Manic Hispanic is an American

Chicano Chicano (masculine form) or Chicana (feminine form) is an ethnic identity for Mexican Americans that emerged from the Chicano Movement. In the 1960s, ''Chicano'' was widely reclaimed among Hispanics in the building of a movement toward politic ...

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 Orange County and Los Angeles, California, United States. They are a

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

act that plays

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song released ...

of punk rock "standards" by slightly renaming songs and adjusting lyrics with humorous references to Chicano culture. The band's members are all Mexican and use

stage names A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

further marking the Mexican/Chicano image of the band. Manic Hispanic is a supergroup made up of former and/or current members of

The Adolescents The Adolescents are an American punk rock band formed in Fullerton, California in 1979. Part of the hardcore punk movement in southern California in the early 1980s, they were one of the main punk acts to emerge from Orange County, along with ...

, The Grabbers, Punk Rock Karaoke, The X-Members, 22 Jacks,

Final Conflict Final Conflict is an American hardcore punk band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1983. Their first album was ''Ashes to Ashes'', released in 1988. Over the years they went through various lineup changes; as of 2009, the only original mem ...

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the tactical uses of Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. T ...

Death by Stereo Death by Stereo (also referred to as D.B.S.) is an American hardcore punk band formed in Orange County, California circa 1998 by frontman Efrem Schulz. They are well known for their energetic performances and intricate guitar work. Their nam ...

and The Cadillac Tramps.

Band formation

Manic Hispanic was originally started in 1992 by Mike "Gabby" Gaborno (a.k.a. Jefe) from The Cadillac Tramps and

Steve Soto Steve Soto (August 23, 1963 – June 27, 2018) was an American musician. Soto was the founding bassist of California punk rock bands Agent Orange and the Adolescents. Soto was also a member of Legal Weapon, Joyride, Manic Hispanic, Punk Rock ...

(a.k.a. El Hoakie Loco) from

/ 22 Jacks, originally with the intent to perform

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

versions of punk songs. Members later recruited are: Chino and Mo Grease (members of The Grabbers), Oso (from The Cadillac Tramps), Mad Ralphie (a.k.a. Steve "Ace" Acevedo a Sound Engineer and tour manager), and Sonny Lucas (a.k.a. Tio). According to their Myspace page, the band members have changed since their first album. The name of the band keeps with their habit of mashing up Latin/Cholo culture with punk culture, the name being a play on Manic Panic, a brand of hair dye popular in the punk scene.

Recorded material

Their first album was released in 1995 on Doctor Dream records. Entitled ''The Menudo Incident'', a reference to Guns N' Roses' '' The Spaghetti Incident'', it featured cover versions of songs by

The Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. They ...

, The Damned, X, Black Flag,

Wire file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, and others. These cover versions featured rewritten lyrics humorously reflecting the Chicano identity of the band and Chicano/Mexican culture as a whole. Tracks commonly include lyrics sung in Spanish, English, and Chicano "slang" a.k.a. Caló. Examples include songs such as The Damned's "

New Rose "New Rose" is the first single by British punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France. It is notable as the first ever single released by a British punk band ...

" retitled "New Rosa", and Eddie and the Subtitles' "American Society" retitled "Mexican Society." ''The Menudo Incident'' also contains a version of

Tejano Tejanos ( , ) are descendants of Texas Creoles and Mestizos who settled in Texas before its admission as an American state. The term is also sometimes applied to Texans of Mexican descent. Etymology The word ''Tejano'', with a ''J'' instead ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

musician

Freddy Fender Freddy Fender (born Baldemar Garza Huerta; June 4, 1937 – October 14, 2006) was an American Country and Tejano singer, known for his work as a solo artist and in the groups Los Super Seven and the Texas Tornados. His signature sound fused cou ...

's "Before the Next Teardrop Falls", a bilingual hit when released by Fender in the 1970s. The cover art mimicked the

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

release, showing a bowl of menudo, the traditional Mexican

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle and sheep. Types Beef Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's stomach chambers: th ...

specialty. The band returned with a second album in 2001, ''The Recline of Mexican Civilization'' (spoofing the punk film ''

The Decline of Western Civilization ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrot ...

