by Marcella Ortega
Daily Lobo
Angel City Outcasts don't just shun the mainstream, they assault it.
"It's not my cup of tea," vocalist Alex Brugge said. "I like rock 'n' roll and punk with some balls in it."
Brugge said danger is what he wants out of rock 'n' roll.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"I want go to a show and see someone throw up and get in a fight," he said. "I like to live dangerously. That's how rock 'n' roll started off. It was a big 'fuck you' to the mainstream."
The band from Los Angeles performed at the Launchpad on Monday. It was in its signature attire, each member sporting suit vests and dress shirts.
"We wanted to give it a mafia-goes-west kind of thing," Brugge said. "Call it cheesy, but the ladies love it. This is what I've learned in 24 years of life. The vest is very convincing."
About 50 people attended the show. Throughout the set, about 10 punks walked rapidly in a circle and pushed each other repeatedly. I was concerned about the well-being of one in particular - a petite girl with a red bob and combat boots. However, she proved to be tougher than I assumed and hung in there throughout the entire show.
"We really like this city," rhythm guitarist Bob Zamudio said. "The kids here are receptive. It's always fun to play for kids because they have a lot of energy. You feed off of that."
The band's music sounded like an angry, agitated fusion of classic rock and punk, as if Motorhead and the Misfits joined forces.
"We've been influenced a lot by Guns N' Roses, but without the heroin addictions," Brugge said. "But we all grew up on punk rock. It's kind of like this weird melting pot that all came in."
Brugge said he classifies the band's music as outcast rock 'n' roll.
"It's our own brand of music," he said. "It's our own mix of everything. I think everyone who has been involved in the punk scene has felt like an outcast at one time."
The crowd danced, jumped, sang and screamed along to some of the band's classics like "Let it Ride," as well as songs off the band's new album, Deadrose Junction.
"It's cool to come back through these towns and see that people already know the lyrics and are singing along to them," Brugge said. "It's good to know that we keep progressing."
Brugge said the band is just like its fans.
"We live life, go out and have a good time," he said. "Who knows what will happen? I'm up for anything."
The group closed the show with its frantic rendition of AC/DC's "TNT"
"We've had our ups and downs," Brugge said. "We've had worse. We've had better. You just take every show for what it is."
