By Jennifer Valenzuela

Wikipedia describes leeches as “predatory worms.” A group of Southwestern College musicians are hopeful for a new entry that reads “great punk band.”

SWC recording arts major Vince Fierro is frontman and founder of Leech. Before there was a group, he said, there was a drawing.

One day, for no particular reason, Fierro said he drew a leech, though his “predatory worm” had a broad smile and propeller beanie.

“I knew I wanted to use it for something, but I never knew what,” he recalled. “I was listening to a lot of punk music at the time. I wanted to start a band and the two just kind of came together.”

Fierro said he began zeroing in on potential band mates. He would walk up to unsuspecting SWC musicians and offer them a position. He was unsuccessful until he approached a mariachi major. Daniel Aispuro turned him down, too, but recommended lead guitarist Jimmy James Asio.

“Vince originally asked my friend Daniel to join Leech, but my man only plays corridos,” Aiso explained. “He gave him my number. I didn’t know anything about Vince. I didn’t even know what he looked like, but I ended up showing up to his house to jam anyway.”

Drummer Julian Diaz was next to join.

“I was honestly a little shocked because I didn’t even play the drums consistently,’ he said, “but I just kind of went for it.”

Bassist Victor Limon was the piece that brought it all together, said Fierro. Limon had been playing with indie garage band Kerosene Bays when Vince offered him a position in Leech, even though punk was not his genre.

“I’m not really into heavier music, but I do like playing it,” Limon said. “I think Leech has come a good way since I’ve joined. I’m super hyped on its progress.”

With fans placing Leech stickers around campus, it is accurate to say that Southwestern College has got leeches, but nothing like Mar Vista High School.

MVHS freshman Zoe Fierro, Vince’s kid sister, has been hard at work promoting the band on the Imperial Beach campus.

“She’s crazy,” Fierro said. “The other day for one of our shows she took one of those huge sharpies and wrote on a desk to go to our show in big black letters all across the desk.”

Zoe’s anarchic marketing is punk, but strategic, she insisted.

“I’m promoting shows to get all kinds of people to show up,” she explained. “Punk and local music is for everyone.”

Leech made its debut in March 2018 and has been booking shows consistently for about a year. In about six months Leech crawled its way up from the bottom of lineups to coveted headliner.

Leech played six shows in the last three months, has a new album on the way and an Instagram page with 800 followers. Unlike their namesakes, these musicians try not to suck.

Follow Leech on Instagram @leech.sd . The band’s second album,“50/50,” will be available on Spotify this summer.