By Eleni P. Austin
For the back half of the 20th century, James Brown was known as “The Hardest-Working Man In Show Business,” a sobriquet he definitely earned. But these days, that title most definitely belongs to Tony Marsico. I mean, really, right now, James is probably relaxing. Plus, he’ll always be The Godfather Of Soul, Mr. Dynamite and Soul Brother No. 1. Meanwhile, Tony is always thinking about music, writing music and playing music.
Tony, in case you are unfamiliar, has been playing music since he was a kid. Along with his brother and sister, her grew up above his family’s Italian restaurant in Philadelphia. He spent years paying dues, playing bass with all manner of touring bar band. Pretty soon he set his sights on Los Angeles.
It was there he connected with Tito Larriva and Charlie “Chalo” Quintana. The guitarist and drummer had already formed L.A.’s first Latino Punk bands, The Plugz (occasionally known as Los Plugz) and released a debut record, Electrify Me. Fortuitously, for Tony, anyway, their bassist had just quit. So, they recruited him, as well as guitarist Steve Hufstetler and The Plugz carried on.
Not only did they go on to create memorable music for the (now Classic) indie Punk film, Repo Man, they gained an ardent fan when Bob Dylan caught one of their shows at The Music Machine. He invited the four-piece to his Malibu estate to play music. Their extended sessions sometimes went on for days. When the Bard of Hibbing was invited to perform on Late Night With David Letterman, in 1984, The Plugz were the band that accompanied him for a fiery three-song set.
By the mid ‘80s, the Punk scene in L.A. was eclipsed by up-and-coming Hair Metal bands like Motley Crue, London and Ratt. Punk progenitors like X had already begun to delve into the Rootsier sounds of Country and Blues. That had always been the Blasters’ musical blueprint. Los Lobos took it a step further, honoring their Mexican heritage by weaving traditional Nortenos and Corridos into their sonic tapestry. That juxtaposition of styles appealed to Tito, Chalo, Tony and Steve. Pretty soon they ditched The Plugz moniker and began playing around town as Cruzados.
Changing it up paid off. The band was scouted by Clive Davis himself, C.E.O. of the Arista label. Although the label was best known for milquetoast acts like Barry Manilow and Air Supply, it had also earned a bit of street cred by signing Patti Smith and Lou Reed. Inking the deal in 1985, the band’s self-titled debut arrived by the end of the year.
The album garnered solid reviews and sold modestly, but other musicians were taking notice. Heavy-Hitters like John Fogerty, Brian Setzer and David Byrne were vocal fans. Soon enough, Cruzados were on the road, opening for superstar acts like Joe Cocker and INXS. By the time their sophomore effort, After Dark, arrived in 1987, Steven had quit (he was in love), and Marshall Rohner was jumped into the Cruzados gang. The album doubled down on their heady brew ofRoots Rock, courtly Latin accents and passionate vocals. One song from the record, “Bed Of Lies” caught the fancy of Stevie Nicks. She loved the track so much, she invited Cruzados to be the opening act for Fleetwood Mac’s Tango In The Night tour. But even as the music press consistently touted the band as “the next big thing” they could never really gain a foothold, commercially. By the ‘90s, they had amicably split.
Of course, Tito began to make a name for himself with his band, Tito & The Tarantulas, and scoring films like Desperado and From Dusk To Dawn. Steven kept a low profile, occasionally playing with bands like Shrine and Division Men. Chalo formed The Havalinas, who recorded one perfect record and then broke up. He then went on to play drums for several years with Bob Dylan and later, Social Distortion. Sadly, he suffered a fatal heart attack in 2018. Marshall played in T.S.O.L. and Jimmy & The Mustangs. But he got caught in the cross hairs of addiction. Arrests and some jail time followed. He died from A.I.D.S. related causes in 2005.
Tony, of course, put his nose to the grindstone. An in-demand session player and touring musician, he played with everyone from Roger Daltrey, Pee-Wee Herman, John Doe, Matthew Sweet, Marianne Faithfull, Willie Nelson and Neil Young. He’s portrayed musicians in films like Roadhouse, L.A. Story and Georgia. He’s written a couple of books, directed a couple of documentaries and recently recorded a couple of albums as half of the Americana duo, Cisco & Dewey. As leader of The Martini Kings, he’s recorded more than 20 albums with the Jazz/Swing combo. He’s also performed for heads of state, C.E.O.’s and a Kardashian or two.
As the pandemic was cresting, and musicians everywhere were put in an endless holding pattern, Tony was itching to Rock a little harder. He wanted to reunite with Tito and Steve but geographical differences and prior commitments made it impossible. With their blessing, he set about recruiting a new Cruzados line-up. The pieces fell into place when he reconnected with his old pals from Little Caesar. Back in the late ‘80s, they had taken their hard rocking version of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools” to the top of charts. More importantly, they were all pals of Chalo’s. The band, with little variations, has been a going concern all these years. Tony approached them and they were happy to partner for this new (old) adventure.
