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EL DIABLO NINOS Guitar - Raymond "Jim Santana Diablo" Anderson Vocals-Eddie "Eduardo Diablo" Glisson Bass-1998-2002 -Jody "Jose Diablo" Williams-replaced by Larry "Larenzo Diablo" McKinney in May of 2002 Drums/Percussion-1998-1999- Carlton "Carlos Diablo" Daniel-replaced by Ted "Dos Equis" Brand- or simply -"Brand X" in December of 1999. . . . [file report: 02/20/01 14:00:33 - Sterling Gray:London] Biography of the band: As I write this brief history of El Diablo Ninos I will use the band members "real" names to avoid confusion. In some bizarre initiation or "welcoming into the fold" the guys like to give each other "Diablo" names as well as presenting each other with skeleton keys that they wear around their necks. I did ask what the significance of the keys was but was met with vague explanations of their purpose. So here we go. . . . EL DIABLO NINOS, an original retro metal band, was born in the summer of 1998. After growing tired of playing covers in bars, Guitarist Raymond Anderson decided to give former bandmate Jody Williams (Bass guitar) a call. Upon reaching Williams, Anderson set up a time and place to for the two to meet. Williams was commuting between New York and Atlanta, at the time, working with a couple of "seventies type glam" bands. Both Anderson, at the time residing in Augusta, Ga., and Williams had family ties near Atlanta; so this proved to be the most convenient location for the confab. Anderson told Williams about a concept he had for a new band he wanted to put together. The idea, coupled with numerous original tunes he had been writing while slugging it out in the cover band, was enough to hook Williams, who eagerly accepted the offer. The concept revolved around the mystic and appeals of bands Anderson and Williams had "cut their metal teeth" on. Bands such as Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Uriah Heep, just to name a few. Oh! Let's not forget Spinal Tap! Hello Cleveland! The next step was to find a singer who would fit the bill. While sitting in a Waffle House in Atlanta, after auditioning several try outs for the vocal spot, both Anderson and Williams looked at each other and said Eddie Glisson! They both agree that it was amazing they hadn't thought of him sooner. They had all three been in a metal cover band called Legend years before (1989-1993). After a little research and a few phone calls they located Glisson in Miami Fla. where he was fronting, of all things a Black Sabbath Tribute Band called The Void! The Void was performing several dates in that state. After traveling to Miami and catching The Void's show at a club called Excalibre (don't bother looking for the club, it has since closed down) they spoke with Glisson and explained the idea to him. Needless to say he was more than happy to join up. The final member needed to round out the group was a drummer. This proved to be the most exhausting effort so far for Anderson and Williams (and now Glisson). The trio tracked down former drummer for Legend, Carlton Daniel, who signed on but sadly, after only a few shows, had to leave the band for personal reasons. When asked about this the Ninos stated "we stay in touch with him and he with us. Even though he is not onstage with us in the physical sense, he's there in spirit!" Thus once again the search was on. After an extensive list of potential percussionists had been run down, they finally found a likely candidate with Ted Brand. Brand had recently moved back to Georgia, Augusta to be exact, from his home state of Wisconsin where he, too, had been wearing out the bar scene doing covers. Brand states "I was just waiting for the right call from the right guys, and it came late one hellishly stormy night when I answered a knock at my door, and there stood Anderson, Williams, and Glisson. Seems they had gotten my name out of one of the trade magazines." After getting together with the rest of El Diablo Ninos and blasting through a few Sabbath tunes the band was once again complete. But alas! The Ninos had yet one more personnel change to contend with. Williams decided to leave the band in May of 2002 for reasons unknown. It was at this point that Larry McKinney, hailing from Indiana, stepped in to fill the bass slot. McKinney was located via the Internet and as far as the Ninos are concerned has blended with the Band "perfectly". As far as the show and music go, El Diablo Ninos combine a theatrical approach with music and lyrics that explore the darker side of life. Anderson writes the music for the group, drawing inspiration from several sources, including personal experiences. Anderson and Glisson, with Glisson penning the bulk of them, share the "lyric-writing duties". More often than not the songs carry a message that attributes the downfall of man/woman to his or her own folly. Along with the concept for the music and band, Anderson has designed and built many of the props used onstage. Those he could not build himself or buy elsewhere, he simply sketched them out and contracted a long time friend, Cash "Flash" Powers, to build that particular piece. Powers works closely with the group in several capacities, to include designing and assisting Anderson with the pyro duties. When asked how he learned to build and rig the pyros, Anderson's only reply was: "too much time on my hands as a kid I guess". With the gothic props, complete with cryptic runic messages, fire, flash, fog, and explosions, this show is a must see for any metal fan who longs for the "days of old-when magic ruled the air". . . . . .
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