Los Crudos is an American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

band from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

active from 1991 to 1998 and from 2006 onward. Comprising all Latino members, the band paved the way for later Spanish-speaking punk bands in the United States and helped to increase the presence of Latinos in the country's predominantly white

punk subculture The punk subculture includes a diverse and widely known array of ideologies, fashion, and other forms of expression, visual art, dance, literature, and film. Largely characterised by anti-establishment views, the promotion of individual freedo ...

. Los Crudos express a

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

political critique of issues affecting Latin America and the Latino community, such as U.S. imperialism,

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagoni ...

xenophobia Xenophobia () is the fear or dislike of anything which is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression of perceived conflict between an in-group and out-group and may manifest in suspicion by the one of the other's activities, a ...

, and

economic inequality There are wide varieties of economic inequality, most notably income inequality measured using the distribution of income (the amount of money people are paid) and wealth inequality measured using the distribution of wealth (the amount of ...

. They have been described as "one of '90s punk's truly great bands" and "one of the greatest hardcore bands...ever." Paul Kennedy additionally describes them as "very popular in both the '

crusty Crust punk (also known as crust or stenchcore) is a form of music influenced by English punk rock and extreme metal. The style, which evolved in the early 1980s in England, often has songs with dark and pessimistic lyrics that linger on politic ...

' and

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

/ straight edge scenes in North America."

History

The band formed in the early 1990s by singer

Martin Sorrondeguy Martin Sorrondeguy (born December 3, 1967) is the singer of American hardcore punk bands Los Crudos and Limp Wrist, the founder of the DIY record label Lengua Armada Discos, and a prominent figure in both the straight edge scene and the queer ...

and guitarist José Casas, who remained the group's consistent members through changing rhythm sections. Their lyrics were almost always sung in Spanish; the song "We're That Spic Band" (written in response to an audience member calling them a "spic band") is the sole exception. Los Crudos' lyrics were explicitly political, addressing issues such as class, police brutality, homophobia, and

California ballot proposition In California, a ballot proposition is a referendum or an initiative measure that is submitted to the electorate for a direct decision or direct vote (or plebiscite). If passed, it can alter one or more of the articles of the Constitution of ...

s directed against immigrants. At concerts, Sorrondeguy would often speak at length about the songs' meanings between songs, partly as a way of getting around the language barrier (audiences were not always happy about this). Their music was loud, fast, and energetic with songs built around three chords or fewer. "We're That Spic Band" and "Asesinos" (about "the disappearances of radical youth during military dictatorships in Latin America") have both been described as their most well-known songs. The band's first shows were in Pilsen, the Latino neighborhood in Chicago where the band members lived, and many of their lyrics were first sung there. Sorrondeguy has said that, "One of the main reasons for singing in Spanish was to communicate directly with kids in our neighborhood." In Pilsen, the band also worked closely with community agencies such a
Project Vida
an AIDS prevention organization, and Project Hablo, a domestic violence support group. Los Crudos incorporated DIY ethics into every aspect of the band's existence, including promoting and booking shows, recording music, touring, and silk-screening T-shirts. They toured

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

(in 1994),

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

, Europe, and Japan, as well as touring the US many times. The band's recordings were released on

independent record labels An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represent ...

such as

Flat Earth Records Flat or flats may refer to: Architecture * Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries Arts and entertainment * Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch * Flat (soldier), ...

Ebullition Records Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding atmosphere. Ther ...

, and Sorrondeguy's label

Lengua Armada Discos Lengua Armada Discos is an American punk and hardcore independent record label run by Limp Wrist/Los Crudos frontman and prominent figure in both the straight edge scene and the queercore scene, Martin Sorrondeguy. It features such bands as Lo ...

. The group's final rhythm section included bassist Juan Jimenez and drummer Ebro Virumbrales (also a member of

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his "granite features and brawny physique," he gained international fame for his starring roles in action, Western, and wa ...

and MK-ULTRA). Los Crudos played its last shows in October 1998, in the neighborhood which they started in, Pilsen. After the band's breakup, Sorrondeguy became the vocalist for

Limp Wrist Limp Wrist is an American punk rock band, who formed in 1998. Featuring members of Los Crudos, Hail Mary, Devoid of Faith, By the Throat, and Kill the Man Who Questions, the band plays short, fast hardcore music, and covers themes concerning t ...

