Devil With Cheese

The Power of Cheese
By Anne Mathey

Since Slipknot hit the jackpot, Des Moines has been infested with a case of metalitis. The trend's been persisting for years as mediocre metal bands come and go. Standing out from the crowd are locals Devil With Cheese.

Ready to release their debut album, DWC goes beyond the screaming and yelling that's been taking over the hard rock world. This is a metal band that actually knows the definition of "melody." And they throw in a couple of multiple-part harmonies to boot. But don't get the wrong impression. Devil With Cheese is hard, heavy and aggressive.

Raging, monstrous vocals are enveloped by heaving beats and driving guitars. Thick, massive riffs complete the package. Graham Jennings' rough-edged vocals are fierce yet melodic. And this is what makes Devil With Cheese unique. Their songs are musically superior. It's more than just a roar of noise. The layered vocals, harmonies and rock structure prove these boys know what they're doing. Joe Fox, drums; Antonio Alaniz (TACO) and Jay Lyon, guitars; and David Baker (Cornbread), bass, weave a tight, merciless rock song.

Devil With Cheese's CD release party starts at 5 p.m. with an all-ages show. Joining them will be rockers Final Drive from St. Louis and Chicago's Ditchwater. Adding to the chaos between bands will be live DJ's Stillborne, Reaktor and Threnody.

The party continues with a second set at 9 p.m. DWC will be sharing the 21-and-up show's stage time with Kansas City's Barphyte and Undermine. The DJs will again be spinning between sets. - Cityview - Des Moines, IA 12/2003

By Erin Randolph

Rock is a business in which maintaining artistic integrity can be rare, and Devil With Cheese, a Des Moines-based heavy rock band, is trying to change that.

Associations with hard rock often immerse its affiliates in a sea of masks and face paint and the name Devil With Cheese conjures up some metal mental imagery.

But the members of Devil With Cheese are trying to make a name for themselves with their music -- not with costumes.

"That trend is dead and thank God," says Tony Alaniz, bass player, otherwise known as "Taco."

"Slipknot brought it back and ruled with it, but people saw through the other bandwagon bands and didn't buy it -- the gimmick or their CDs," Taco says. "I think kids now are just wanting to hear bands play and rule live."

Devil With Cheese will play live at 9:30 p.m. Saturday at The Break, 115 E. Main St., with River Bottom Nightmare and Seven Point Six Two.

Devil With Cheese was formed after the dissolution of godkillgod, a Des Moines-area band that created a lot of attention for itself around the same time Slipknot began to take off.

Three current members of Devil With Cheese -- Taco, Jay Lyon, guitars, and Graham Jennings, vocals -- were all members of godkillgod. B.J. Fox on drums rounds out the lineup.

Though Devil With Cheese's members are seasoned veterans of the Des Moines scene, they've never felt the need to buy into current musical styles. Over the years, they've stayed in touch with the music they want to produce.

"We have stuck to our style of writing back when it wasn't cool to sing ... We tend to sing harmonies more than most bands -- two-part, three-part," Taco says. "I don't see most bands even trying to do that live."

With scene support from a central Iowa radio station and bands like Seven Point Six Two, River Bottom Nightmare and On a Pale Horse, the local hard rock legion is forming a faithful following.

"As far as the local scene goes, we are finally seeing it come around again," Taco says. "As always, the freaks on Lazer [103.3] are supporting the hell out of the shows and giving away free studio time. They really enable the scene to grow."

Though the term "nu-metal" has recently been slapped on any hard rock, metal-influenced sound to burst into the mainstream, Taco describes Devil With Cheese's sound as "rock 'n' roll with edge."

Heavy beats combined with a steady melody and harmony make Devil With Cheese a band tough to describe in a one-word genre, even under the nu-metal listing.

"You take monster guitars, heavy beats and mix it up with killer vocals and write catchy, hooky songs," Lyon says. "Call it metal, rock or whatever. It's just powerful music."

Download the Devil With Cheese MP3 "Beliefs" from iowastatedaily.com. - Iowa State Daily - Ames, IA 2/2003

By Sarah Kloewer

After two weeks of grueling studio time last summer, Devil with Cheese is celebrating the release of its first studio album Saturday.

The members of Des Moines-based Devil with Cheese have decided to play two shows for their CD release party, so they can cater to all of their fans. There will also be bands from Chicago, Kansas City, Mo., and St. Louis to fill out the evening.

All of the songs on the self-titled 10-track album were written by the band, who have been together for about two years. Guitarist Tony Alaniz, guitarist Jay Lyon, drummer B.J. Fox, bassist Dave Baker and vocalist Graham Jennings agree playing music is just something they've always wanted to do.

"Music was always in the house when I was growing up. I started to take it seriously as something I wanted to do when I was about 12, which is when I started to take interest in girls, too," Lyon says.

Alaniz says the band's music can be called heavy rock.

"There are a lot of harmonies going on and a lot of really good songwriting," Alaniz says. "I like it that we go out there and we're more than just screaming. One of the goals is to come up with something that is a breath of fresh air."

The band members say it's important to them that people listen to and like their music.

"I know I personally don't want to play in a closet and do just what I want to do," Lyon says.

Alaniz agrees with this sentiment. "We just want people to like the music," Alaniz says. "You can be the most dedicated perfectionist, but if you just play for yourself, that sucks."

The band doesn't have just one target audience.

"One of the best compliments we've got is that our crowds are so diverse," Alaniz says.

Lyon, Baker and Alaniz have known each other and played together off and on for several years. Fox is a relatively new member of the band.

"I came here from Louisiana and started putting up flyers," Fox says.

"Yeah, I saw this really pathetic flyer -- it was written in crayon. It was all scribbles. We could just barely discern the number. But we did, so we called," Alaniz says. "We set up a practice time but Fox backed out at the last minute."

Fox says he called them back the next week to say he was seriously interested this time. The band liked him and that was the beginning of Devil with Cheese.

The name of the band came out of a hard night of partying.

"I was drunk and the other guy was stoned," Alaniz said. "We knew we wanted to use 'devil' and something else obscure."

The band has been playing about twice a week around the Midwest, doing shows in Chicago, Minneapolis and Kansas City.

- Iowa State Daily - Ames, IA 12/2003

Sometimes, it seems like rock bands today are all looking for a gimmick, like masks, costumes, or elaborate stage shows.

Des Moines metal-heads Devil With Cheese have gone for the most basic gimmick: powerful, hooky rock to which you can bang your head. The five-member group will celebrate the release of its self-titled CD with two shows at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Saturday at Hairy Marys, 2307 University Ave.

Singer Graham and guitarists Taco and Jay Lyon played with local band godkillgod before relaunching with drummer B.J. Fox and bassist Cornbread as Devil With Cheese.

In addition to CDs for sale, Saturday's shows will feature a raffle for a guitar signed by the band and giveaways. Final Drive and Ditchwater open the all-ages show at 5 p.m., Barphyte and Undermine open the 9 p.m. show and DJs Even Furthur, Electrical Festivals and others will spin between bands.
- Des Moines Register Datebook 12/2003