Humberto "Tito" Larriva (born 1953) is a Mexican/American songwriter, singer, musician, and actor. He came to prominence leading

The Plugz The Plugz (also known as "Los Plugz") were a Latino punk band from Los Angeles 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 a ...

, one of the earliest Los Angeles punk rock groups. Since the 1990s, his main musical outlet has been the Tito & Tarantula.

Early life

Larriva was born in

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places * Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mu ...

, and grew up in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

, and

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the ...

. As a child he played the violin in the school orchestra and sang in the church and school choirs where he met his wife Janet Carroll. In 1972 Larriva snuck into

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

for a full term without being noticed. After being kicked out of the Ivy League university, he moved to Mexico City and in 1975 moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He now lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and daughter and continues to work in the music and film industries.

Music career

The Plugz

Larriva was the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for punk band

. He formed The Plugz in Hollywood, California in 1978. Their presence during the birth of West Coast punk has ensured their enduring influence on punk bands. Record label Rhino recognized their role in the Los Angeles music scene by including their version of "La Bamba" on "We're Desperate: The L.A. Scene (1976-79)." The Plugz released two albums, ''Electrify Me'' (1978) and ''Better Luck'' (1981). The Plugz also scored the cult classic film '' Repo Man'' and contributed three songs to the soundtrack.

Fatima Records

In 1979 Larriva formed Fatima Records, a DIY record label, with Chicano printmaker Richard Duardo and music promoter Yolanda Ferrer to release the Plugz' single "Achin'"/"La Bamba." The label would issue a few other releases, including the Plugz' second album ''Better Luck'' (1981) and "Attitudes" (1980), the debut EP by

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...

punk band The Brat (produced by Larriva). Fatima Records was initially slated to release '' Fire of Love'', the debut album by Los Angeles band

The Gun Club The Gun Club were an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States, which existed from 1979 to 1996. It was formed and led by singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce. History Early days (1979–1980) The Gun Club w ...

; however, after Larriva produced six tracks, the label ran out of money, and Ruby Records completed the recordings and released the Gun Club's album.

Cruzados

In 1984 The Plugz evolved into the Cruzados. In 1985, they released a self-titled album on

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertain ...

. The second album ''After Dark'' released in 1987 featured new guitarist

Marshall Rohner Marshall Lambert Rohner (December 20, 1963 in Iowa – October 18, 2005 in Yucca Valley, California) was a guitarist whose credits include: T.S.O.L., The Cruzados, Jimmy and The Mustangs, Kenny Brown and Dino's Revenge. Rohner appeared in seve ...

. The band broke up in 1990. Larriva and the Cruzados were both briefly featured in the film '' Road House'', starring

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

and Sam Elliott.

Tito & Tarantula

Tito & Tarantula began in 1992 when Larriva and lead guitarist Peter Atanasoff would perform in bars and cafes with friends every week. "We've always had an unspoken rule," Larriva said to the

Tucson Weekly The ''Tucson Weekly'' is an alternative newsweekly that was founded in 1984 by Douglas Biggers and Mark Goehring, and serves the Tucson, Arizona, metropolitan area of about 1,000,000 residents. The paper is a member of the Association of Alter ...

in 1997, "and the rule is that everyone plays pretty much what they want. The band rarely rehearses." Tarantula was featured on the soundtrack of

Robert Rodriguez Robert Anthony Rodriguez (; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ac ...

's movie ''

Desperado Desperado may refer to: * Outlaw, particularly in the American Old West Books * ''Desperadoes'' (comics), a comic book series * ''Desperadoes'' (novel), a 1979 novel by Ron Hansen * Desperado Publishing, an American independent comic book publi ...

'' which Larriva also scored. In 1996, Tito and Tarantula continue their relationship with Rodriguez, appearing in the film, soundtrack, and score, for ''

From Dusk Till Dawn ''From Dusk till Dawn'' is a 1996 American action horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino from a concept and story by Robert Kurtzman. Starring Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Ernest Liu, an ...

