Los Illegals
Encyclopedia
Los Illegals is an American
Chicano punk band from Los Angeles, California
.
& X, Bad Religion
& Thee Undertakers), to open up new horizons and enable themselves & others to play and tour with other major 1980s groups including The Clash
, Bauhaus
, The Motels
and Berlin
. A visit to the club by Los Lobos
(then an acoustic traditionalist Mexican folk group) convinced the band to rethink itself, return electric and follow the path set by Club Vex. They were contemporaries of The Plugz
.
’s Mick Ronson
on A&M records
. The song “El Lay” off the album then became a Raza
Anthem as Herron sang about his stepfather’s arrest for washing dishes in L.A. bringing the group’s rising notoriety to Europe and Japan. But the relationship soon soured after the label rejected their next LP (Burning Youth) and partnership with UK’s Stiff Record’s producer Wally Brill (999, Elvis Costello
) for its experimentation with Mexican instrumentation coupled with the band’s unwillingness to use stereotypical icons (velvet Elvis paintings etc.) for publicity. Tied to a label unwilling to release it, and in debt for the LP’s recording costs, they then illegally distributed it on cassette only in Mexico--for free.
They were one of the framers/promoters of U.S. Roc en Espanol in the early 1980s and one of the first Chicano bands touring into Mexico playing alongside and meeting pioneer rockeros like El Tri
and Tijuana No, Jaguares and Maldita Vecindad gaining respect on both sides of the border despite the original hostility displayed against them. They were actually being pelted on stage in both the U.S. (being called "wetback
s") and Mexico (this time being called "Pocho
s"- not truly Mexican). They shared experiences and knowledge with the fledgling scene winning the first "Outstanding Roc En Espanol Artist" California Music Award (BAMMY) from the Critics and Readers polls of the BAM/Rocket and Tower Pulse magazines.
Outspoken diplomatically and politically, the band has finally been receiving its long overdue accolades and is featured in various prominent music history and university textbooks. Most notable are Barrio Rhythm, and Land of 1,000 dances: The History of Chicanos in Rock & Roll.
In film, its Agnes Varda
’s French Masterpiece "Mur Murs", the Soundtrack for Stand and Deliver, and with Chuck D. of Public Enemy, Laurie Anderson and Cassandra Wilson in the D.A. Penebaker documentary and soundtrack: Searching for Jimi Hendrix (Capital). Also appearing alongside Santana
, War, & Los Lobos on the historical compilation Ay Califas! History of Raza Rock of the 70’s & 80’s (Warner/Rhino).
In the face of anti-illegal immigrant legislation they are on the move again this time as "cultural collaborators": beginning with the highly praised CD, Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals
on Miles Copeland’s ARK-21/Virgin label, then with Tijuana
punk legends “Mercado Negro” for the Rockefeller US/Mexico Culture Fund sponsored compilation CD: MexAmerica produced by Ruben Guevara for Angelino Records, later with Emmy winning journalist Ruben Martinez and Rock en Espanol stars “Maldita Vecindad” for the theater piece “Border Ballad” (the companion to his Book “Crossing Over: Tales From the New Frontier”), also writing, and performing with new talent (ie. the EMI soundtrack of the Showtime series “Resurrection Boulevard” as their alter egos “The Chizmosos”). Lately they co-produced a series of racially diverse SRO “no coffee or bongos” electronica/noise poetry theater performances (“The Spine of Califas”) with of San Diego’s legendary Taco Shop Poets
and several other performers/artists to which a college tour, book, CD and short film are in the offering and planning stages. Currently the group is the subjects of two ongoing documentaries of their history as Pachuco punks one entitled “Destined to fuck up” and the other a National PBS documentary special on Chicano Rock & Roll for airing in 2006.
It has been said about the group that in this era of disposable pop culture where "commitment and consciousness" are words passed around and marketed all too casually, "Los Illegals have a history of actively and physically proving the power of music to unite people."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Chicano punk band from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
History
The band struck a deal with the local order of radical Catholic nuns to open & run the legendary Club Vex at the Catholic Youth building (now Self Help Graphics) where they booked & introduced Eastside to Westside groups (i.e. The BratThe Brat
The Brat is a 1931 comedy film directed by John Ford. It is based on the 1917 play by Maude Fulton. A previous silent film had been made in 1919 with Alla Nazimova. This 1931 screen version has been updated to then contemporary standards i.e...
& X, Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
& Thee Undertakers), to open up new horizons and enable themselves & others to play and tour with other major 1980s groups including The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, Bauhaus
Bauhaus (band)
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
, The Motels
The Motels
The Motels are a New Wave music band from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980...
and Berlin
Berlin (band)
Berlin is an American New Wave/Synthpop band. The group was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford . The band contained Crawford, Terri Nunn , David Diamond , Ric Olsen , Matt Reid and Rod Learned . Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill...
. A visit to the club by Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
(then an acoustic traditionalist Mexican folk group) convinced the band to rethink itself, return electric and follow the path set by Club Vex. They were contemporaries of The Plugz
The Plugz
The Plugz were a Mexican-American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1977. They and The Zeros were among the first Chicano punk bands, although several Latino garage rock bands, such as Thee Midniters and Question Mark & the Mysterians, predated them...
.