, as well as releasing a documentary about Chicano and Latino punk ('' Beyond The Screams: A U.S. Latino Hardcore Punk Documentary''). He has also been in the bands Harto and Tragatelo. Guitarist Jose now plays in the Chicago punk band I Attack. Drummer Ebro became the vocalist for Chicago band Punch in the Face. The band played an unannounced reunion show in June 2006 at Southkore (America's first and largest Latino punk festival), in Chicago's

Little Village Little Village was an American/ British rock band, formed in 1991 by Ry Cooder (guitar, vocal), John Hiatt (guitar, piano, vocal), Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A ...

. The festival attracted more than 400 fans. They also played reunion shows in 2008's Chaos in Tejas festival in Austin, Texas and in Los Angeles, California in 2008. In 2016, Crudos played shows in the Midwest and readied for a tour of the U.K. and numerous Scandinavian cities.

Members

* Martin Sorrondeguy – vocals (1991–1998, 2006, 2008–2009) * José Casas – guitar (1991–1998, 2006, 2008–2009) * Juan Jimenez – bass (1996–1998) * Ebro Virumbrales – drums (199?-1998) * Oscar Chávez – bass (1991–1992) * Lenin – bass (1992–1995) * Mando – bass (1996) * Joel Martinez – drums (1991–1995) * Bryan – drums (1995-199?)

Timeline

Discography

*CD Discography – Compiles everything except their split 7-inch with MK- Ultra

Singles

* 7-inch ''Nunca Nada Cambia...'' split with Huasipungo * 7-inch split with

Manumission Manumission, or enfranchisement, is the act of freeing enslaved people by their enslavers. Different approaches to manumission were developed, each specific to the time and place of a particular society. Historian Verene Shepherd states that t ...

* 7-inch split with MK- Ultra * 7-inch ''La Rabia Nubla Nuestros Ojos…'' * 7-inch ''Las Injusticias Caen Como Pesadillas''

Albums

* 12-inch LP ''Canciones Para Liberar Nuestras Fronteras'' (Lengua Armada) * 12-inch split with Spitboy –

' most popular release. * 12-inch LP discography ''1991–1995 Los Primeros Gritos'' * 12' LP ''Last Stand'' – A limited edition bootleg of the last Los Crudos show. 315 numbered copies. * 12-inch split with Reversal of Man – This was supposed to be a repress of the Los Crudos/Spitboy split LP, but the pressing plant accidentally pressed 1000 copies of the Los Crudos side of the split with the A-Side of the Reversal of Man "This Is Medicine" LP. Rather than destroy accidental pressing, the copies were sold and the proceeds were donated to a rape crisis center.

Compilations

* ''Achtung Chicago Zwei!'' LP/CD * ''Chicago Hardcore Compilation'' 7-inch * ''Bllleeeeaaauuurrrrgghhh!: A Music War'' 7-inch (

Slap-a-Ham Records Slap a Ham Records was an independent label from San Francisco owned and operated by Chris Dodge, bassist of the band Spazz as well as others. The label is generally seen as a highly influential entity within the hardcore punk scene in Californ ...

) * ''A History Of Compassion and Justice'' 2×7″ (Lengua Armada) – A benefit for a mural in Chicago. * ''Books To Prisoners'' 7-inch * ''In The Spirit Of Total Resistance'' 7-inch (

Profane Existence Profane Existence is a Minneapolis-based anarcho-punk collective. Established in 1989, the collective publishes a nationally known zine (also called ''Profane Existence''), as well as releasing and distributing anarcho-punk, crust, and grindc ...

) – "A benefit release for the Mohawk nation of Kanesatake, in Quebec, who came under persecution in 1990." * ''Liberame'' 7-inch * ''Live At Pantitlan, Mexico D.F.'' K7 * ''Chicago's On Fire Again'' 7-inch * ''Cry Now, Cry Later Vol. 4'' 2×7″ * ''Stealing the Pocket Compilation'' LP * ''America Is Bella…Para Vivir Resistiendo!!'' LP * ''CIA Via UFO TO Mercury'' LP * ''Iron Columns'' 2×LP * ''Reality Part 3'' LP

References

External links

Los Crudos
on Myspace
Aneurysm – The Lost Interviews: Los Crudos
A 1997 interview with Martin Sorrondeguy {{DEFAULTSORT:Crudos, Los Hardcore punk groups from Illinois American crust and d-beat groups Activists for Hispanic and Latino American civil rights Hispanic and Latino American culture in Chicago Musical groups from Chicago