- Tito Larriva
Infobox musical artist
Name = Tito Larriva
Img_capt = Larriva in 2006
Img_size =
Landscape = yes
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Humberto Larriva
Alias =
Born =Ciudad Juárez ,Chihuahua ,Mexico
Died =
Origin =
Instrument =Vocals ,Guitar , Keyboards,Recorder
Genre = Rock,Hard rock ,Heavy metal ,Alternative rock ,Chicano Rock
Occupation =Singer ,Guitarist ,Songwriter ,Musician ,Actor
Years_active = 1978 – present
Label = Cockroach Records,BMG
Associated_acts =Tito & Tarantula Cruzados The Plugz Psychotic Aztecs The Flesh Eaters The Impalas
URL = [http://www.titoandtarantula.com/ Tito & Tarantula Official Website]
Notable_instruments =Humberto "Tito" Larriva is a Mexican/American singer, musician and actor.
Early life
Larriva was born in
Ciudad Juárez ,Chihuahua ,Mexico and grew up inFairbanks, Alaska andEl Paso, Texas . As a child he learned to play the flute and violin. After consideringYale University , he moved toLos Angeles, California in the mid 1970s.Music career
The Plugz
Larriva was the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for 1970s punk band
The Plugz , 1980s rock bandCruzados ,Psychotic Aztecs andTito & Tarantula . He formed The Plugz in Los Angeles, California in 1978. Though the band never succeeded commercially, their presence during the birth of West Coast punk has ensured their enduring influence on generation after generation of rock 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). They also contributed three songs to theRepo Man soundtrack and bassist Tony Marsico and drummer Chalo Quintana played withBob Dylan onLate Night With David Letterman in 1984.Cruzados
After The Plugz broke up, Larriva and two other members of the band (
Tony Marsico andCharlie Quintana ) formed theCruzados in 1984. They were joined on guitar bySteven Hufsteter (formerly ofThe Dickies ). The Cruzados were critically acclaimed and opened for big acts likeINXS andFleetwood Mac . They released a self-titled album album in 1985. In 1987 they released "After Dark" with new guitaristMarshall Rohner . The band broke up in 1988, but Larriva continued to work with the former members later in his career. Though he never worked with Rohner again, the debut album of Larriva's next band, Tito & Tarantula, featured Quintana and Marsico as guest musicians, and one song that was co-written by Marsico, along with another that was co-written by Hufsteter. On Tito & Tarantula's third album, Hufsteter co-wrote several songs, and later joined the band alongside Larriva once more.Tito & Tarantula
Tito & Tarantula began as an improvisational jam band that incorporated sounds from whatever musician happened to stop by. "We've always had a sort of unspoken rule," Larriva said to the
Tucson Weekly in 1997, [ [http://weeklywire.com/ww/12-15-97/tw_mus.html Music: Do-It-All Dude (Tucson Weekly . 12-15-97) ] ] "and the rule is that everyone plays pretty much what they want. The band never rehearses." The band started as far back as 1992, when Larriva and lead guitaristPeter Atanasoff would perform in bars and cafes with a friends every week. The band made its debut on the soundtrack forRobert Rodriguez 's movie Desperado, then in 1996, appeared on another soundtrack for one of Rodriguez's films, this time the film beingFrom Dusk Till Dawn , with Larriva, Atanasoff, and future drummerJohnny "Vatos" Hernandez as the band performing in the bar. The next year, Tito & Tarantula released its long-awaited and highly-acclaimed debut album Tarantism in 1997. Their next album was released in 1999, titledHungry Sally & Other Killer Lullabies , followed byLittle Bitch in 2000. In 2002, the band was joined by Larriva's formerCruzados bandmateSteven Hufsteter . Later in the year, they released the album Andalucia. Since then, the band has toured consistently, and made numerous personnel changes, including the departure of Atanasoff. They are currently continuing to tour Europe, and their next album is expected in early 2007.Psychotic Aztecs
Psychotic Aztecs , composed of Larriva on vocals,Oingo Boingo 's rhythm section (John Avila on bass,Johnny "Vatos" Hernandez on drums) andSteven Hufsteter on guitar, began as a recording session forGrita! Records in Los Angeles and ended as the album "Santa Sangre," released in 1999. [ [http://www.latinovision.com/BandPage.asp?LangID=spa&ArtistID=29 Psychotic Aztecs ] ]Film career
Larriva's first acting role was "Hammy" on
The Pee-wee Herman Show in 1981. He has gone on to play notable supporting roles in big-budget films likeBorn in East L.A. , Road House,Boys on the Side , Desperado,From Dusk Till Dawn andOnce Upon a Time in Mexico . He often works with his friend, directorRobert Rodriguez . His latest appearance was a few seconds cameo in Rodriguez' "Machete" trailer in "Grindhouse".He also played the character Ramon in the film True Stories (1986). [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092117/ True Stories (1986) ] ] Larriva covers the Talking Heads song, "Radiohead," and plays the organ in the "Puzzling Evidence" scene.
Apart from acting, Larriva has scored films including
Dream With the Fishes ,Tin Cup , andMi Vida Loca .Discography
The Plugz *
Electrify Me (1979)
*Better Luck (1981)Cruzados *Cruzados (1985)
*After Dark (1987)
*Unreleased Early Recordings (2001)Tito & Tarantula *Tarantism (1997)
*Hungry Sally & Other Killer Lullabies (1999)
*Little Bitch (2000)
*Andalucia (2002)Psychotic Aztecs *
Santa Sangre (1999)ee also
*
The Plugz
*Cruzados
*Tito & Tarantula
*Psychotic Aztecs External links
* [http://weeklywire.com/ww/12-15-97/tw_mus.html Tucson Weekly article on Larriva]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/tito-tarantula Answers.com entry on Larriva]
* [http://www.titoandtarantula.com/ Tito and Tarantula official site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/httpwwwmyspacecomtitospace Tito and Tarantula official MySpace page]
* [http://www.latinovision.com/BandPage.asp?ArtistID=29&LangID=eng Psychotic Aztecs page (in English)]
* [http://www.latinovision.com/BandPage.asp?LangID=spa&ArtistID=29 Psychotic Aztecs page (in Spanish)]
*imdb name|0488644
* [http://www.myspace.com/tito_larriva My Space Page]References
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