Ünloco’s Joey Dominguez on Festival Tales, Tattoos, and Nostalgia at Aftershock 2026

0:04 Hi, you're listening to Adventure on W4CY Radio. This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventure's Pipe Man W4CY Radio, and I'm here with. Joey Duenas from Un Loco. Nice. Now, we're here at Aftershock. Yes, we are. It's hot as hell. Yes, it is. Every festival that I've been on since June has been hot as hell. But what I want to ask you, like people like to ask, who did you get your band name? I never ask that shit. Okay. But I do want to know how many people say your band name wrong, especially gringos.

0:48 Pretty much everybody does. So to the point where we even like created a shirt, like if you go to merch at some point, whatever, we have a shirt there that actually has the phonetics. Same. That is funny. And the definition on the back of the shirt. That is funny as hell. Because we were getting that a lot. And a lot of people forget that the two dots above the U is an umlaut. Right. You know, that makes it an un and not an un. Right. You know, so we were trying to do something cool. I don't know if it backfired on us. It's just gringos that don't know how to say it. You know, we were trying to like to do the Motley Crue thing, you know. Right. Clever. And I don't know if it like backfired on us. But still, eventually when people get it, then they understand. Exactly. But. That's what I think is a funny question, because I knew that was going to be the answer there.

1:32 All the time, dude. It's always funny when we're playing with bands, and we're not on the road with bands. Like, a band was, like, we're doing, like, a festival or whatever, and the band after us or band for us would be like, you know, make some noise for our own logo. And I just kind of, like, look up and, like, eh. You know, like, eh, damn it. Too funny. Oh, well. They try. I love your tattoo on your right arm. This one right here? Yes. Yes. So it's my... Blake Doctor. Yeah. So I have a band. This is my... Okay, so this was like my... All this was like my... Kind of my heritage stuff of what I grew up with. And that's pretty cool. How long have you had that one? This one I've had for maybe about four years now.

2:14 It's been finished. And the color is still really bright, man. Like, that's why I'm asking, because it looks like it's new. Like, I'm Hispanic, so I have my Sugar Skull, Day of the Dead. I play guitar. I was a... I was a Harlingen Cardinal in high school, so I got my Cardinal vocalist. And then I have my ship. Nice. Because, you know, it was always on the road. We could, you know, consider that, like, traveling, voyage, journey. And then I have my, I don't know if you can see it, but it's a Texas star. Yeah. Right? But it's got an ATX in it for Austin, Texas. Oh. And right there is Congress Bridge, all of that. Wow. And this one's going to be my music arm. Nice. So this is The Butcher. I have a band with my brother called The Butcher. And so that was for that band.

2:56 You should go on tour with the Butcher Babies. It could be Butcher and the Butcher Babies. Yeah, Butcher and the Butcher Babies. This one is for Un Loco, and this one was for A New Revolution. Nice. I did about six months of Johnny Pools, so I've got to put a DP one somewhere in there. There you go. Maybe you should go up there and play with them here at Aftershock. I talked to them earlier today. They were in Dallas trying to get the hell out of Dallas. Oh, my God. Because it's like torrential downpour right now and flooding. Yeah. So their flights just kept getting delayed and delayed and delayed. I'm like, dude, when are you guys getting here, man? I need to see my Texas boys, man. Shit. Right? Right? They are good boys, man. I love them, man. So, see, I love that because... You know, I hate when, I really don't like when I see people just plop tattoos and they have, like, no meaning or no connection.

3:44 Yeah. And I love how you just went through the whole, like, connection of all of them. How it all makes sense. Yeah. Yeah, you know, and it's, like, literally, you know, it has to have a story if I'm going to put it on my shit, you know. Exactly. And eventually this one will be all filled out as well, you know, so we're in the... We're in the process of it. Nice. Nice. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work, man. Yeah. I mean, it took maybe about, I think, a year for just this one. Wow. Yeah. Well, it's good for sure. So, is this your first time doing Aftershock? This is my first time. Yeah. And so far, how do you love it here, and how does Danny Wimmer treat you as an artist? So.

