Dios (malos) is many things. The band members are degenerate intellectuals. They play emotionally distraught and complicated pieces of art, but do it while kidding around about Michael Jackson and bad Cheetos. They are everything and nothing at once; in a word, they're musicians.
A popular music magazine recently wrote an article about the band titled "Everything you think you know about dios (malos), they think is wrong." That might be the most correct statement anybody can muster about the band, because a lot of words on a piece of paper can't do justice to describe their sound.
"People want to write about us like we're Jack Johnson or something," said bassist J.P. Caballero. Often pigeonholed as mellow and laid back, the band has had to prove that it is more complicated. The songs deal with being conflicted with uneasiness and uncertainty. It's not always the most uplifting band in the scene.
"It's stifling when someone wants to put you in a box and say you're carefree," Caballero said. "We associate that with being boring and being uninspired, being lazy."
Dios (malos) has set out to be creative and original in any and every way it can, starting off with its name. Although it means "bad god" in Spanish, the name is actually grammatically incorrect, but for a reason.
"We're into playing on words and making things sound stupid but making them better than just being normal," Caballero said.
This is also reflected in the music. Caballero says his band is made up of "thug intellectuals: total degenerates that just happen to make something that is cool and beautiful."
It may sound like a conflict, but somehow the band makes it work.
"Growing up in an area that's not super-literate and cultural and stuff like that kind of influences you, puts you in a position where you have to invent your own culture," Caballero said.
Although it has "god" in its name, dios (malos) follows the folklore of '80s television shows like the "A-Team" and "Silver Spoons." The musicians not in any way religious, except for being religious about getting paid, Caballero said.
But they do practice astrology. Jackie, the "in-house astrologer" for the band, can tell fans' star signs just by talking to them for a few minutes.
"Basically this band is composed of polarities, which are signs that correspond well with each other," Caballero said. "I am a Capricorn, Jackie's a Cancer, Joel is a Pisces and Jimmy is a Virgo."
Well, that makes sense, but it's probably the only thing.
Dios (malos) will play Club Congress, 311 E. Congress St., on Wednesday at 8 p.m. for $10. It is an all-ages show.