't have it any other way."

Dave described metal as full of intensity, attitude and energy and said his kids, the unlikeliest of metal heads, join in the family passion.  

"They've learned how to do the horns, know about Metallica and they have a little drum set in the living room," he said. "During our rehearsals, they'll often jump on there and start doing their own thing. They bust out their play guitars and have their own practice!  My oldest tells me often how she's going to have a band, and they're going to play princess metal."

Diaz de Leon beams with pride talking about his kids, and its evident he has passed his enthusiasm on to his kids.

"[My daughter is] totally into it," he said. "For example, I had it on KZEP the other day while we were driving, and she asked me to change it because it wasn't metal enough. That's my girl!"

DEAdpOOL's guitar player, Carlos Lopez, and bass guitar player, Mike Lopez, are also brothers from the Northwest side. Carlos' wife, Marti, said that being married to a musician has given her a new outlook on life and a better way to understand her husband.

"If I were restrained to one word it would be 'transcendental.' I feel that way because, in my experience, being married to a musician has added another dimension to everyday life, and, as a music lover, it has allowed me a new perspective - one behind the scene, not just front row," said Marti, describing her relationship with her husband.

In addition to connecting with their spouses, the bands hope to connect with their local audiences, too. Carlos said identifying with people from the area has, in some instances, allowed them to establish that connection.

"Several years ago, I was approached by this guy, and he gave our performance much praise. As appreciative as I was for his kind words, it was one thing he said that has always stuck with me and that was that he and his friends were fans of the band and were from the 'hood," he said. "I believe his words were 'Man, we all know about DEAdpOOL back in the 'hood.' This coming from a guy none of us knew or had grown up with that put certain things into perspective for me and made me prideful of the fact that we were developing this music in the 'hood."

Both Diaz de Leon and Carlos Lopez still work in the area where they grew up, and Diaz de Leon resides there, making a living and making music in the place and with the people they've grown to love over the years.

The two bands' friendship, based on childhood and teenage relationships and family connections, has led them to team up to produce The Takeover.

Carlos Lopez said the concept came about because both bands were tired of dealing with the wrong people and having certain aspects of their shows mishandled.

"The two bands are like best friends who grow up with one another and watch each other grow," he said. "This brainchild is a result of us learning from those mistakes [we experienced together] and basically taking-over all logistics of our shows."

Lopez said The Takeover is not a full-blown production company or a full-blown promotion company.

"What it is," he said, "is an understanding that we can do for ourselves what others have been doing for us, but unfortunately solely for their own benefit."

Two other bands, Americult, a local band, and Course of Ruin, an Austin band, will be joining the DEAdpOOL and Angerkill at The Takeover on Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. The show will be held at The Venue, 800 Lexington Ave.

Lopez said this particular collaboration goes beyond the making of music and bleeds into the friendships that have made it up over the years.

"In the past we have collaborated with other bands in putting a show or shows together, but never to this magnitude," he said. "We couldn't think of a better collaboration than this one. The relationship DEAdpOOL has with Angerkill goes beyond our love for this music and performing. We are literally brothers and sister in harmony."

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"So we got together with Angerkill, put our heads together and came up with The Takeover," Lopez said. "We've taken the middleman out. We're doing this as much for all the other bands around town as for us. We figure it will help the musicians unite. We want to show other bands it can be done and maybe they'll take the same concept. We're out to put everything back in the hands of the working musician."

For the inaugural show, the bands booked the venue, got the sound system together, hired security, put together 800 sampler CDs, printed fliers, came up with merchandise, pounded the pavement, contacted print publications, got a couple of radio stations involved and, yes, put up a thesatakeover MySpace site. Deadpool and Angerkill have plans for a series of The Takeover shows. The next one is set for April 26 at Bond's.

"We want to have four bands on each show," Lopez said. "A local, up-and-coming act, Angerkill, Deadpool and a regional act. If we make money, good. If we don't, we'll know where the money goes."

Now that's promotion.

Angerkill and Deadpool team up for metal scene

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