Highway to Hell: An Intimate Portrait of Davila 666's Wild Road Trip
Welcome Wagon
When photographer Tim Song crammed into the overcrowded van shuttling Puerto Rican punks Davila 666 and their buddies in Atlanta's Barreracudas around the final leg of their U.S. tour, he knew he was in for a wild ride. But his goal wasn't to glamorize the often-smelly trek. (The array of odors: Taco Bell, feet, unshowered bodies.) Instead, he wanted to capture the realities of touring, when the van breaks down, band members go AWOL, and everyone is too exhausted to party.
"I wanted it to be very candid," Song says. "These are real dudes and there's this really awesome camaraderie with these two bands." That's not to say there weren't bizarre rock‘n'roll moments along the way. One of the most memorable: getting inked for free by an intoxicated fan.
"The owner of this tattoo shop was Puerto Rican and I guess he used to own a shop where Davila lived. His shop is in Laredo, Texas, now. He showed up at the show and was like, ‘Hey you guys want some free tattoos?' So we piled into a car and went to his shop at 3 a.m." Song says, adding, with a laugh, "The stuff came out pretty good because he's a pro."
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Welcome Wagon
When photographer Tim Song crammed into the overcrowded van shuttling Puerto Rican punks Davila 666 and their buddies in Atlanta's Barreracudas around the final leg of their U.S. tour, he knew he was in for a wild ride. But his goal wasn't to glamorize the often-smelly trek. (The array of odors: Taco Bell, feet, unshowered bodies.) Instead, he wanted to capture the realities of touring, when the van breaks down, band members go AWOL, and everyone is too exhausted to party.
"I wanted it to be very candid," Song says. "These are real dudes and there's this really awesome camaraderie with these two bands." That's not to say there weren't bizarre rock‘n'roll moments along the way. One of the most memorable: getting inked for free by an intoxicated fan.
"The owner of this tattoo shop was Puerto Rican and I guess he used to own a shop where Davila lived. His shop is in Laredo, Texas, now. He showed up at the show and was like, ‘Hey you guys want some free tattoos?' So we piled into a car and went to his shop at 3 a.m." Song says, adding, with a laugh, "The stuff came out pretty good because he's a pro."
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Both bands take a break in San Antonio to see the Alamo.
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A rowdy crowd for Davila 666 at the Black Cat in Boone, North Carolina.
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Latin Snake Davila taking a break before a show at Springwater Supper Club in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Warren Bailey from Barreracudas stocking up on some oranges for his usual beer-mosa.
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Adrian Barrera reading while van is broken down on the way to Laredo, Texas.
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Gigi, Sir Charles, George Reese, Panda, and Latin Snake Davila in the van heading to Boone, North Carolina.
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Latin Snake Davila gearing up to play Mango's in Houston, Texas.
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AJ Davila with a Billy Bologna puppet in Austin, Texas.
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Davila 666 playing at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.
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Warren Bailey from Barreracudas shows off the leftover blood on his neck from the night before.
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George Reese from Barreracudas crashes after playing at Springwater Supper Club in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Gigi Davila prepared with some road beers.
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Tattoo artist Marcos Rivera brings the guys in for a late night session in Laredo, Texas.
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Milton Chapman fixing a radiator leak on the way to Houston.
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Gigi Davila shredding at the Black Cat.
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Gabriel Alcala from Jacuzzi Boys with Panda Davila at the Earl in Atlanta.
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Barreracudas being backed up by Davila 666 on the Spanish song "Oye Cabrona" at the Earl in Atlanta.
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Adrian Barrera passed out next to little Tammy Faye Barker in Nashville, Tennessee.
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