Interview with Adelitas Way lead singer Rick DeJesus

In the five years that the group has been together, Adelitas Way has certainly accomplished a lot. The band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005 and by 2008 they were enjoying massive mainstream success. The band has benefited from having a lot of its music promoted through the WWE as well as having its debut single “Invincible” featured in the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 video game. Adelitas Way’s first self-titled record came out last July and since then has mostly received very positive feedback. Presently, the band is just getting set to embark on a huge spring tour, opening for Three Days Grace and Chevelle right through the U.S. Recently we spoke to the group’s lead singer Rick DeJesus for a very quick chat about the band’s roots and background.

How is the current tour with Theory of a Deadman through the U.S. going? Are you pleased with how the shows have been going so far?
Rick: The tour has been amazing the guys are great and every band on the tour has been like a family, almost every show is sold out and we are having a blast.

Adelitas Way has been a band now just about five years. How did you guys initially meet?
Rick: We all met through friends of ours, then a band kind of came from it.

There’s a very interesting story behind how you came up with the name Adelitas Way. Could you elaborate on it a little bit for us?
Rick: We got arrested in Tijuana Mexico and had a bad day. We went to a bar to get some beers called Adelitas, there where we met a young girl who changed my life. She was about 18 and had been a prostitute since she was 12 to support her family. I felt bad and felt like I should never take anything for granted with my life since she was never given a chance to succeed.

What artists or bands would you say really influenced the sound of this band?
Rick: So many types of music from Alice in Chains to Breaking Benjamin to Soundgarden to STP, we love rock.

It’s hard to believe but your debut record has been out now for over half of a year. How do you feel about the album now in comparison to when it first came out?
Rick: I love it, I feel like we made the record we wanted to make and things have been going really well so far.

When were the record’s songs written? Are they all recently composed or does the history of some of these songs go back a few years now?
Rick: Some have been written for years, I never stop writing, I write whenever I’m feeling something I don’t like to force it.

To produce your self-titled debut you worked with the very well respected Johnny K. How did Johnny first get involved in the album and why did you decide to go with him?
Rick: Johnny loved the songs and believed in the band, he is a very good friend of mine and we love him, he is the man.

What was the one quality of Johnny as a producer you liked the best in the making of this record?
Rick: He is very open minded and creative, he holds nothing back.

What is the writing process like within the band? I know the band was originally Rick’s creation but do you all contribute collectively to the song writing?
Rick: I write all the lyrics and melodies and some riffs. The second record will be a lot of me and Keith, he is an incredible writer. I’m very excited, Trev is a talented writer as well, it’s going to rock.

You’ve been fortunate enough to get a lot of exposure of your music through wrestling and the WWE. Do you find that a lot of wrestling fans are also Adelitas Way fans?
Rick: We love the WWE and the fans, you guys rock. It has helped us a lot; we share a lot of the same fans.

Beyond the current tour, what are your plans like for 2010? What can we expect from Adelitas Way for the next several months?
Rick: We just dropped our second single “Last Stand” so call your local rock and alternative station and request it, it’s on iTunes now and we have some amazing tours coming up as well, 2010 is going to be a big year for Adelitas Way!