4:28 As far as the city of Sacramento, I think it's amazing. I love the weather. I mean, it's hot right now, but I'm from Texas, so it's kind of a drier heat than it is in Texas. Like, we'd be just drenched in sweat right now. Yeah, I live in South Florida, so I hear you. So you know, yeah. And this whole summer in Texas, it was like 110, like, every day, you know? So I love the weather. It's great. The festival was awesome. It's such, it's always, Danny Wimmers Presents has always put their festivals together, the creme de la creme when it comes to it, you know? And they treat the bands with utmost respect. And, I mean, you need anything, and it's there in two seconds. See, I always hear that, and I love that. And it doesn't even matter who the band is.

5:09 Yeah, no, no. Like, top to bottom. Yeah, top to bottom, they treat you guys like if you were the headliner. You know, and it's just badass, man. It's so important because if you have less stress, if you're happier... Your performance is going to be way better. Yeah. And we're going to be a lot happier. Yeah, no doubt. You know? You know? And in dealing with, you know, their crew and, you know, their front of house, their monitor guys and all their loaders or whatever. Dude, I came off stage today and I was, like, going to die. Like, I was about to vomit. Right. I crawled off stage, down underneath the stage, and just kind of, like, lying there. One of the road crew guys from Danny Wimmer from DP Presents said, like, runs over and he goes, hey, man, you need an ice water, dude? Because, like, you look like shit. Nice. He ran over and grabbed me a couple of waters. He's like, dude, you look like drink.

5:54 You need a hydrate, man. Seriously, so. And that doesn't happen at most other festivals. Right. They're kind of just doing their own thing. Yeah, and even, like, the sound, like, you know, you got to have somebody good doing sound when it's not your sound person. True. And that's not always the case at a festival, but it is at Danny Wimmer Festival. Yeah, you're not always lucky, but we brought our own sound guy that we've been using on the road and stuff, and He's fucking phenomenal. Nice. I'm a French, but I'm sure their guys are just as top-notch as you guys do. There you go. Yeah. And so, were you kind of shocked, pun intended, that you had so many people out there this early in the day, first day at a festival, and hot as hell? Crazy, man. You know, and it was interesting to see so many people singing the songs from a record that came out like 25 years ago, and then the The mind-blowing situation is I'm seeing little kids singing the songs.

6:44 Yeah, that blows my mind. And I'm like, dude, you weren't even born when the songs were written and this record was put out. Wow. And you're, like, singing note for note for note. You know, like, I'm astonished at that. You know, how it's kind of transcended from a generation to another generation. Kind of makes it worthwhile to still be doing it, right? Yeah, man, I think so. I think, I mean, if anything, I really applaud, like, bands like the Deftones. I think they're kind of, like, the ones who really, damn it, like, System of Down and maybe Limp Bizkit, like, for kicking that into gear and then like the older generation was listening to it. Now there's a younger generation that's listening to it. And on top of that, they have Spotify and all these streaming medias, right? Yeah. So when you put on like Deftones, there's a list of other artists it sounds like that they're getting into.

7:25 Exactly. So then again, here we are. Yeah. It's wild to me because I know back in the 80s, My dad wasn't going to go to a show with me, and I didn't want him to either. Yeah, exactly right. And now I'll bring my kid and my grandkids to a festival. You know, it's cool. And a sense of things, like, I never thought I'd be playing festivals again. You know, and one day we get a call from Danny Wimmers Presents. It's just like, you guys want to play Aftershock? I'm just like, oh, my God. Yeah, let's do it. And then that kind of, like. turn into more shows, more shows, more shows. And that kind of got a little out of hand. I think. Well, I think that's what happens once you are a Wimmer Festival, you know? Yeah, I'm back on the road. I'm like, oh, my God, I thought.