'') for

BYO Records Better Youth Organization Records (BYO) is a defunct Los Angeles, California based independent punk rock record label created by Shawn and Mark Stern, two of the three brothers of the California punk rock band Youth Brigade (the third being Adam ...

. BYO also released ''Mijo Goes to Jr. College'' (aping

The Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California, in 1977, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson as a power pop/ surf punk band. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's s ...

' ''

Milo Goes To College ''Milo Goes to College'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Descendents, released on September 4, 1982 through New Alliance Records. Its title refers to singer Milo Aukerman's decision to leave the band to attend college, a ...

'') in 2003, and ''Grupo Sexo'' (spoofing the

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag (band), Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetso ...

' ''

Group Sex Group sex is sexual activity involving more than two people. Participants in group sex can be of any sexual orientation or gender. Any form of sexual activity can be adopted to involve more than two participants, but some forms have their own na ...

'') in 2005. These albums modify the original cover art of the albums they are playing off of. The band's out-of-print debut album, ''The Menudo Incident'', was reissued by BYO in 2003. The band has also released T-shirts based on the

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

logo,

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

' graphics, and the

Social Distortion Social Distortion is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Fullerton, California. It consists of Mike Ness (vocals, guitar), Jonny Wickersham (guitar), Brent Harding (bass), David Hidalgo Jr. (drums), and David Kalish (keyboards). Emerg ...

logo.

Chicano identity

The band's biography information from BYO Records is written in a humorous style, alleging in jest that forming the band was suggestion by one of their parole officers. Although this may be interpreted as tongue-in-cheek, the band has declared in an interview for InMusicWeTrust.com that, "we're not

cholos ''Cholo'' () was a racial category used in 18th-century Spanish America to refer to people who were three-quarters Amerindian by descent and one-quarter Spanish. Its origin is a somewhat derogatory term for people of mixed-blood heritage i ...

or gangsters, but we come from that heritage and we're proud of it." While most of the band's material is delivered with a sense of humor, political undertones do occasionally appear in their music, such as "Poem" from ''The Menudo Incident'', tells a first-hand account of fearing a potential

drive-by shooting A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrators to quickly strike their targets and flee the scene before l ...

, told over a doo-wop backing. In addition, their cover of

Iggy & The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander. ...

' "I Got A Right" includes the lyric, "I got a right, got a right to speak/any language I want, yeah." The band also traditionally plays live in California on

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo (; ) is an annual celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. Zaragoza died months after the battle from an illness, ho ...

Lineup

* Mike "Gabby" Gaborno (a.k.a. Jefe) - Vocals (d. 2017) * Steve Soto (a.k.a. El Hoakie Loco) – Guitar/Vocals (d. 2018) * Chino – Drums * Mo' Grease – Guitar * Oso – Bass * Mad Ralphie – Vocals * Tio – Vocals * Efrem Martinez Schulz – Vocals

Discography

* ''The Menudo Incident'' (1995, Doctor Dream Records; Reissued in 2003,

Reissued Limited Edition Vinyl in 2018 Indecision Records) * ''The Recline of Mexican Civilization'' (2001, BYO Records) * ''Mijo Goes to Jr. College'' (2003, BYO Records) * ''Grupo Sexo'' (2005, BYO Records) * ''Back In Brown'' (2021)

References

External links

* Manic Hispanic at MySpace
MANIC HISPANIC , Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos
* Interview with Mad Ralphie and Ti

* Manic Hispanic at

, includes biograph
BYO RECORDS - Punk Since 1982 - Web.archive.org

Manic Hispanic
at AllMusic * Official Sit
manic-hispanic.com
{{Authority control Hardcore punk groups from California American supergroups BYO Records artists Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups disestablished in 2017 1992 establishments in California 2017 disestablishments in California Musical groups from Orange County, California