The group has sold 55,000 copies of its second album, Home School Valedictorian, released last June, with an additional 175,000 individual track downloads. Single Criticize is No. 33 on USA TODAY's active rock airplay chart.  Toughening up: DeJesus (pronounced De-Jesus, not De-Hay-Zoos) had a rough upbringing in Philadelphia, which prepared him well for a music career. "It makes me tough-skinned," says the singer, whose two brothers went to prison. "I was from a place where everybody tried to shut you out and things were hard. So coming into the music industry, getting turned down sometimes and working hard didn't seem as bad as ending up selling drugs."  A career (and more) takes off: Before Adelitas Way, DeJesus appeared in 2005's Strip Search, a VH1 reality competition that cast a male strip revue troupe. "It wasn't that dirty, but it wasn't for me," DeJesus says. "But I met a lot of good people, and I had fun." The show did two key things for him, though: It brought him to Las Vegas, and it gave him great training as a frontman. "I felt like I belonged doing something in front of people, because they have a good time with me. My main goal is that I want people to walk away from an Adelitas Way show and say, 'I had fun.' "  What happens in Vegas: Once in Vegas, DeJesus began playing acoustic gigs at local coffeehouses and bars. In 2005, he started assembling the group that would become Adelitas Way, starting with drummer Stafford. "I probably gave out 10,000 demos," DeJesus says. "I used to sit in my house all day and burn discs, hand them to anybody who walked by me. Some people would throw them in the trash, and other people would use them as coasters, but I worked really hard to get Las Vegas to pay attention." The band's name alludes to the Adelita Bar in Tijuana, Mexico, a place, according to its website, where "the beer is cold and cheap and there are plenty of available women."  Hard-hitting tunes:Invincible, a top-five active rock hit in 2009, became the theme song for WGN America's WWE Superstars. DeJesus, who boxed and wrestled in high school, follows the mixed-martial arts scene closely. "I've been watching mixed-martial arts since I was a little kid," he says. "I watched UFC 1 (a 1993 pay-per-view event), and I've never missed one. I just love martial arts, and it's something that I'm avid about."  Opening for Axl: Adelitas Way got what DeJesus calls a "dream come true" gig late last year — the chance to open for Guns N' Roses in November and December. "I love our fans, but that was for me," he says. "I wanted to be able to tell my children, 'You know, I opened up for my favorite band.' I get to bask in that one."  Riding down the Avalanche: The group tours as direct support for Shinedown on the Avalanche Tour, which launches Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif., and goes through late April. "Shinedown was one of our major first tours," Wallen says. "They treated us with the utmost respect and hospitality. We remembered that. It stuck with us."  Planning on sticking around: Especially when headlining, the members of Adelitas Way make a point of staying at venues until every fan who wants a picture or an autograph has gotten one. "I'd hate for someone to drive four hours to come and watch a show and not be able to meet us or get something signed," Wallen says. "There have been a few times where security has been like, 'everybody get out of here.' At that point, we're like, 'OK, the show's over.' "
The Las Vegas band is "on the cusp of being on everybody's tongue," says lead singer Rick DeJesus.