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1.0 The Angry Samoans

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Angry Samoans Wiki Information

The Angry Samoans are an American punk band in the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in Los Angeles, California by early 70's rock writer "Metal" Mike Saunders and his brother lead guitarist Kevin Eric Saunders, along with co-conspirator Gregg Turner (another rock writer, for Creem Magazine during the late 70's-mid 80's) and original recruits bassist Todd Homer and drummer Billy Vockeroth.

During 1978 both Turner and Saunders had played in the LA punk band VOM, which issued a posthumous 5-song ep LIVE AT SURF CITY on White Noise Records in early summer 1978. In 1969 in hometown Little Rock, Saunders and Samoans guitarist Kevin had cut a 14-song highschool garage-rock album I'M A ROADRUNNER MOTHERFUCKA (unissued until the late 90's) under a twice-used local band name the Rockin' Blewz, and in 1975 Saunders briefly played in an embroyonic backing line-up for 50's rockabilly cult artist Ray Campi before moving back to Arkansas for two years (pursuant to a second college degree). Bassist Todd Homer had played in 1977 Masque-era band Jesus Prick, and drummer Bill Vockeroth was a veteran of the Pasadena "backyard kegger party" cover band circuit.

Shortly after the Angry Samoans formed, in late 1978 Saunders/Turner/Homer wrote a song about long-time LA/Hollywood scenemaker (and KROQ DJ, beginning in 1976) Rodney Bingenheimer titled "Get Off the Air." Due to Bingheimer's strong influence with LA/Hollywood clubs, when the song was included on the band's first record Inside My Brain , this resulted in a "blacklisting" of the band at the Starwood/Whiskey and any other club in Hollywood/LA proper for about two years during mid 1980 - late 1982. The band's ostensibly offensive, politically incorrect attitude and (somewhat humorous) lyrical content was not a factor in this situation.

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The Angry Samoans

The first Angry Samoans gig was opening for Roky Erickson and the Aliens in Richmond, CA on October 30, 1978. Roky was sick and didn't make the show (Aliens band members covered for his lead vocals) but remained a lifelong friend and inspiration to Gregg Turner of the Samoans (the next night they played an "all-LA bill" at the SF Mab, opening for Shock and the Zeros).

The Samoans' first release, Inside My Brain , was one of the early hardcore punk albums to come out of the 1980 LA punk rock scene. In between this recording and Back from Samoa , the band released a four-song EP as "The Queer Pills," allegedly using the pseudonym because the vocals were done by the bass player. (See interview, Forced Exposure magazine) Their 14-song 17-minute hardcore album, Back from Samoa , released in 1982, featured lyrics on such themes as the trendiness of poking your eyes out ("Lights Out"), finding Adolf Hitler's penis ("They Saved Hitler's Cock"), and ranking on your old man ("My Old Man's A Fatso"), over hyper-distorted guitars and "early LA/OC hardcore" drum beats.

In the mid-1980s, the Angry Samoans returned to their roots/influences from mid-60's American garage rock (they had long cited many 1966 bands such as The Velvet Underground, the 13th Floor Elevators and Shadows of Knight as among their musical influences). The next two releases recorded during 1986-87, Yesterday Started Tomorrow EP and STP Not LSD, were largely in this neo-60's garage/psych style. Singer/bassist Todd Homer left at the end of 1988, and formed The Mooseheart Faith Stellar Groove Band with Larry Robinson, formerly of 1970s teen pop-soul band Apollo. Turner left in early 1992, putting out an album in 1993 with the Mistaken before forming his next band, the Blood Drained Cows (two albums issued to date), occasionally featuring autoharp player Billy Angel (née Miller) from the Aliens. During the mid-to-late 80's Saunders moonlighted in several electric/acoustic two-guitar duos (only, no rhythm section) such as the Clash Brothers (with Bob Fagan in SF), the Sons of Mellencamp (with Turner), and the Gizmo Brothers (with Kenne Highland), with various small-club performances during that period in San Francsico, LA/OC, and even Boston (with Krazee Ken Highland from the Gizmos/Hopelessly Obscure/etc).

The Angry Samoans continued with Saunders, original drummer Bill Vockeroth, and a wide variety of other individuals, and gigging steadily from early 1996 into the new millennium. They have performed mainly along the West Coast, besides occasional out-of-state weekend trips and three short/successful tours of mainland Europe in 2003/2007/2008. At present the band is still playing weekend gigs once a month, usually all-ages shows around all of Southern California like the many other old LA/OC bands (from 1977-1982) who have been active during the 21st century—the Adolescents, the Dickies, the Crowd, Circle Jerks, Agent Orange, CH3, the Germs, Redd Kross, TSOL, Fear, the Weirdos, the Skulls, D.I., not to mention one-time major-label acts Social Distortion, X, and Bad Religion. With the new addition of bassist Matt "Malice" Vicknair - 2009 is proving to be as exciting as ever.