By Eleni P. Austin
The Cruzados are playing at Pappy & Harriet’s on Wednesday, March 11th, 2026. Originally, The Cruzados rose from the ashes of The Plugz. Along with The Zeros, The Plugz were one of the first Latino Punk bands in Los Angeles.
The Plugz featured Tito Larriva, Charlie “Chalo” Quintana, Tony Marsico and Steve Hufsteter. They made their bones playing alongside acts like The Weirdos, X, The Germs and Fear in dingy clubs like The Masque, Madame Wong’s and The Music Machine. The four-piece recorded two classic records, Electrify Me and Better Luck.
They became best known for contributing two indelible songs to the soon-to-be cult classic film, Repo Man, starring Emilio Estevez and (the late-great) Harry Dean Stanton. Not long after, The Plugz were playing a gig at The Music Machine and none other than Bob Dylan caught their high energy set. He became an ardent fan. Soon after, he invited the band to his Malibu estate to play music. Sometimes those jam sessions lasted for days, and their mercurial host put them through their paces. When Bob agreed to perform on Late Night With David Letterman in 1984, it was The Plugz that backed him for an incendiary three-song set. (That epochal moment recently became available on one of Bob’s bootleg box sets, Springtime In New York: The Bootleg Series Vol. 16 (1980-1985).)
By the mid ‘80s, Punk was being edged out of the Los Angeles scene by Hair Metal acts like Motley Crue, Poison and Ratt. Bands like X and The Blasters had already begun incorporating Blues, Country, Folk and Soul into their sound, while Los Lobos took it a step further honoring their Mexican heritage by including traditional Nortenos and Corridos in their high voltage sets. That confluence of styles appealed to Tito, Chalo, Tony and Steven. Ditching The Plugz moniker, they became The Cruzados.
Courted by major record labels, they signed with Arista Records and their self-titled debut arrived in 1985. They were on the fast track, by the time their sophomore effort, After Dark was released, the band had a number of well-connected fans, like Brian Setzer, John Fogerty and David Byrne cheering them on. In turn, they were added as the opening act for big names like Joe Cocker, Billy Idol and INXS. Stevie Nicks became so infatuated with their song, “Bed Of Lies” that she invited The Cruzados to open for Fleetwood Mac for their Tango In The Night tour. Even though the music press consistently hyped the band as “the next big thing,” those predictions never came to fruition. The band quietly called it quits in 1990.
Fast-forward 30 years to 2020, during the COVID lockdown, Tony Marsico was itching to play some maximum Rock & Roll. He had made a name for himself as a touring and session musician, along with fronting bands like Cisco & Dewey and The Martini Kings, and playing musicians in films like Roadhouse and Georgia. He began writing songs specifically with The Cruzados in mind. He contacted Tito and Steven, but they were busy with other projects. Sadly, following stints touring with Bob Dylan and Social Distortion, Chalo suffered a fatal heart attack in 2018.
With Tito and Steven’s blessing, he decided to form a new iteration of the band. He reached out to guitarist Mark Teralgia, who ten reconnected Tony with his and Chalo’s old friends, guitarist Loren Molinare and vocalist Ron Young. Back in the ‘80s, they were part of the band Little Caesar. Drummer Rob Klonel was the final piece of the puzzle. Tony was hoping to find someone with the skills and finesse that Chalo possessed. Rob quickly passed the test.
Their debut, “She’s… Automatic” arrived in 2021, and the band quickly followed up with Land Of The Endless Sun and a live set, Live From Marseille, which was released following their first European tour. Coming in May, The Best Of The Cruzados will be on vinyl via the Rum Bar Records label.
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Pappy & Harriet’s Presents The Cruzados And The Glimmer Stars
Wednesday March 11, 2026
Doors At 8:00pm / Show At 9:00pm.
53688 Pioneertown Rd.
Pioneertown, Ca. 92268.
All Ages – Indoor Show.
