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.