8:06 It went out. How did that happen? Yeah. You know, but, like, how wild is that when you get, like, do you even think about, like, why did they even think to invite us? I think because the nostalgia has come back. Yeah. You know, so I mean, we're on a stage with Killswitch Engage, Seven Dust, Cold Chamber, Union Underground, shit like that, you know, and it's just this nostalgia of those bands from that time. So I think, you know, because of that, that it's making a resurgence, if you will. Yeah. You know, here we are. I don't know how long that's going to last. I don't know, but I've been watching Limp Bizkit at the festivals for several years, you know, like the past few years. I saw them in Rockville in Florida. And, oh, my God, the crowd. I just caught them at Lauer in Life. The crowd was so huge. The pit, okay, was the whole length of the crowd. And one of the best pits I've ever been in in my life, and I've been in a lot of them, okay, was, and I would never think it was Limp Bizkit. Like, Slayer, Possessed.

9:05 Yeah. Those are the type of pit, but. The best pit I was ever in was at Grass Pop in Limp Bizkit Plate. Oh, wow. Okay. And it was just like, oh, my God, this is the best pit I've ever been in my life. And that was just a couple years ago. The craziest pit I've ever been in. And I don't do pits. Like, I'm too old for that, man. Like, I can't, dude. I still do it. And, you know, whatever. I was, I went to, we were in, I was at Bogota, Colombia. Oh, yeah. They love it there. And it was Pantera's second reunion show when they were doing their comeback. And first they had Mexico City, and then they had Bogota. And so I'm like, all right, I want to kick back and just not be in the front, be anywhere in any pits, nothing, whatever. Pantera comes on, and I'm like, I realize, like, oh, my God.

9:49 I'm in the pit. I'm surrounded by pits. There was a pit on every single side of me. And I'm like, oh, my God, I'm going to die. Right? Like, holy shit. The creepiest thing ever too was that they played at the soccer arena Oh, man, and they have an underground parking lot in Bogota at the soccer room The crowd was jumping so hard and so heavy the mass amount of them that you could feel the ground Shaking Wow start feeling the wiggle Like an earthquake. Like, I don't know if, like, the infrastructure is going to hold this or what, man. Like, this is getting a little scary, man. But, yeah, it was creepy. Oh, I've been in a few pits. Like, Slipknot shows, I've been in. But I'm always aware.

10:31 Yeah. And you're standing there, and there's, like, five pits around you that become one. Yeah. I mean, that's literally what happened to us. You just get swallowed up into it. Yeah. I was like, oh, no. I just realized, oh, my God, I'm in the pit. I was trying to avoid it as much as possible, and this happened. Right? You know, I'm like, jeez, man. But, yeah, I tell you what, when you feel that, like, I don't know if you've been in California when you feel an earthquake. I have. Okay, that weird, like, it's kind of like a lethargic feeling. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like the ground is moving, but you're not too sure about it yet. Like, the really small ones, that's what it felt like. Exactly. You don't even really, you're not really sure what's going on. Right. I remember one time, my cousin was down in Malibu, and I was in Moore Park, like, on the other side of the mountains, you know, and she calls me up and, like, Do you feel the earthquake? I'm like, there's no earthquake. And then I heard the mountains rumble right after she said that.

11:20 Really? The next thing I knew, it was like I was on a skateboard and my feet didn't move. It was just weird. It was like I was on a surfboard or a skateboard was the feeling. I used to live in Studio City. Okay, yeah. And I'm being from Texas. I don't know what an earthquake was. Right. And so I remember my parents would always text me. Like, hey, I just saw the news. Like, there's an earthquake. Did you feel it? And I was like, yeah, I felt it. Or you see the TV break in. Bless you. You see the TV, like, break in and be like, you know, did you guys feel that? There was an earthquake, blah, blah, blah, whatever, you know. A lot of times when I lived in L.A., a lot of times I didn't even know it was, like, After Effects. Like, especially if you're driving on the freeway.

