[LSDailyNews] The rise and rise of the Dead End Brigade

[Los Santos Daily News]

NEWS • Entertainment

Written by Yunisa DELGADO-FLORES • May 28th, 2022 - 7:00AM

 

The rise and rise of the Dead End Brigade

Art, Ben, and Jojo from the Dead End Brigade talk with the Daily about their new song, the process behind making it, their influences, as well as possible plans for the future.

 

 

The Dead End Brigade, live at Stooges. Art on bass and vocals (left), Ben on drums (middle) and Jojo on guitar (right). - Courtesy of Art from the Dead End Brigade.

 

 

The Dead End Brigade, one of Los Santos' fastest rising indie punk bands, has been making waves in the national punk scene as of recent. A few months back they concluded their tour to New York City and are now discussing plans for a possible future tour.

 

Within Los Santos, they're often booked for grunge-themed bars such as Six Rounds and, prior to their accidental fire, Stooges. However, they've also been known to play venues in West Vinewood such as the Split Sides comedy-club.

 

Art, the lead singer for the band, and Ben, the drummer, joined the Daily News for an exclusive interview. Mags, the bassist, could not attend the interview due to scheduling conflicts

 

Jojo, the guitarist, took part in a one-on-one interview at a later time.

 

"Me and Ben been tryna do something for a minute, we known each other for a long time and a couple years ago we started Dead End Brigade, it took a little minute before it started taking off though." Art shared with the Daily's Yunisa Delgadlo-Flores. "I'd say we started gaining some traction like half a year ago?"

 

Ben also recounts one of their first gigs. "Round new years. We played that one show for an MC then went silent for a bit. Then that's when we started picking it back up, yeah."

 

Like many other bands' beginnings, it wasn't instant success. Art briefly touched on their experience performing at one of Los Santos' many night clubs. "It was just a failure. Wasn't the venue for us. Happens though."

 

"I met them after I caught up on their music— plus, they had been playing at the Community Center here in Vespucci." Jojo tells the Daily on how she came to be in the band. "I been playing myself for a while but I never could find a band to play in, DEB was looking for new members and I gladly joined up. And that's how the ship started to sail, dude.

 

"I started playing guitar when I was fourteen. I was really frustrated with the whole system and what not, being stuck in a strict family or work for some a--holes." Jojo shared, telling the Daily how she used music as an escape from an oppressive household.

 

"I have four brothers and three sisters, three of my brothers are incarcerated— my sisters are all doing whatever they are doing. Politics, doctors, you name, the whole sha-bang. I graduated in becoming a lawyer myself believe it or not, but I just don't like being stuck to something— you know?

 

"I don't like work for some a--hole in a suit that tells me what I can and can't do."

 

The band's style is varied, taking inspiration from a bunch of different sources. As Art described, "All our songs kinda sound different from one another too."

 

This rings especially true when Art's solo career is taken account, where Art's much mellower solo performances contrasts heavily with the raging rock rampant at a Dead End Brigade show.

 

The Dead End Brigade, live at Six Rounds. - Yunisa Delgado Flores. 22nd May 2022, 00:10AM,

 

The energy behind the Dead End Brigade's live performances can be summed up as loud, violent and thrilling. The music shakes the walls, the vocals screech through the speakers, and the crowd can cause an earthquake. As is common in punk, the mosh pits are frequent at their concerts.

 

"Yeah, I know people ain't really listening at our shows, they just wanna go crazy and have some fun.", Art tells the Daily. "We try to give them that."

 

"I kinda envy it.", adds Ben. "We should write a song with no drums so I can go mosh for a couple minutes"

 

The band just released their new song titled Taking the Cure. Art and Ben shares their process in creating the track and the rest of their songs.

 

"I was just sitting in the studio and, again, the lyrics just kinda come." Art told the Daily. "I just have to work out a melody that fit em. It's usually me and Ben locked in a room and working something out. He work magic on the drums.

 

"Sometimes it go in that order, other times it's the other way around"

 

When asked about any future plans for tours, the noted their large fan-base over in Brazil. Ben immediately suggesting that they go to Brazil, to which Art said their next tour will be kept in the US.

 

"Yeah, yeah, definitely gonna get a summer tour booked." Art shared. "We got some comments about Brazil but we probably gonna keep the next tour in the US, too."

 

"I love those peeps out in Brazil, they got a whole different scene going on there" Joey talked about her experience with international fans. "We've have fans all over. Brazil, Europe, even f---ing Asia— like, Japan and all that.

 

"We're also thinking to do a more international tour someday, but for now? We stick in the US. And I mean like— The UK, Europe, Asia, you name it, dude."

 

Their next live performance is scheduled to be at the Six Rounds bar in Vespucci on the 3rd of June.

 

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Edited June 1, 2022 by Los Santos Daily News