Edgy SOUNDS, edgy STRATEGY
Jenny Marder
Mike Petrus, drummer for the Huntington Beach-based pop-punk band the
Put-Ons, will never forget the day he got his first drum set.
“It was phenomenal,” said Petrus, who was 10. “I went bezerk ... I
said I really want to do this and I’ve been doing it non-stop.”
Nineteen years later, his passion for music hasn’t faded.
Petrus, 29, David Pedroza, 28, Nat Hall, 26 and Shawn Munoz, 21
formed the Put-Ons in 2000. Their sound is raw and edgy. Their
influences are classic -- the Sex Pistols, the Cars, the Clash and
the Ramones. And they do everything they can to avoid alienating punk
rockers too young to get into 18-and-over bars.
Since this young crowd makes up much of its fan-base, the Put-Ons
have made a name for themselves by venturing beyond the traditional
venue and performing instead in spaces open to all ages.
“The city is pretty strict on underage people going to see live
entertainment,” said Pedroza, the Put-Ons singer and guitarist.
“There’s not a lot of venues for underage people.”
Like most bands, they play at local Surf City clubs and bars, like
the Liquid Lounge, the Liquid Den and Gallagher’s Pub and Grill, but
have also performed at the Buena Park Mall, the Block at Orange and
the Fullerton Train Station. They are currently setting up a gig at
Surf City’s Marina High School.
“We play to both ends of the spectrum,” Petrus said. “The 18 and
over are into more hard rock and hard punk. The younger crowd is more
into the poppier stuff.”
The band has been compared to the Buzzcocks, Generation X and the
Jams.
“We’re the band that plays outside of the box,” Pedroza said.
“There are so many bands that we’ve got to do something different
that stands out.”
They applaud bands like the Strokes, the White Stripes and the
Vines, who have made it to the mainstream airwaves, despite a raw,
often unpolished garage sound.
“The kind of bands I totally dig are the ones that stand out from
the pack,” Petrus said.
While the Put-Ons have received little radio attention in the
states, European stations have been picking up their tunes.
“We think because it has a raw quality and a spontaneous sound,
kids, especially in high school, are responding to that.” Pedroza
said.
And in a city where extreme sports, like surfing, skateboarding
and motocross are king, the band is hoping that their Huntington
Beach audience will continue to expand.
“Generally people into those sports like fast aggressive music,”
Pedroza said.
For more information on the Put-Ons, log onto
https://www.theputons.com.
* JENNY MARDER covers City Hall. She can be reached at (714)
965-7173 or by e-mail at jenny.marder@latimes.com.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.