Tony Cadena
Encyclopedia
Anthony Brandenburg — also known by the stage names Tony Cadena, Tony Montana, Tony Adolescent, and Tony Reflex — is an accomplished punk rock
singer/songwriter
and poet
.
Tony's musical career started with a band he formed in junior high school, in which he played Tupperware, pots and pans, an octagon organ, and also wrote the lyrics. The band practiced at his home—specifically in the garage—but split up soon after forming. In 1979, then-16 year old Tony formed The Adolescents
with Steve Soto while they talked at the end of an Agent Orange
concert in Santa Ana, California. The band released a track on Rodney Bigenheimer's "Rodney on the Roq" in 1980 which led to the release of their self-titled debut album The Adolescents
and an EP in 1981, and disbanded later that year. Cadena then moved on to bands such as The Abandoned and God Riots 73.
In 1986, he found himself playing in The Adolescents again, assuming the stage name "Tony Montana" when the band reformed. After leaving The Adolescents in 1987, Tony joined the Flower Leperds. After a reunion in 1989, Tony went on to start another band in the Adolescents tradition called ADZ, in which he currently remains. Tony has also done occasional guest vocal spots with Los Angeles veterans White Flag and Fu Manchu, France's Burning Heads, as well as with desert rockers Half Astro.
In 2001, Tony regrouped with the other original members of The Adolescents for a reunion tour in honor of the 20th anniversary of their self-titled album. They continue to tour worldwide and released a studio album in 2005 titled OC Confidential
. Since 2007, the Adolescents had been working on their next studio album, The Fastest Kid Alive
which was eventually released in 2011, as well as contributions for upcoming tributes to the Runaways, and the Seeds.
Aside from his musical pursuits, Tony has a career in teaching, and for a period taught special education. He is a vocal advocate for the rights of people with autism
and Asperger's Syndrome, as well as for music and fine arts in education. He has done numerous benefits to raise money for these interest groups, including benefit shows for the Silverlake Music Conservatory, and submitting a track for "Brats on the Beat" for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In his spare time, Tony writes poetry that has been described as being "hilarious or heartbreaking"; a notable poetry reading was at the Parlour Club
in Santa Monica
on April 21, 2002. Tony was invited to read by poet Lydia Lunch and photographer/artist Steve Martinez. His poetry, most of which is unpublished, spans some 30+ years.
Tony has written for various magazines, most notably Flipside, "Maximum Rock and Roll", and Loud, Fast, Rules. His interviews with bands Manic Hispanic, Electric Frankenstein, and the Lee Harvey Oswald Band are among the earliest print interviews that exist for those bands. He has also written numerous liner notes for recorded and printed works, including liner notes for the Adolescents releases "Live 1981 and 1986" and "Naughty Women in Black Sweaters", Abandoned "LAMF", "Gabba Gabba Hey" (which he co-produced), "Blitzkrieg Over You", and "Beach Blvd.", as well written pieces in print releases by photographer Edward Colver, film maker Dave Markey, and photography in the poster/art book for New Jersey monster rockers Electric Frankenstein.
With Adolescents
With White Flag
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 perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
singer/songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Tony's musical career started with a band he formed in junior high school, in which he played Tupperware, pots and pans, an octagon organ, and also wrote the lyrics. The band practiced at his home—specifically in the garage—but split up soon after forming. In 1979, then-16 year old Tony formed The Adolescents
The Adolescents
The Adolescents are an American punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. It is a punk supergroup, made up of early members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion. They are often credited as one of the leading bands of the 1980s hardcore punk scene....
with Steve Soto while they talked at the end of an Agent Orange
Agent Orange (band)
Agent Orange is an American punk rock band formed in Orange County, California in 1979. The band is one of the first to mix punk rock with surf music. They first gained attention with their song "Bloodstains" which they released on their own 7" E.P. An early demo of the song was presented to...
concert in Santa Ana, California. The band released a track on Rodney Bigenheimer's "Rodney on the Roq" in 1980 which led to the release of their self-titled debut album The Adolescents
The Adolescents (album)
Adolescents is the eponymous debut album by the Orange County punk rock band the Adolescents. The album boasts an all-star cast, featuring three past Social Distortion members , former Agent Orange guitarist Steve Soto and a previously unknown singer named Tony Cadena...
and an EP in 1981, and disbanded later that year. Cadena then moved on to bands such as The Abandoned and God Riots 73.
In 1986, he found himself playing in The Adolescents again, assuming the stage name "Tony Montana" when the band reformed. After leaving The Adolescents in 1987, Tony joined the Flower Leperds. After a reunion in 1989, Tony went on to start another band in the Adolescents tradition called ADZ, in which he currently remains. Tony has also done occasional guest vocal spots with Los Angeles veterans White Flag and Fu Manchu, France's Burning Heads, as well as with desert rockers Half Astro.
