The Angry Samoans was an American

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band from the first wave of American punk. Formed in August 1978 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, by early 1970s

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

writer "Metal" Mike Saunders, his sibling lead guitarist Bonze BlaykBad Trip Records
"Bonze Annette Rose Blayk (F/K/A 'Kevin Eric Saunders')"
includes scans of publication of change of name from Kevin Eric Saunders and court order effecting the change; Retrieved 2011--09-01 and Gregg Turner (another rock writer, for ''

Creem ''Creem'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American rock music magazine and entertainment company, founded in Detroit, whose initial print run lasted from 1969 to 1989. It was first published in March 1969 by Barry Kramer and founding editor ...

'' from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s), along with original recruits Todd Homer (bass) and Bill Vockeroth (drums).

History

Pre-Samoans

In 1969 the Saunders/Blayk siblings cut a 14-song high school

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...

album, ''I'm a Roadrunner Motherfucka'', in their hometown of

Little Rock Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, under a twice-used local band name, the Rockin' Blewz. The album went unissued until the late 1990s. Mike Saunders briefly played in an early backing lineup for 1950s rockabilly cult artist Ray Campi during 1975, before moving back to Arkansas for two years (pursuant to a second college degree). Bassist Homer had played in 1977

Masque The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment that flourished in 16th- and early 17th-century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio (a public version of the masque was the pageant). A mas ...

-era band Jesus Prick, and drummer Vockeroth was a veteran of the

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

"backyard kegger party" cover band circuit (which also spawned

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...

). During 1978, both Turner and Mike Saunders played with rock critic

Richard Meltzer Richard Meltzer (born May 10, 1945) is an American rock critic, performer, writer and songwriter. He is considered by some rock historians to be the first to write real analysis of rock and roll and is credited with inventing "rock criticism". ...

in the Los Angeles punk band VOM, which issued a posthumous five-song EP, ''Live at Surf City'', on White Noise Records in early summer 1978. Patrick "P.J." Galligan was formerly a member of heavy metal band Cirith Ungol. Galligan died from throat cancer in 2014.

Original lineup

The first Angry Samoans gig was on October 30, 1978, opening for

Roky Erickson Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson (July 15, 1947 – May 31, 2019) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. Called an "outsider genius," he was a founding member and the leader of the 13th Floor Elevators and a pioneer of the psychedelic r ...

and the Aliens in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 3, 1905, and has a Richmond, California, City Council, city council.

. Erickson was sick and did not make the show (Aliens band members covered for his lead vocals) but remained a lifelong friend and inspiration to Turner. The next night, the Samoans played an "all-LA bill" at the

Mabuhay Gardens The Mabuhay Gardens, also known as The Fab Mab or The Mab, was a former San Francisco nightclub, located at 443 Broadway Street, in North Beach on the Broadway strip area best known for its striptease clubs. It closed in 1987. History The Ma ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, opening for Shock and the Zeros. The Samoans' first release, '' Inside My Brain'', featuring P.J. Galligan on lead guitar as a replacement for Bonze Blayk, was one of the earliest

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

albums to come out of the 1980s LA punk rock scene. Between this recording and second album '' Back from Samoa'', the band released a four-song EP as "The Queer Pills", allegedly using the pseudonym for the EP to get airtime on

Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ-FM from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he als ...

's KROQ radio program. Their 14-song, 17-minute hardcore album, '' Back from Samoa'', released in 1982, featured lyrics with such themes as the trendiness of poking your eyes out ("Lights Out"), anthropomorphizing

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's penis ("They Saved Hitler's Cock"), and dissing your father ("My Old Man's a Fatso"), sung over heavily distorted guitars and early LA/ OC hardcore drum beats. In the mid-1980s, the Angry Samoans added guitarist Steve Drojensky, and returned to their roots in mid-1960s American

(they had long cited bands such as

the Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

, the 13th Floor Elevators and

Shadows of Knight The Shadows of Knight were an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that played a version of British blues influenced by their native city. When they began recording in 1965, the band's self-description was "the Stones, Animals and the Ya ...

as among their musical influences). The next two releases recorded during 1986–87, the '' Yesterday Started Tomorrow'' EP and '' STP Not LSD'', were largely in this neo-1960s garage/

psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened o ...

style.