Personnel
Spawned by artist/muralist Willie Herron (keyboards, vocals), civil rights activist Jesus “Xiuy” Velo (bass), drummer Bill Reyes, and guitarist brothers Manuel and Tony Valdez (who also perform with their Mariachi parents & relatives).Discography
The group was the first of the Club Vex groups to sign with a major label releasing Internal Exile produced by David BowieDavid Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
’s Mick Ronson
Mick Ronson
Michael "Mick" Ronson was an English guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. He is best known for his work with David Bowie, as one of The Spiders from Mars...
on A&M records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. The song “El Lay” off the album then became a Raza
La Raza
In the Spanish language the term Raza translates to "race". Its meaning varies amongst various Spanish-speaking peoples. For instance, in Spain, "Raza" may denote specifically Spanish and often of a something or someone of a European Christian heritage. The Francoist film Raza, from 1944, which...
Anthem as Herron sang about his stepfather’s arrest for washing dishes in L.A. bringing the group’s rising notoriety to Europe and Japan. But the relationship soon soured after the label rejected their next LP (Burning Youth) and partnership with UK’s Stiff Record’s producer Wally Brill (999, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
) for its experimentation with Mexican instrumentation coupled with the band’s unwillingness to use stereotypical icons (velvet Elvis paintings etc.) for publicity. Tied to a label unwilling to release it, and in debt for the LP’s recording costs, they then illegally distributed it on cassette only in Mexico--for free.
They were one of the framers/promoters of U.S. Roc en Espanol in the early 1980s and one of the first Chicano bands touring into Mexico playing alongside and meeting pioneer rockeros like El Tri
El Tri
El Tri is a Mexican rock band from Mexico City fronted by Alex Lora. Founded in 1968 as Three Souls in My Mind, the group is regarded as influential in the development of Mexican rock music....
and Tijuana No, Jaguares and Maldita Vecindad gaining respect on both sides of the border despite the original hostility displayed against them. They were actually being pelted on stage in both the U.S. (being called "wetback
Wetback (slur)
"Wetback" is a person of any foreign nationality, the usual being a Mexican who are illegal immigrants in the United States. Generally used as an ethnic slur, the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande river, which is the Mexican...
s") and Mexico (this time being called "Pocho
Pocho
Pocho is a term used by native-born Mexicans to describe Chicanos who are perceived to have forgotten or rejected their Mexican heritage to some degree. Typically, pochos speak English and lack fluency in Spanish...
s"- not truly Mexican). They shared experiences and knowledge with the fledgling scene winning the first "Outstanding Roc En Espanol Artist" California Music Award (BAMMY) from the Critics and Readers polls of the BAM/Rocket and Tower Pulse magazines.
Outspoken diplomatically and politically, the band has finally been receiving its long overdue accolades and is featured in various prominent music history and university textbooks. Most notable are Barrio Rhythm, and Land of 1,000 dances: The History of Chicanos in Rock & Roll.
In film, its Agnes Varda
Agnès Varda
Agnès Varda is a French film director and professor at the European Graduate School. Her movies, photographs, and art installations focus on documentary realism, feminist issues, and social commentary — with a distinct experimental style....
’s French Masterpiece "Mur Murs", the Soundtrack for Stand and Deliver, and with Chuck D. of Public Enemy, Laurie Anderson and Cassandra Wilson in the D.A. Penebaker documentary and soundtrack: Searching for Jimi Hendrix (Capital). Also appearing alongside Santana
Santana (band)
Santana is a rock band based around guitarist Carlos Santana and founded in the late 1960s. It first came to public attention after their performing the song "Soul Sacrifice" at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, when their Latin rock provided a contrast to other acts on the bill...
, War, & Los Lobos on the historical compilation Ay Califas! History of Raza Rock of the 70’s & 80’s (Warner/Rhino).
In the face of anti-illegal immigrant legislation they are on the move again this time as "cultural collaborators": beginning with the highly praised CD, Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals
Concrete Blonde y Los Illegals
An album produced as a joint effort between Johnette Napolitano and James Mankey, previously founding members of alternative rock band Concrete Blonde, and L.A. pachucho punk band Los Illegals...
on Miles Copeland’s ARK-21/Virgin label, then with Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
punk legends “Mercado Negro” for the Rockefeller US/Mexico Culture Fund sponsored compilation CD: MexAmerica produced by Ruben Guevara for Angelino Records, later with Emmy winning journalist Ruben Martinez and Rock en Espanol stars “Maldita Vecindad” for the theater piece “Border Ballad” (the companion to his Book “Crossing Over: Tales From the New Frontier”), also writing, and performing with new talent (ie. the EMI soundtrack of the Showtime series “Resurrection Boulevard” as their alter egos “The Chizmosos”). Lately they co-produced a series of racially diverse SRO “no coffee or bongos” electronica/noise poetry theater performances (“The Spine of Califas”) with of San Diego’s legendary Taco Shop Poets
Taco Shop Poets
Taco Shop Poets is the name of a poetry and spoken word collective formed in 1994 at a Poetry Series, Taco Shop Poetry',' hosted by Adolfo Guzman-Lopez at the Centro Cultural de la Raza in Balboa Park, San Diego. It grew to a collective of over 30 poets, band members and performance artists based...
and several other performers/artists to which a college tour, book, CD and short film are in the offering and planning stages. Currently the group is the subjects of two ongoing documentaries of their history as Pachuco punks one entitled “Destined to fuck up” and the other a National PBS documentary special on Chicano Rock & Roll for airing in 2006.
It has been said about the group that in this era of disposable pop culture where "commitment and consciousness" are words passed around and marketed all too casually, "Los Illegals have a history of actively and physically proving the power of music to unite people."