In 2001, Tony regrouped with the other original members of The Adolescents for a reunion tour in honor of the 20th anniversary of their self-titled album. They continue to tour worldwide and released a studio album in 2005 titled OC Confidential
OC Confidential
OC Confidential is the fourth album by the American punk rock band the Adolescents. It was released in 2005. This marked the first Adolescents studio album in 17 years, following 1988's Balboa Fun*Zone, the longest gap to date between two consecutive studio albums.-Track listing:All songs by Tony...
. Since 2007, the Adolescents had been working on their next studio album, The Fastest Kid Alive
The Fastest Kid Alive
The Fastest Kid Alive is the fifth album by the American punk rock band the Adolescents, released June 3, 2011 through Concrete Jungle Records. It follows the band's first reunion album, 2005's O.C. Confidential. The band commenced work on the record in March 2007, but had not entered studio work...
which was eventually released in 2011, as well as contributions for upcoming tributes to the Runaways, and the Seeds.
Aside from his musical pursuits, Tony has a career in teaching, and for a period taught special education. He is a vocal advocate for the rights of people with autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
and Asperger's Syndrome, as well as for music and fine arts in education. He has done numerous benefits to raise money for these interest groups, including benefit shows for the Silverlake Music Conservatory, and submitting a track for "Brats on the Beat" for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
In his spare time, Tony writes poetry that has been described as being "hilarious or heartbreaking"; a notable poetry reading was at the Parlour Club
Parlour Club
The Parlour Club was a venue located on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California and managed by Andrew Gould. Among its notable events included the speakeasy-themed night Bricktops, series of spoken-word sessions The Unhappy Hour , and performance art night Touché .- Notable...
in Santa Monica
Santa Mônica
Santa Mônica is a town and municipality in the state of Paraná in the Southern Region of Brazil.-References:...
on April 21, 2002. Tony was invited to read by poet Lydia Lunch and photographer/artist Steve Martinez. His poetry, most of which is unpublished, spans some 30+ years.
Tony has written for various magazines, most notably Flipside, "Maximum Rock and Roll", and Loud, Fast, Rules. His interviews with bands Manic Hispanic, Electric Frankenstein, and the Lee Harvey Oswald Band are among the earliest print interviews that exist for those bands. He has also written numerous liner notes for recorded and printed works, including liner notes for the Adolescents releases "Live 1981 and 1986" and "Naughty Women in Black Sweaters", Abandoned "LAMF", "Gabba Gabba Hey" (which he co-produced), "Blitzkrieg Over You", and "Beach Blvd.", as well written pieces in print releases by photographer Edward Colver, film maker Dave Markey, and photography in the poster/art book for New Jersey monster rockers Electric Frankenstein.
With AdolescentsThe AdolescentsThe Adolescents are an American punk band formed in 1980 in Fullerton, California. It is a punk supergroup, made up of early members of Agent Orange and Social Distortion. They are often credited as one of the leading bands of the 1980s hardcore punk scene....
- AdolescentsThe Adolescents (album)Adolescents is the eponymous debut album by the Orange County punk rock band the Adolescents. The album boasts an all-star cast, featuring three past Social Distortion members , former Agent Orange guitarist Steve Soto and a previously unknown singer named Tony Cadena...
(Frontier RecordsFrontier RecordsFrontier Records is an independent record label, started in 1980 in Los Angeles by Lisa Fancher, a former employee of Bomp! Records and writer of the liner notes for the first album by The Runaways....
, 1981) - Welcome To RealityWelcome to RealityWelcome to Reality is Ross Copperman's second album, and first major one.Ross says that the album is "basically my life for the past 2 years", and that it's very raw and emotional....
(1981) - Brats in BattalionsBrats in BattalionsBrats in Battalions is the second album by punk band The Adolescents, which was released in 1987. This was the band's first album in six years.-Track listing:# "Brats in Battalions" - 2:33# "I Love You" - 4:14# "The Liar" - 1:59...
(1987) - Live 1981 and 1986 (1989)
- Return to the Black Hole (1997)
- The Bubblegum EP (2003)
- Live at the House of Blues 10/3/03 (The Show Must Go Off!) (2004)
- Naughty Women In Black Sweaters: The Complete Demos 1980-1986 (2005)
- OC ConfidentialOC ConfidentialOC Confidential is the fourth album by the American punk rock band the Adolescents. It was released in 2005. This marked the first Adolescents studio album in 17 years, following 1988's Balboa Fun*Zone, the longest gap to date between two consecutive studio albums.-Track listing:All songs by Tony...