"Get Off the Air" controversy

In late January 1979, Mike Saunders, Turner and Homer wrote an infamous song about longtime LA/Hollywood scenemaker and

KROQ-FM KROQ-FM (106.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ" (pronounced "kay-rock"). The sta ...

, titled "Get Off the Air". When the song was included on the band's first record, '' Inside My Brain'', the Samoans were blacklisted at the Starwood, the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

, and other clubs in the Hollywood/LA area from mid-1980 through late 1982, seemingly due to Bingenheimer's strong influence within the LA/Hollywood club scene.

Member changes and other projects

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 Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

. In 2005, Homer formed free-jazz band the Hollywood Squaretet with comedian/drummer Larry "Copcar" Scarano, formerly of '' Comedy's Dirtiest Dozen'' (HBO), and the 1960s New York rock band, the Bougalieu. Turner left in early 1992, releasing an album, ''Santa Fe'', in 1993 with the Mistaken, which featured guitarist Sean O'Brien (formerly of Come), bassist Heath Siefert (formerly of Backbiter) and drummers Elizabyth Burtis and Kelly Callan (formerly of Wednesday Week). Turner's next band, the Blood Drained Cows, issued two albums, and occasionally features autoharp player Billy Angel (née Miller) from the Aliens. During the mid- to late 1980s, Mike Saunders moonlighted in several electric/acoustic two-guitar duos (no rhythm section) such as the Clash Brothers (with Bob Fagan), the Sons of Mellencamp (with Turner), and the Gizmo Brothers (with Kenne Highland), performing at various small clubs during that period in San Francisco, LA/OC, and even

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

(with Krazee Ken Highland from the Gizmos and Hopelessly Obscure).

Recent activity

The Angry Samoans have continued from the late 1980s onward with Mike Saunders, original drummer Vockeroth and a wide variety of other individuals. They have performed mainly along the West Coast, aside from occasional out-of-state weekend trips and three short, successful tours of mainland Europe in 2003, 2007 and 2008. In 2010, they performed on the Legends Stage on four dates of the

Vans Vans (originally called the Van Doren Rubber Company) is an American apparel, accessories, and skateboarding shoes brand, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and ...

Warped Tour The Warped Tour is a Concert tour, touring Rock music, rock music festival that toured the United States and Canada each summer from 1995 until 2019, and returned in 2025 for its 30th anniversary. By 2015, Warped was the largest traveling music ...

. Gregg Turner has toured in October 2019 with the Oblivians as a solo act, in anticipation of a re-release of the Angry Samoans discography.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Back from Samoa'' (

Bad Trip A bad trip (also known as challenging experiences, acute intoxication from hallucinogens, psychedelic crisis, or emergence phenomenon) is an acute adverse psychological reaction to the effects of Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substances, namely ...

) (1982) * '' STP Not LSD'' (

PVC Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons o ...

) (1988) * '' The '90s Suck and So Do You'' (Triple X) (1999)

EPs

* '' Inside My Brain'' (

) (1980) * ''Queer Pills'' (1981) – pseudonymous release * '' Yesterday Started Tomorrow'' (Triple X) (1986) * ''Fuck the War EP'' (Bad Trip) (2006) * ''I'm in Love with Your Mom'' (Bad Trip) (2010) – recorded in September 1978

Other releases

* ''Return to Samoa'' (1990) – unauthorized bootleg * ''Live at Rhino Records'' (Triple X (1990) – recorded in May 1979) * ''The Unboxed Set'' (Triple X) (1995) – first two EPs and first two studio albums on one CD

Compilation appearances

* ''Underground Hits 1'' (Aggressive Rockprodaktiones) (1982) – "Poshboy's Cock", "Right Side of My Mind", "Pictures of Matchstick Men" * ''Annoy Your Neighbor With This Tape!'' cassette (Chainsaw Tapes) (1982) – "Steak Knife", "Lights Out" * ''Underground Hits 2'' (Aggressive Rockprodaktiones) (1983) – "Hot Cars", "Inside" * ''High Muck'' cassette (Didco Productions) (1983) – "Pictures of Matchstick Men" * ''Life Is A Joke Vol. 2'' (Weird System) 1986) – "Psych-Out 129", "Unhinged" * ''Passport Summer Sampler 1987'' cassette (Passport) (1987) – "Right Side of My Mind" * ''Speed Air Play December 1, 1988'' cassette (Speed Air Play) 1988 – "Garbage Pit" * ''Triple X Records Compilation #4: Hear 'Em Spin'' ( Triple X) (1990) – "I've Lost My Mind" * ''Faster & Louder (hardcore Punk, Vol. 1)'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

