dios Malos (formerly known as dios) is a thrift store conscious 4track experiment turned band based in and around Los Angeles, California from Hawthorne down to Long Beach in the United States. The band consists of songstress Joel Morales, bassist John Paul Caballero, ethnic musicologist James Cabez DeVaca, mellotronist Ed Kampwirth and drummer Patrick Butterworth. They have had a revolving cast of band members, most notably original member Kevin Morales , who contributed half of the material on their debut, leaving the band and forming his own group, Sonadora, in 2004.
A bulk of the bands songs on their first few releases were written in Berkeley California around 1998 where Joel had moved to live with good friend and long time collaborator Miguel Mendez. From that period a large back catalogue of songs and experimental four track recordings were compiled and the basis for what would become "god" and later dios would form.
While in Berkeley, Miguel and Joel along with roomate and now infamous Eagle Rock landscaper Nick Tan began writing and recording material for a new band called Tawshabella, named after a nubian lover in one of Miguel's dream. That summer the trio traveled back down to L.A. to record an album with then 15 year old Kevin Morales on drums. Coincidently during the "summer of 98", remembered for the amazing amount of lifelong friendships and torrid love affairs created within those months, Kevin began writing material that would later appear on dios self-titled and sonadora recordings. During the "summer of 98" an emotional and metaphysical bond was created with the four band members that had a lot to do with certain hallucenogenic experiences, encounters with the LAPD, and the habit of falling asleep every night to Pet Sounds in the living room of the Morales' fathers' modest bachelor apartment.
Once back in Los Angeles a little over a year later, Joel, with Miguel and Nick staying behind eventually moving to New York City, started writing and recording new material, began playing solo shows and continued his long search for musicians to help him bring his four track recordings to life.
In the summer of 2004, the band was forced to change their name from dios after heavy metal singer-songwriter Ronnie James Dio filed a cease-and-desist order claiming the name dios was too similar to Ronnie's own band, Dio.

In October of 2005, the band released their second album self-titled dios Malos. The second album was produced by Phil Ek, who has produced many popular indie-rock albums which include multiple Modest Mouse and Built to Spill albums, and The Shins second album, Chutes Too Narrow.

Discography

los arboles (2003)

dios (2004)

dios Malos (2005)

ALBUM (2006)

External links

Official website

dios Malos at MySpace

dios Malos at Startime International