(2005) - Split with Burning Heads (2009)
- The Fastest Kid AliveThe Fastest Kid AliveThe Fastest Kid Alive is the fifth album by the American punk rock band the Adolescents, released June 3, 2011 through Concrete Jungle Records. It follows the band's first reunion album, 2005's O.C. Confidential. The band commenced work on the record in March 2007, but had not entered studio work...
(2011)
With White FlagWhite Flag (band)White Flag is an American punk rock band currently based in Los Angeles. Their current lineup consists of frontman Pat Fear , Mike Mess , Jello B. Afro , and Trace Element . All of these members have been in the band since 1982, though many have rotated in and out...
- White Flag & Tony Adolescent- Demolition Girl (1990)
- White Flag & Tony Adolescent- " Benefit for Cats (2011)
- White Flag & Tony Adolescent- " Live At Bohemian Grove/Coco Hayley Gordon Moore (2011)
- White Flag & Tony Adolescent - The AlbumThe Album1977 Polar Music International AB, Stockholm, Sweden.Stig Anderson helped us with the lyrics on "The Name of the Game", "Move On" and "I Wonder "....
(In Production)
With Sister Goddamn
- Portrait In Crayon (1992)
- Folk Songs Of The Spanish Inquisition (1996)
With Flower Leperds
- Dirges in the Dark (1987)
- Heaven's Closed (1988)
- Gabba, Gabba, Hey Project coordinator (1988)
- One Miserable Bastard on a Pencil (1989)
- Purple ReignPurple ReignPurple Reign is an American female music group assembled by producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, established in 2010. The trio consists of Latoya Duggan, Victoria McCants and Siobhan McNear....
(1990) - More Songs About Dames, Dope, And Debauchery (1995)
With ADZ
- PinupsPinupsPinups is an album by Human Drama. A tribute to various artists, including Joy Division, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Pink Floyd, John Lennon and Leonard Cohen, it was released by Triple X in 1993...
(1991) - Where Were You?Where Were You?"Where Were You?" is the debut single by Every Avenue, taken from their third album Shh. Just Go With It. It was released as iTunes digital single on March 11, 2008....
(1992) - Piper at the Gates of Downey (1995)
- Songs from the Gutter (1996)
- Transmissions From Planet Speedball (1998)
- Odz 'N Sodz (1999)
- Five Fingers of Dr. X (2000)
- American Steel (2004)
- Live plus Five (2007)
Songs Featured in Film
- Empire RecordsEmpire RecordsEmpire Records is a 1995 coming of age film that follows a group of record store employees over the course of one exceptional day. The employees of this independent music store try to fight off a large chain, all while learning about each other...
(1995) - Decline of Western Civilization III (1998)
- Ghost WorldGhost WorldGhost World is a comic book written and illustrated by Daniel Clowes. It was originally serialized in issues #11 through #18 of Clowes's comic book series Eightball, and was first published in book form in 1997 by Fantagraphics Books...
(2001) - Prozac Nation (2001)
- Freddy Got FingeredFreddy Got FingeredFreddy Got Fingered is a 2001 American comedy film directed, co-written by and starring Tom Green. Some of the scenes feature similar antics to those seen in his own The Tom Green Show and scenes in Road Trip. It is largely built around gross-out and shock humor...
(2001) - Adolescents at the House of Blues (2004)
- American HardcoreAmerican HardcoreAmerican Hardcore is the only L.A. Guns album to feature singer Chris Van Dahl and the first to feature bass guitarist Johnny Crypt. This album continues the increase in heaviness by the band started on their previous album Vicious Circle....
(2006) - Stranger than Fiction (2006)
- A Sudden Sleep of Evil' (2011) (in production)
- Getting That Girl' (2011) (in production)
Songs Featured in Video Game
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, often abbreviated to THPS3, is a skateboarding video game in the Tony Hawk's series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision in 2001 for the Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation. In 2002, it was published for the...
- Tony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American WastelandTony Hawk's American Wasteland, abbreviated to THAW, is a video game that was released for the PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Nintendo GameCube and PC on October 18, 2005. Part of the Tony Hawk series, the game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision.The PC version of the game was ported and...
Film Appearances
- "Jekyll and Hyde... Together AgainJekyll and Hyde... Together AgainJekyll and Hyde...Together Again is a 1982 comedy based on the novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film is more like a cross between the original story and some aspects of The Nutty Professor...
" 1982 - "Adolescents at the House of Blues" 2004
- "American HardcoreAmerican HardcoreAmerican Hardcore is the only L.A. Guns album to feature singer Chris Van Dahl and the first to feature bass guitarist Johnny Crypt. This album continues the increase in heaviness by the band started on their previous album Vicious Circle....
" 2006 - "We Were Feared" 2010
- "The Other F Word" 2011
- "Self Help Graphics/Club Vex" In Production