) (1993) – "Lights Out" * ''Slam Chops (Triple X)'' (1995) – "Right Side of My Mind" * ''Son of Slam Chops (Triple X'') (1997) – "Right Side of My Mind" * ''The New, The Classic & The Unexplored'' (Visions Magazine) (1999) – "Haitzman's Brain Is Calling" * ''Sepultura + 11 Bandas Punk'' (Trip/ Trauma/

Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is a Dutch–American record label focused on Heavy metal music, heavy metal and hard rock music. Founded in the Netherlands in 1980, it is now a division of Warner Music Group and is based in New York City. Formerly seen as ...

) (1999) – "Inside My Brain" * ''American Revolution 1 – More Hardcore Punk From Around the United States'' CDr (Killer Boat) (2000) – "Inside My Brain" * ''Exxxile on Main Street'' (Triple X) (2000) – "Lights Out" * ''For Those About To Rock – A Punk Tribute to AC/DC'' (Cleopatria Records, Cleopatria) (2002) "Highway To Hell" * ''A Punk Tribute To Weezer'' (Cleopatria) (2002) – "Buddy Holly" * ''Modern Rock Loud And Raw'' 2XCD ( Time Life Music/ Warner Special Products) (2000) – "Lights Out" * ''5 Years Dedicated to a Better Taste in Fine Music'' (

Cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

) (2003) – "Inside My Brain" * ''Punk Story'' 3XCD (

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city limits, about 15 km (9 mi) north ...

) (2004) – "Inside My Brain" * ''Punk Riot'' 4XCD ( BMG) (2004) – "Ballad of Jerry Curlan", "Inside My Brain" * ''Welcome to the Anarchy Library Vol. 1'' (Gale Force) (2006) – "Lights Out" * ''Punk Goes Metal'' (Cleopatria) (2007) – "Highway To Hell" * ''High Voltage- The Ultimate AC/DC Tribute'' (

Redline The redline is the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. The redline of an eng ...

) (2008) – "Highway To Hell" * ''The Most Explosive Tribute – AC/DC'' 2XCD ( Cherry Red) (2009) – "Highway To Hell" * ''Punk Legends Playing The Songs of AC/DC'' 2XLP ( Delta Entertainment, Cargp) (2013) – "Highway To Hell"

Band members

Vocalists

* "Metal Mike" Saunders – vocals, guitar, drums (1978–present) * Gregg Turner – vocals, guitar (1978–1991) * Todd Homer – vocals, bass (1978–1988) * Bill Vockeroth – vocals, drums (1978–present) * Jeff Dahl – vocals (1981)

Guitarists

* Bonze Blayk – lead guitar (1978–1979) * P.J. Galligan – lead guitar (1979–1984) * Steve Drojensky – lead guitar (1984–1988) * Alison Victor – lead guitar (1996) * Mark Byrne – guitar (1996–1998) * Jonathan Hall – lead guitar (1998–2003) * Kevin Joseph – lead guitar (2006–2010) * Landon Gale-George – guitar (2007) * Colin Alflen – lead guitar (2011–present) * Nathan Javier – lead guitar (2012–present)

Bass Guitarists

* Todd Homer – vocals, bass (1978–1988) * Scott Greer – bass (1988–1990) * Heith Seifert – bass (1990–1991) * Mike "Cyco Loco" Avilez (of Oppressed Logic) – bass (1996) * Adrianne Harmon – bass (1997) * Rick Dasher – bass (2005, 2008, present) * Dan Siegal – bass (2007) * Matt "Malice" Vicknair – bass (2009–2011) * John Voorhies – bass (2011–2013) * Sean Rowley - bass (2022-2023)

References

External links

Official website
* * {{Authority control Hardcore punk groups from California American garage punk groups Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1978 1978 establishments in California Triple X Records artists