''. Larriva, Atanasoff, and Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez are the band performing their song After Dark in the bar for Salma Hayek. In 1997, Tito & Tarantula released its long-awaited and highly acclaimed debut album ''

Tarantism Tarantism is a form of hysteric behaviour originating in Southern Italy, popularly believed to result from the bite of the wolf spider ''Lycosa tarantula'' (distinct from the broad class of spiders also called tarantulas). A better candidate c ...

''. They followed up with, '' Hungry Sally & Other Killer Lullabies'' in 1999, and '' Little Bitch'' in 2000. In 2002, the band was joined by Larriva's former Cruzados bandmate Steven Hufsteter. Later that year, they released ''

Andalucia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The ...

''. ''Back Into The Darkness'' is their most recent release (2008).

Psychotic Aztecs

Tito Larriva, September 2007 Psychotic Aztecs, composed of Larriva on vocals,

Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the y ...

's rhythm section (

John Avila John Avila is an American bassist and music producer, best known for being in the new wave band Oingo Boingo from 1984 to 1995. Career Avila co-founded the music group ''Food for Feet'' in 1981, and played with them until 1991. In 1984, he j ...

on bass, Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez on drums) and Steven Hufsteter on guitar, began as a recording session for ''Grita! Records'' in Los Angeles and ended as the album ''Santa Sangre,'' released in 1999.

Film career

Larriva's first acting role was "Hammy" on ''

The Pee-wee Herman Show ''The Pee-wee Herman Show'' is a stage show developed by Paul Reubens in 1980. It marks the first significant appearance of his comedic fictional character, Pee-wee Herman, five years before '' Pee-wee's Big Adventure'', and six years before ''P ...

'' in 1981. He has gone on to play notable supporting roles in big-budget films like '' Born in East L.A.'', '' Road House'', ''

Boys on the Side '' Boys on the Side '' is a 1995 American comedy-drama film directed by Herbert Ross (in his final film as a director). It stars Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, and Mary-Louise Parker as three friends on a cross-country road trip. The screenp ...

'', ''

'' and '' Once Upon a Time in Mexico''. He often works with his friend, director

. His latest appearance was a few seconds cameo in Rodríguez' ''Machete'' trailer in '' Grindhouse''. He also appears in the actual, released movie. He also played the character Ramon in the film '' True Stories'' (1986). Larriva performed the Talking Heads song, "Radio Head", and played the organ in the "Puzzling Evidence" scene. The original soundtrack album, however, only featured the Talking Heads' cover of the song; Larriva's version, performed with Esteban "Steve" Jordan, was not released until sometime later. Apart from acting, Larriva has scored films including ''

Dream with the Fishes ''Dream with the Fishes'' is a 1997 American independent film directed by Finn Taylor. The film is Taylor's directorial debut and starred David Arquette, Kathryn Erbe and Brad Hunt. It was released on June 20, 1997, by Sony Pictures Classics. Plo ...

'', '' Tin Cup'', and '' Mi Vida Loca''. Larriva features on the soundtrack album to the 2000 film '' The Million Dollar Hotel'', written by Bono and directed by

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docu ...

. Larriva performs as part of the MDH band (a composite band featuring members of U2) and sings a Spanish version of " Anarchy In The UK" by

The Sex Pistols ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

Discography

The Plugz

*''Electrify Me'' (1979) *''Better Luck'' (1981)

Cruzados

*'' Cruzados'' (1985) *'' After Dark'' (1987)

Tito & Tarantula

*''

'' (1997) *'' Hungry Sally & Other Killer Lullabies'' (1999) *'' Little Bitch'' (2000) *''

'' (2002) *'' Back into the Darkness'' (2008)

Psychotic Aztecs

*''Santa Sangre'' (1999)

Other

*''True Stories: The Complete Soundtrack'' (2018)

References

External links

*
Tito and Tarantula official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larriva, Tito 1953 births Living people People from Ciudad Juárez American male singers American male film actors Mexican emigrants to the United States American musicians of Mexican descent Musicians from Los Angeles Singers from California People from El Paso, Texas Songwriters from Texas Songwriters from California American male songwriters The Plugz members Cruzados members Tito & Tarantula members Hispanic and Latino American musicians American male actors of Mexican descent