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The Plugz were a Mexican-American punk rock
Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
 band from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
 that formed in 1978. They, along with The Zeros
The Zeros

The Zeros, aka "the Mexican Ramones", were an American punk rock band, formed in 1976 in Chula Vista, California. The band was composed of Javier Escovedo on vocals/guitar and Robert Lopez on guitar, who were both attending Chula Vista High School; and Hector Penalosa, bass, and Baba Chenelle, drums, who attended Sweetwater High School....
, were the first Chicano
Chicano

Chicano is a word for a Mexican American . The terms Chicano and Chicana were originally used by and regarding U.S. citizens of Mexican descent....
 punk bands. (There were, however, several Latino
Latino

The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."...
 garage rock
Garage rock

Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 in music to 1967 in music. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name....
 bands that predated the Plugz, notably Thee Midniters
Thee Midniters

Thee Midniters were amongst the first Chicano rock bands to have a major hit in the United States, and one of the best known acts to come out of East Los Angeles in the 1960s, with a cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" and the instrumental "Whittier Boulevard" in 1965....
 and Question Mark & the Mysterians). The Plugz melded the spirit of punk and Mexican music.

band was initially composed of:



This lineup recorded the band's first album, Electrify Me (1979).

After McBride left (sometime in 1979-80), John Curry from The Flyboys joined, but left to form Choir Invisible less than a year later.






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The Plugz were a Mexican-American punk rock
Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
 band from Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
 that formed in 1978. They, along with The Zeros
The Zeros

The Zeros, aka "the Mexican Ramones", were an American punk rock band, formed in 1976 in Chula Vista, California. The band was composed of Javier Escovedo on vocals/guitar and Robert Lopez on guitar, who were both attending Chula Vista High School; and Hector Penalosa, bass, and Baba Chenelle, drums, who attended Sweetwater High School....
, were the first Chicano
Chicano

Chicano is a word for a Mexican American . The terms Chicano and Chicana were originally used by and regarding U.S. citizens of Mexican descent....
 punk bands. (There were, however, several Latino
Latino

The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American or Spanish-speaking descent."...
 garage rock
Garage rock

Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 in music to 1967 in music. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name....
 bands that predated the Plugz, notably Thee Midniters
Thee Midniters

Thee Midniters were amongst the first Chicano rock bands to have a major hit in the United States, and one of the best known acts to come out of East Los Angeles in the 1960s, with a cover of "Land of a Thousand Dances" and the instrumental "Whittier Boulevard" in 1965....
 and Question Mark & the Mysterians). The Plugz melded the spirit of punk and Mexican music.

Line up

The band was initially composed of:

  • Tito Larriva
    Tito Larriva

    Humberto "Tito" Larriva is a Mexican/American singer, musician and actor....
     (Lead vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
    /guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    )
  • Charlie Quintana
    Charlie Quintana

    Charlie Quintana was born in 1962, in El Paso, TX. Quintana is the drummer for the Punk rock band Social Distortion, who joined in 2000 as the replacement of Chuck Biscuits , following the death of the band's former guitarist Dennis Danell....
     (drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    )
  • Barry McBride (Bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    /Backing vocals)


This lineup recorded the band's first album, Electrify Me (1979).

After McBride left (sometime in 1979-80), John Curry from The Flyboys joined, but left to form Choir Invisible less than a year later. Although he did write the music for the title track to the second album Better Luck. The musicians on the band's second album, Better Luck (1981), were:

  • Tito Larriva
    Tito Larriva

    Humberto "Tito" Larriva is a Mexican/American singer, musician and actor....
     (Lead vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
    /guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    )
  • Charlie Quintana
    Charlie Quintana

    Charlie Quintana was born in 1962, in El Paso, TX. Quintana is the drummer for the Punk rock band Social Distortion, who joined in 2000 as the replacement of Chuck Biscuits , following the death of the band's former guitarist Dennis Danell....
     (drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    ) (credited as "Chalo Quintana")
Guests:
  • Gustavo Santaolalla
    Gustavo Santaolalla

    Gustavo A. Santaolalla is an Argentina musician, film composer and producer....
      (Bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    /guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    s/Charango
    Charango

    The charango is a small South American stringed instrument of the lute family, about 66 Metre#SI multiples long, traditionally made with the shell of the back of an armadillo....
    /Backing vocals)
  • Anibal Kerpel (keyboards
    Keyboard instrument

    A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
    )
  • Steve Berlin
    Steve Berlin

    Steve Berlin is an United States saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, The Blasters and The Flesh Eaters ....
     (Saxophone
    Saxophone

    The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
    )
  • Bruce Fowler
    Bruce Fowler

    Bruce Lambourne Fowler is a prominent United States trombone player and composer. He notably played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart, and in the Fowler Brothers Band....
     (Trombone
    Trombone

    The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass instrument family. Like all brass instruments, it is a lip-reed aerophone: sound is produced when the player?s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate....
    )
  • Steve Fowler
    Steve Fowler

    Steve Fowler is currently group editor of What Car? which includes the magazines What Car?, What Car? New Car Guide, What Car? Price Guide and the website ....
     (Saxophone
    Saxophone

    The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
    )
  • Brian Qualls (Piano
    Piano

    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard instrument. Widely used in Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to musical composition and rehearsal....
    )


Tony Marsico joined the band in late 1980 as permanent bassist.

