Des Demonas

Grafting the smarts and eclecticism of indie rock with the tough, retro influences of garage punk and adding a dash of Afrobeat, Des Demonas are a band from Washington, D.C., whose raucous, defiant attack is powered by several talented veterans of the local underground music scene. The group's scrappy, hard-punching music is an ideal match for Jacky Cougar Abok's literate, streetwise lyrics, full of political commentary and observations on urban life in the 21st century. They made a striking first salvo with their outspoken self-titled debut album in 2017, and 2024's Apocalyptic Boom! Boom! was a bit more polished but no less uninhibited.

Des Demonas feature Jacky Cougar Abok on lead vocals and percussion, who was born in Kenya and previously played drums in Thee Lolitas and Foul Swoops. Guitarist Mark Cisneros' résumé includes stints with <a href="spotify:artist:6LaSaTrnIFBfXIf2wPcPh7">Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6ZgHswsP4qcUXXtJepAIU2">Medications</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4OgzBYM1lGQ58oYV5CHa2n">Deathfix</a>, while he also played drums with <a href="spotify:artist:3S4UtnIGLI03OBpRy3wrNY">the Make-Up</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:5txapmNoqWGNyPeTUWXeqe">Benjy Ferree</a>. Keyboard man Paul Vivari was also one of Cisneros' bandmates in <a href="spotify:artist:5txapmNoqWGNyPeTUWXeqe">Benjy Ferree</a>, and spins vintage R&B sides at D.C. clubs as Soul Call Paul. Bassist Joe Halladay was previously a member of Citygoats, and drummer Ryan Hicks is a veteran of the group <a href="spotify:artist:2xBFJmuElOhyEmqxB06wJ4">Suns of Guns</a>. After making a name for themselves on the D.C. club circuit, with Abok's declamatory vocals facing off against the churning groove of the music, they landed a record deal with respected indie/punk label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22In+the+Red+Records%22">In the Red Records</a>, which released their self-titled debut in December 2017.

The group planned on releasing an EP in 2020, followed by an extensive nationwide tour, but that was scuttled when the COVID-19 pandemic led to a global lockdown in March 2020, putting Des Demonas on pause. The EP, Cure For Love, finally arrived in September 2021, but getting the band back to performing on a regular basis took some doing, and the band stepped away from live work in 2023. In 2024, Des Demonas returned to the stage with a new lineup: Abok and Cisneros were back on lead vocals and guitar, Vivari was doing double duty on organ and bass following the departure of Halladay, and Matt Gatwood, a veteran of <a href="spotify:artist:2EQ3ptCOffN09sfwUz3vzy">Two Inch Astronaut</a>, replaced Hicks behind the drum kit. With D.C. scene hero <a href="spotify:artist:7oYW3vYjdqYo2Qy5IA8ad1">J. Robbins</a> engineering the sessions, Des Demonas' second LP, Apocalyptic Boom! Boom!, was issued by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22In+the+Red%22">In the Red</a> in November 2024. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi