Des Demonas

Des Demonas

Cure For Love EP

In The Red

“On Des Demonas’ new seven-track EP Cure For Love there’s a whalloping drum beat driving everything. But the throbbing, pumping bass, clanging, slashing guitar and whirling, swirling Farfisa are no mere passengers in this vehicle! I’m told by the other band members Paul [Vivari], Joe [Halladay], Mark [Cisneros] and Ryan [Hicks] that vocalist Jacky Cougar Abok is the loudest drummer they’ve ever heard. “But here he sings! In motifs. He sings out a beat, he sings minimalist melodic hooks. He half speaks/half shouts his lyrical content in rapid fire that is closer to beat poetry than rap. His voice is insistent and demanding to be heard! And it is! By having it slightly submerged, the listener is forced to strain to hear the words because they won’t wanna miss something important! “The sonic fuel of the band is a blend of post-punk, punk, funk, blues, psych-rock, Afrobeat, even bubble-gum—but the noise you hear is pure Des Demonas! “Titles like the ‘Ballad Of Ike & Tina’ and ‘Black Orpheus Blues’ add to the intrigue rather than explain the content. The listener is both confronted and lured by something bigger than themselves! Desire, intrigue, fear and exuberance are the rewards to those unable to resist! But will yout love be cured? “You could look to Shakespeare, or simpler, you could buy this record and find out!” —Kim Salmon

Des Demonas

Bay Of Pigs Ep

Slovenly

***"Washington DC band DES DEMONAS exploded into the national consciousness with a debut LP on In The Red a few months back, and they're not letting up now... as diseased organ-soaked and fizz-drenched as it can get. 'Bay of Pigs' keeps it real with it's pounding chorus 'Feeling like a Victim of Tiiiiiime' so naturally this works on many levels. Featuring a guitar player from KID CONGO & THE PINKMONKEY BIRDS, who also did time in THE MAKE-UP, it's got credentials to spare, but this six-foot-five Kenyan lead singer (JACKY COUGAR ABOK, ex-GINO AND THE GOONS) is gonna steal the show for certain. There's a faint Deadly Snakes vibe when the organ tone really hits, too, but this is much, much, heavier and less quaint, with the guttural vocals steering this into a stomping mess of noise. Far more rambunctious and unholy, far more strained and angry."—Todd Novak, Victim of Time

Des Demonas

S/t

In The Red

“The South will never rise again,” Jacky Cougar Abok intones in a manner that suggests he is looking straight into your eyeballs while singing the opening track on Des Demonas’ debut album on In The Red Records. His hand may be around your neck as well! Sounding like The Last Poets acid tripping to ’60s Sunset Strip, the band drags you on a wild ride of fuzzy guitars and swirling Farfisa organ, while the bass and drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain. And that’s just the first song!  The band hails from Washington, DC, and have been denizens of the byways and highways of the city’s musical underground for years. Jacky Cougar Abok is the six-foot-five-inch tall Kenyan punk singer who has drummed with Thee Lolitas and Foul Swoops. Guitarist Mark Cisneros has bent strings with Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds, Deathfix, and Medications, and has pounded the traps for The Make-Up and Benjy Ferree, the latter alongside organist Paul Vivari. Joe Halladay (Citygoats) on bass and Ryan Hicks (Suns Of Guns) on drums round out this squared circle of sight and sound.  The songs on this album range from Nuggets-style snottiness on “Tuff Turf,” to the brash warnings of “Liez” (“Lies… only seem to matter if you never wise up”), to the stomper “Psychedelic Soldier” and cool psycho creeper “Say You Tried,” to the hard boiled ’70s punk of Swahili-sung “Golden Eggs.” When Abok sings “There are no vampires in Africa,” it may be a...