The Plugz

The Plugz
The Plugz
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genres	Punk rock, rock
Associated acts	Los Cruzados, Tito & Tarantula, Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds

The Plugz (also known as "Los Plugz") were a Latino punk band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 1977 and disbanded in 1984. They and The Zeros were among the first Latino punk bands, although several garage rock bands, such as Thee Midniters and Question Mark & the Mysterians, predated them. The Plugz melded the spirit of punk and Latino music.

Early history

The band was formed in 1977 and was a contemporary of the bands featured in the film The Decline of Western Civilization.^[1] Their songs reflected the anger and angst of growing up Chicano, and this was reflected in their sardonic hi-speed version of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba". The Plugz are generally acknowledged as being the first D.I.Y. punk band in L.A., having started their own PLUGZ RECORDS and later Fatima records.

Line up

The band was initially composed of:

• Tito Larriva (Lead vocals/guitar)
• Charlie Quintana (drums)
• Barry McBride (Bass/Backing vocals)

This lineup recorded the band's first album, Electrify Me (1979).^[1] Produced and engineered by Alan Kutner

After McBride left (sometime in 1979-80), he was replaced by John Curry from The Flyboys, who left to form Choir Invisible less than a year later.^[2] Larriva and Curry wrote the title track to the second album Better Luck. The musicians on the band's second album, Better Luck (1981), were:

• Tito Larriva (Lead vocals/guitar)
• Charlie Quintana (drums) (credited as "Chalo Quintana")

Guests:

• Gustavo Santaolalla (Bass/guitars/Charango/Backing vocals)
• Anibal Kerpel (keyboards)
• Steve Berlin (Saxophone)
• Bruce Fowler (Trombone)
• Steve Fowler (Saxophone)
• Brian Qualls (Piano)

Tony Marsico joined the band in late 1980, and Steven Hufsteter began playing lead guitar with the group in 1984.

With the addition of Steven Hufsteter on lead guitar, The Plugz also feature prominently on the soundtrack to the movie Repo Man. The group performed "Hombre Secreto," a Spanish version of Johnny Rivers' "Secret Agent Man", along with original instrumental background music for the film. Both "Hombre Secreto" and "Reel Ten" (the instrumental soundtrack for Repo Man), featured Hufsteter on lead guitar.

Plugz bassist Tony Marsico and drummer Charlie Quintana accompanied Bob Dylan on his appearance on Late Night with David Letterman on 22 March 1984 for three songs: "Don't Start Me Talkin'" (by Sonny Boy Williamson), "Jokerman", and "License to Kill".^[3]

In 1984, The Plugz name was retired and the three members continued as 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.^[4]

Discography

• "Move // Mindless Contentment / Let Go" single on Slash Records (1978)
• Electrify Me (1979) PLUGZ RECORDS
• "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 - 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 No. 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 (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 soundtrack as Reel Ten.
• The Plugz' song Electrify Me was used in the adult film New Wave Hookers (1985).
• The Plugz performed as Bob Dylan's backing band on Dylan's 1984 Late Night with David Letterman appearance. Dylan appeared on Late Night with David Letterman on March 22, 1984. He performed with Quintana, Holiday (introduced by Letterman as "Justin Jesting"), and bassist Tony Marsico. Performing three songs with his band of post-punk musicians, 1, Dylan delivered what many consider to be his most entertaining television performance ever. The combo first performed an unrehearsed version of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me To Talking", then a radically different arrangement of "License To Kill". The final song was a peppy, somewhat new-wave version of "Jokerman" that ended with a harmonica solo. At the end of the performance, Letterman walked onstage and congratulated Dylan, asking him if he could come back and play every Thursday. Dylan smiled and jokingly agreed.[21]

See also

• Chicano music
• Latino punk

References

1. Spitz, Marc; Mullen, Brendan (2001). We got the neutron bomb : the untold story of L.A. Punk (1st ed.). New York: Three Rivers Press. ISBN 0609807749.
2. Nevarez, Leonard (January 31, 2012). "Tito Larriva: the hombre secreto of L.A.’s culture industry". Musical Urbanism.
3. Marsico, Tony (2011). Late Nights With Bob Dylan. Scam-Co. ISBN 0557015456.
4. "Plugz Reunion at the Echoplex 11-11-07". YouTube. November 13, 2007.

External links

• The Plugz at AllMusic
• "The Plugz – Biography and pictures", The ModPopPunk Archives (website), 2006.