Tony had already written the songs, so the newly-minted five-piece hunkered down in the studio. 2021 saw the arrival of their debut, She’s Automatic. Brisk sales accompanied rave reviews and the guys hit every Juke Joint, Dive Bar and Roadhouse throughout the U.S. Then they hopped over to Europe for a series of well-received dates across the continent. Now they return with a six-song EP, Land Of The Endless Sun. The EP hits the ground running with the driving rocker, “Dead Inside.” Strafing guitars unleash a barrage of riffs atop sinewy bass, shivery keys and a rat-a-tat-tat beat. Willowy guitar notes accompany the verses, which offers a pithy account of an outlaw on the run… from love; “I got a hole in my head and you’re getting inside, where the truth pours out, I can’t hide dark secrets you can’t understand that strike when you’re down with the back of a hand, don’t look, don’t pry, walk away, don’t cry, what you don’t know now, you better let it lie.” The chorus, which sorta reiterates that this romantic reprobate is completely shackled to past mis-deeds, shares some musical DNA with The Yardbirds protean Garage-y Blues Rocker, “Heart Full Of Soul.” The tension ratchets on the break as guitars shapeshift from corrosive to incendiary to Soulful in a matter of seconds.
For the “She’s Automatic” album, Tony had written all the songs before he really had the band. On this EP nearly every number is co-written with his fellow Cruzados, the exception being the title track. “Land Of The Endless Sun” crackles to life as distorto power chords connect with prowling bass lines and a sludgy beat. Ron’s Bluesy growl is matched by lyrics that chronicle a bitter kiss-off; “So long little sister, suitcase in her hand, good luck, then I kissed her, it’s all I could stand/You just stuck around here long enough, to dry up every drop of fun, now you’ve left me here in the land of the endless sun.” On the break, sidewinder guitars coil around feral bass and a rattlesnake beat, striking and retreating until they coalesce on a lone note of feedback. Even as it powers down, the song threatens to spontaneously combust.
Meanwhile, nearly everyone had a hand in writing “Queen Of The Quake.” Lyrics pay homage to a Burlesque star who knows her way around a backbeat, and manages to let her, um assets do the talking; “Shake those hips, move ‘em all around, wiggle that body down to the ground, about midnight, she’s right on track, it’s Friday night at the Chicken Shack, another Friday night.” The arrangement and instrumentation, barbed guitars, roiling bass and a snapback beat splits the difference Texas Boogie, Roadhouse Rock and a twangin’ two-step.
A couple of cuts, “A Little More Time” and “Golden Child,” deftly illustrate this band’s crack musicianship and versatility. The former is a Punk-tastic blast of aggro energy. Thrashy, see-saw guitars and rumbly bass wed to a pounding tribal tattoo. A bit of Ron’s bluster is belied by incredulous lyrics that demand (well, beg), a second chance at a toxic romance; “Broken promises from the start, desperate lies that pulled us apart, I needed time, a little more time, you never gave me a clue or a sign, a warning shot or just, a little more time.” On the break, guitars skitter and squall across a locomotive beat before they tangle with a snap, crackle and snarl. Tight, Beatle-esque harmonies “ohh” and “ahhh” with an empathetic heft, before a final cyclonic guitar solo is unleashed, bookended by a walloping drum beat. (Resist the urge to light up a post-coital cig after this one).
The action slows on the latter. Burnished guitar licks wrap around loose-limbed bass, fluttery keys and a dropped beat. Something of a sun-kissed lament, the lyrics attempt to buoy the spirits a former wunderkind, who is putting the West Coast in the rearview; “I heard you left and you headed East, to put it all behind, but you’ll return, like the rest, they all come back in then/Till then you keep searching for something that can’t be found, looking up to the sky for the truth, and falling back to the sky.” A squirrely guitar solo darts across the break, mirroring the song’s restless disquiet.
The EP winds it all up with “Johnny Pay To Play.” If it was possible for Chuck Berry, Tom Petty and Stevie Ray Vaughan (R.I.P. to all three) to create a musical love child, it would sound just like this unequivocal banger. Slashing power chords ride roughshod over boomerang bass and a ricocheting beat. The lyrics offer a bitter twist on “Johnny B. Goode” and “Into The Great Wide Open,” as it details the avaricious “Pay To Play” policies that defined the Sunset Strip music scene back in the ‘80s. This is a story about a different Johnny; “Down on the corner they all know his name, where the girls go by and do the walk of shame, at the Oki-Dog, they’re serving them hot, Johnny’s flipping burgers, like it or not, but later tonight, Johnny’s all the rage, he’s a hell-bent Rock & Roller up on the stage/You got to pay-to-play Johnny, you got to pay-to-play, nothing’s for free, you got to pay-to-play Johnny, you got to choose your destiny. A Bluesy, buzzsaw solo rips through the break, before it’s quickly supplanted by a Punkier guitar salvo, yet neither quite eviscerate the rock-bottom bass and rollicking beat. It doesn’t end well for this Johnny, trading his guitar for cheap addictions, standing on line with the other “Gods and poets of the street.” Obviously, that was never the destiny for these resilient Rockers, but the story still hits close to the bone. It’s a take-no-prisoners finish to a roller coaster ride of a record.
If your Rock & Roll appetite isn’t completely sated by this crisp and concise amuse bouche, gorge yourself on a live Cruzados smorgasbord, La Invasion De Los Cruzados. This raucous 16 song set was recorded last summer in Marseille, France and features an aural banquet of old and new favorites.
Either way, the Cruzados get the job done. They have delivered another platter of high-octane Roadhouse Rock.
