About a year ago, when Dead City Dealers guitarist Mario Sapanero heard his singer wanted to pursue other interests, he didn’t skip a beat. For one, the guitarist and his motley crew of misfits and rif-raff have an insatiable work ethic, and their attitude of playing anytime, anywhere for anyone wasn’t about to go out the window for something as trivial as a front man leaving. For another, there were show opportunities. Simply put, since the group’s inception in 2007 the Dead City Dealers’ ethos is being on the stage. “The first two years of the band we played an absolute absurd amount of shows,” Sapanero said. “We do this because it’s what we all want to do. It’s what makes us happy. We would still be doing it whether anyone cared or not.” With that, Sapanero recruited new band members (E.S. Casket/vocals, Tom Coffin/drums, Geo Lohr/bass, Andy Savage/guitar), started rehearsing and the reformed Dead City Dealers hit the show circuit again in a big way. While the band that brought you songs like “She’s a Zombie” and “Beer is a Necessity” might be a new crew, the attitude and sound the band originally brought to stage is still intact. The difference this time around, according to Sapanero, is the level of musicianship. “You’re still gonna get the Dead City Dealers 100 percent through and through,” he said. “But with the addition of the new members came a new sense of what direction we wanted to go as a band. It tightened up our sound tremendously.” One thing Sapanero prides himself and the group on is their willingness and ability to play any bill. There’s no drama when it comes to mixing punk with metal, or any other genre for that matter, where Dead City Dealers is concerned – a camaraderie that’s often lacking among many local music scenes. “I can’t think of one good reason that there is such a divide among scenes,” he said. “I would like to say that the bridge can be gapped. We are working with a kick-ass metal band that is coming out of New Castle called The Tallest Buildings in Norway, to try to show people it doesn’t matter what genre the music you play or are into. You can still stick together and help each other out. We’ve always thought the more diverse a fan base you have, the better.” Dead City Dealers’ appeal goes much further than just punk rockers, Sapanero says. Given the diverse shows they play, it’s proving to be an asset. “Working class rock ‘n’ roll best sums up our sound,” he said. “Whether you’re into metal, jam bands, hardcore … no matter who you are or where you come from you can relate to a lot of our lyrics. We write about everyday things, our hometown, pride and standing up for what you believe in and what’s right.” A misconception in the Mahoning Valley is the perceived punk scene, or lack thereof. Sapanero says that isn’t the case, and the punk scene isn’t as small as many people think. It’s just that there hasn’t been a band to lead the charge. “There is a punk community in the Valley, but there is no unity in the scene,” he said. “One of the reasons we stared doing what we do was because there was a lack of a significant punk band on the local scene and we were fed up with it,” he said. Now that there is a steady punk band on the circuit, and a revamped and recharged one at that, the Valley should expect to be seeing and hearing plenty of the Dead City Dealers in the coming months. “When you come and see us live you’re still gonna get the same intensity and ferociousness you have come to expect and love,” Sapanero said. “As long as we know people are enjoying what we do and we are all happy and doing the things we set out to do, we’ll continue to put out new material and book shows hopefully for years to come.” The band will bring their Misfits-meets-street punk working class rock ‘n’ roll to the stage again in mid-November at The Tap House in Sharon. Keep an eye on their Facebook page, facebook.com/deadcitydealers, for more information.