12:04 Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You have no idea that an earthquake just happened. I would almost know because we had, like, coffee cups in our kitchen that were just kind of hanging. And so every once in a while, we'd go... You know, like, oh, shit, they moved. Like, oh, shit, we had an earthquake. Okay. Right? Yeah. But, you know, I do say to people in Florida, and you could probably say the same thing in Texas, you know, when people say to me, oh, I would never live in California because of the earthquakes. I'm like, I'll take an earthquake over a hurricane and tornado any fucking day of the week, man. It lasts for 10 seconds as opposed to hiding in your bathtub for a weekend. I remember I went through Category 5 when I was a kid, Hurricane Allen, and I remember... boarding up the house windows with my father, just giving him nails, you know, to get him to board the windows and stuff. But I kind of made the mistake of going into our garage, and I just saw, like, the garage being, like, just swung back and forth, in and out, in and out, so violently. Because it was, you know, 180 miles an hour. Oh, yeah.

12:59 We took a direct hit. I was in Andrew. Okay. I was in a bunch after that. There was one time where my radio studio is, two hurricanes hit in one month, like, right after each other. And we had like no power, no cell service for like a month. And then we had that same year, one that went left Florida, hit us. And it came back. And it made a U-turn. Yeah, I remember that. Like, what the fuck is that? It's like, I need to mess you guys up a little more, man. Right? Yeah. Exactly. I'm going to. Blame it on your band. You should. You should. You bring all the storms everywhere. And the hurricane will probably not know how to pronounce the name right either. Right?

13:40 Right. How about we change the name of the Gulf to the Gulf of Un Loco? The Gulf of Un Loco sounds pretty good. Right? Yeah. I'm down with that. Yeah. I mean, right now it's pretty quiet. Everything's going on on the East Coast. I mean, the West Coast right now. Right. But I'm pretty sure we're kind of overdue for one. For a big damn hurricane. I know, right? Yeah, man. I live in Austin, so we only get the weather bands from it. Nothing too crazy. Okay. Oh, so see, there you go. You can still play a show. Yeah. So, what other plans now that this has all happened? Now what?

14:20 So, our plans for the rest of the year is we have about a handful of more shows. We're doing some more Texas dates. And then we're doing some California dates. A couple here and there, like Whiskey A Go-Go, that sort of thing. Kind of making our way back. Gotta do the whiskey. Yeah, kind of making our way back that way. But we're looking to possibly put out some new material. Nice. In 2027. And then we're looking at, we submitted pretty much for every festival, every tour. We're looking at some UK stuff. Nice. To go to the UK. You guys should be at Bloodstock. What's up? You guys should be at Bloodstock. Bloodstock? I would love to play any festival out there, man. Oh, I love doing those festivals. I do Download and Bloodstock. You really? And I just love doing those festivals.

15:02 And how was Gas Pop? Grass Pop's pretty good. Like, I do Hellfest too, so I only do Grass Pop when it's not on the same week, a lot of times the same week. Grass Pop's really cool, but Hellfest. I've had a lot of friends who go to Hellfest as, you know, as patrons, if you will. Right. But they do that crazy shit where they, like, they camp all week long. Oh, yeah. Well, oh, my God, over there in Europe and in the U.K., Like, mad respect for people that go to festivals because I watch them. You can't park your car at your campsite like here. I watch them walk for miles and miles to get to their spot with all their camping equipment.

15:48 Well, it's camping. I know, right? Like, it's brutal, though. It's not bougie camping. It's brutal. Like, oh, my God. They're amazing. I have a friend who's a teacher. He's a high school teacher, and he spends his whole summers every year just going to festivals. That's all he does. Just goes to festivals by himself, and he just randomly meets up with people and kind of hangs. Out with them. If I didn't work in the industry, if I went, I would probably go by myself. Yeah, that's what he does. Because I like to just do whatever the hell I want. I wander. There's people that stand... At the rail all day long just to wait for the headliner. Not me. I'll go from the way back and I'll work my way to the rail.