The band was formed in 1978 and was a contemporary of the bands featured in The Decline of Western Civilization
The Decline of Western Civilization

The Decline of Western Civilization is a 1981 in film American documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles, California punk rock scene from 1979 to 1981....
. Their songs reflected the anger and angst of growing up Chicano, and this was reflected in their sardonic hi-speed version of Ritchie Valens
Ritchie Valens

Ritchie Valens was an singer, songwriter and guitarist of Mexican origin born in the U.S.A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens' recording career lasted only eight months....
' "La Bamba
La Bamba (song)

"La Bamba" La Bamba is a traditional song of the Huasteca region, with greater attachment to the state of Veracruz, is the son jarocho genre and is known popularly as the anthem of Veracruz....
". They were contemporaries of other Latino punk bands The Brat
The Brat

The Brat is a 1931 in film comedy film directed by John Ford....
 and Los Illegals
Los Illegals

Los Illegals is a music band from Los Angeles, California....
. The Plugz are generally acknowledged as being the first D.I.Y. punk
Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
 band in L.A., having started their own Fatima
Fatima

Fatima may refer to:* F?tima, Portugal, Portuguese town** Our Lady of F?tima, Marian apparition at F?tima in 1917** Fatima Prayer, prayer originating from the apparition...
 label to release their records.

The Plugz also feature prominently on the soundtrack to the movie Repo Man. They composed original instrumental music for the film, and performed "Hombre Secreto," a Spanish version of Johnny Rivers'
Johnny Rivers

Johnny Rivers is an United States rock and roll singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He was versatile enough to do folk songs, blues, and revivals of old-time rock 'n' roll songs and some original material....
 "Secret Agent Man
Secret Agent Man (song)

"Secret Agent Man" is a song written by Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan. The song evokes secret agents both musically and through its lyrics . The most famous recording of the song was made by Johnny Rivers for the opening titles of the American broadcast of the British spy series Danger Man, which aired in the US as Secret Agent from 19...
". Steven Hufsteter played lead guitar on both "Reel Ten" and "Hombre Secreto".

The Plugz accompanied Bob Dylan on his appearance on "Late Night With David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman

Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 in television and went off the air in 1993 in television, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show with David Letterman on CBS....
" on 22 March 1984 for three songs: "Don't Start Me Talkin'" (by Sonny Boy Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson II

Aleck "Rice" Miller , a.k.a. Aleck Ford, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Willie Williamson, Willie Miller, "Little Boy Blue", "The Goat" and "Footsie," was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter....
), "Jokerman", and "Licence to Kill".

In 1984, The Plugz name was retired and the three members formed the Cruzados with Steven Hufsteter.

The Plugz reunited the three founding members for The Masque 30th Anniversary Party and Book Release show on November 11, 2007 at The Echoplex in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles, California.

Discography

  • "Move // Mindless Contentment / Let Go" single on Slash Records (1978)
  • Electrify Me (1979)
  • "Achin' / La Bamba" single on Fatima Records (1981)
  • Better Luck (1981)
  • Los Angelinos - the eastside renaissance (compilation)(1983)
  • Repo Man soundtrack (1984)
  • Bob Dylan & The Plugz (1984)
  • New Wave Hookers soundtrack
    New Wave Hookers

    New Wave Hookers is a famous 1985 pornographic movie which even has a soundtrack. It featured a cast of well-known performers from the era.It would be followed by several sequels and a remake....
     - Electrify Me (1985)


Track listing - Electrify Me (1979)

  1. "A Gain - A Loss" (Tito Larriva)
  2. "The Cause" (Tito Larriva)
  3. "Electrify Me" (Tito Larriva)
  4. "Satisfied Die" (Tito Larriva/Barry McBride)
  5. "La Bamba" (public domain)
  6. "Adolescent" (Tito Larriva)
  7. "Braintime" (Tito Larriva)
  8. "Wordless" (Tito Larriva)
  9. "Let Go" (Tito Larriva/Barry McBride)
  10. "Infection" (Tito Larriva)
  11. "Berserktown" (Tito Larriva)


Track listing - Better Luck (1981)

  1. "Better Luck" (Tito Larriva/Curry)
  2. "Red Eye #9" (Tito Larriva)
  3. "Achin'" (Tito Larriva)
  4. "American" (Tito Larriva)
  5. "In The Wait" (Tito Larriva)
  6. "El Clavo Y La Cruz" (Tito Larriva)
  7. "Blue Sofa" (Tito Larriva)
  8. "Touch For Cash" (Tito Larriva)
  9. "Gas Line" (Tito Larriva)
  10. "Cesar's Song" (Tito Larriva)
  11. "Shifting Heart" (Tito Larriva)
  12. "No Love" (Tito Larriva)


Trivia

  • The Plugz' song Adolescent was used in the film Scarred
    Scarred (1984 film)

    Scarred is a 1984 in film independent film...
     (1984).
  • The Plugz' songs El Clavo Y La Cruz and Hombre Secreto (Secret Agent Man) were used in the film Repo Man (1984) and appear on the soundtrack LP. The Plugz also composed the instrumental score for the movie, part of which appears on the sountrack as Reel Ten.
  • The Plugz' song Electrify Me was used in the adult film New Wave Hookers
    New Wave Hookers

    New Wave Hookers is a famous 1985 pornographic movie which even has a soundtrack. It featured a cast of well-known performers from the era.It would be followed by several sequels and a remake....
     (1985).


See also

  • Chicano music
    Chicano

    Chicano is a word for a Mexican American . The terms Chicano and Chicana were originally used by and regarding U.S. citizens of Mexican descent....


External links

  • , The ModPopPunk Archives (website), 2006.