DOLORES

Dolores
SoFA Street Fair Spring Edition
04-24-2016 @ the Back Bar
San Jose, California
Photos Jeff Longo

San Jose hardcore band Dolores performing at the Back Bar in San Jose on the first Spring Edition of the SoFA Street Fair on Sunday April 24 in downtown San Jose. The music festival took place on South First Street in downtown featuring Fifteen stages, over eighty bands, live wrestling, food trucks, craft beer, and one hell of a good time. Whatever your music taste there was something for everyone with music running from 2pm – 9pm and completely free.

The San Jose four piece left nothing on the table, ripping through a fun 30 minute set of pure hardcore/metal fury – San Jose style. Their unique blend of all things heavy could be attributed to local scene veterans Joey Ruiz (Insolence) on guitar, & Aaron Liebeit (Sinister Sam, Chug, Disorderly Conduct, Floppy Rods, 880 South) on drums, along with Alonso Hernandez on bass (Insolence, the Pounders). Front man Angel Lopez, a dead ringer (in a good way) for Sho’nuff -the Shogun of Harlem, from Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon, was a maniac, stalking the stage while spitting out guttural death growls & the occasional pig squeal. Dolores has 2 songs available for free download on bandcamp. - Stubble Music Zine

Dolores & Sad Boy Sinister
9-22-2017 @ the Ritz
San Jose, California
Photos by Jeff Longo

Photos of Dolores and Sad Boy Sinister performing at the Ritz San Jose supporting Misfits tribute Plan 9. Dolores has been steadily rising out of the barren San Jose hardcore scene since the the first time I saw them at the Sofa Street Fair back in May of 2016, and was impressed with their groove laden take on hardcore. For upcoming shows and info follow Dolores here & Sad Boy Sinister and here.

Check out photos from Misfits tribute Plan 9 –here

Dolores is lead by guitarist Joey Ruiz of Insolence fame, wild frontman Leo Lopez handling vocals, Jordan Albano on drums, and Alonso Hernandez on bass. Stalking the stage was singer Lopez belting out guttural screams and bassist Hernandez, sporting a Lucha libre mask, keep things entertaining. Dolores has released a five song EP you can stream below or on bandcamp “Bloodline​/​Memories” - Stubble Music Zine

Band: Dolores
From: San Jose, California

Their formation story:
(Leo Lopez, vocals): "You could say we were founded by guitarist Joey Ruiz and myself. We go way back and played together in one form or another. We went through some lineup changes before solidifying our roster in late 2020 with bassist Luis Chevere and drummer Jordan Albano.

"Joey and I do most of the song writing, while Luis and Jordan lock in their parts and crush it live. We went with the name Dolores because we liked how it reflected our Hispanic/Latin ancestry and that at least for us means 'the pains of life,' tu sabes, dolores."

Their sound in their own words:
"We are definitely fans of minimalist chunky riffs, laid back in the pocket drums, with a flavor only San Jose could cultivate, we like to call it 'Cholo Groove.' We take that as the core idea of the base, then add elements of bay area thrash, punk, and breakdowns in the vein of meat 'n' potatoes hardcore with some crossing over in the realm of beatdown.

"We have a singular vision for the band, but each member definitely pulls from their influences. Joey brings his trash and crossover riffage, Luis is heavily influenced by doom and stoner metal bands, Jordan tends to draw from his death metal and nu metal past projects, and I was big into street punk, Oi!, gutter punk, crust punk, anarcho punk, and on the backpackin lyricist hip=hop. For all of us too, skateboard/BMX culture is definitely what we pull from as far as vibe/lifestyle."

Latest release info:
"Our latest release that just dropped on Dec 29th/2023, it entitled This Side of the Dirt. It's a 4-song EP that we recorded at The Panda Studio (Heavy Heavy Low Low, The Story So Far, Sunami) with engineer Charles Toshio. This is our darkest album to date with many of the songs written during the covid lockdowns of 2021.

"The overarching theme of the body of work is death and the urgency of getting the most done that we can while we are still on 'this side of the dirt.' Songs such as 'FIREBOMB' deal with the devastation to the Black community with the utter destruction of Black Wall Street. 'Fentanyl Ghost' is a call of frustration at how Big Business, corporate greed, and government oversight led to the opioid crisis and the death of hundreds of thousands, including many of our good friends along the way."

Future plans:
"We want to get back to touring for sure. We have some runs already planned out with hopefully many more by end of year. We are most definitely interested in playing at a few of the festivals that have been going utterly gorilla shit!! We also have plans on releasing another two eps by the end of 2024. So all in all we want to keep on the grind and keep reaching out to as many that will have us!"

What other bands from the region should we check out?
"There are so many good bands popping in NorCal right now, no cap it's a damn renaissance. Ill start with some fellow Bay Area homies, Here at the End, Forced to Suffer, Caveman, Game of LIfe, Cruel Idols, Decades In, honestly too many to name.

"Let me throw in some Central Valley homies that are killing it right now, too: Disperser, Mired, Magnify, Scathe, Wise Guy, and Dying Down." - No Echo