16:30 I heard, I was watching something the other day where they were talking about how there's like fans who were just getting their spot, you know, the front row. But they would be wearing like adult diapers, like the pens and stuff just to go to the bathroom. I just heard that recently. Like, you got to be kidding me. Passing around trash bags to like. To dump them into the trash bags, you know, if they had to. Change them or whatever. No, no. Just go to the bathroom and come back. I mean, oh, Jesus. That's just, I don't know. I wouldn't want to stand in the same place all day. Dude, I was recently, I went to ACL last year. And I got a really great spot. I've never been to ACL. I've lived in Austin, you know, for, I don't know, 28 years or so, right?

17:11 You're too busy going other places. Well, yeah. But, you know, I did my little small stint in Los Angeles last year. So this was my first ACL that I ever went to. And all I wanted to do was see T-Pain. That was it. And I wanted to see the Killers. I kind of love the Killers. The Killers are cool live. Dude, they're an amazing lot. But I got a great spot for T-Pain. And I was sitting there with the wife, and I'm just kind of like, I've got to go take a piss now. I was like, I don't want to leave this spot. Like, God damn it. Like, what do I do? And it got to the point where I'm like, oh, I've got to go. You know what they do in the U.K.? Just pee right there? They just pee right there. Cover me up. They don't even care about that. No shame. No shame. Females, too. I think that's what I saw when I was in Bogota at Knotfest for the Pantera show. And it was just like, there was this one dude just in the middle of nowhere, just winging her out, man. Just like P-Stream going up. Oh, my God. In a nice arc.

18:01 Yeah. It was a pretty good arc. Right into the pit. Right into the pit. The one thing I did like, though, that they did at that Knotfest in Bogota, and I'm not sure if they do it at the ones here in the States... But they had a whole section of the porta-potties that were just for women. Oh, that's kind of cool. Yeah. They were not unis. It was just for women. And they had security. They wouldn't let any men in. I think that's cool. So. Especially at a festival. Too much shit can happen at a festival. Yeah, man. You know? So. So there you go. Yeah, brother. What else would you like the listeners to know we haven't covered yet? Um... You know, 2027, man, is going to be looking good. I think we're going to start off 2027 with a cover song. That we're going to do. Nice. Can you tell us what it is?

18:43 Yeah, actually, I will. So it's one of my favorite bands. I love these guys. Very organic, German band, right? Girl singer, but like just brutal pipes, right? I think most women do have brutal pipes. I mean, she's not one of those fucking fantastic singers. Name of the band from 1997 is when I first heard them called guano apes. Oh, okay. I know that single open your eyes Yeah, I thought just from like the time of what we live in right now You know with a lot of things that are going on and shit like that Yeah, open your eyes literally the song makes a lot of dance. I say all the time you could take the 80s songs punk and metal change some names and And just as relevant today, which is really fucking sad.

19:27 So we're looking at maybe hopefully putting that. I have like a whole handful of covers I would like to just put out. Nice. So maybe in 2027, before we actually put out new Un Loco music, I might just put out a string of covers. That would be kind of cool. That song I was working on, Love the Way You Lie by Eminem and Rihanna. That's a great song. Turned it into a metal song. It's really difficult to do his shit. I just got to say that. But I figured it out. Nice. I love it. And you're wearing the Selena Gomez shirt, too. I am, dude. I got it at Walmart for $ 3. There you go. That's the beauty of it right there. I was walking by and I saw it. I was like, oh, my God. I have to make this my stage shirt. Right.

20:08 He goes, one night I'm wearing Selena Gomez, and the next night I'm wearing Deicide. Nice. You know? Hey, that's a good match. That should be a tour, actually. You know? It's like light and dark, you know? There you go. Popping and just like brutal, you know, death metal. Exactly. That's the way it should be. Let's all just... Get along. Yeah. I think it is. Yeah, it's awesome. And stop being un loco. Right. Actually, mucho. Mucho un loco. Mucho, mucho, mucho, mucho. Mucho un loco. Stop being mucho un loco. Right? All right. Well, you rock. Appreciate the time. Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad you're here at Aftershock, and thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipe Man. Awesome, man. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man on W4CY radio. Thank you.