LA Drugz

L.A. Drugz are Justin Maurer, Cezar Mora, James Carman & Johnny "JD" Reyes. These nogoodniks are members of other bands too. Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Maniac, Images & Bad Machine. They don't read Rimbaud. They breathe Rock 'N Roll. LA Drugz are an LA story. The band formed in Los Angeles as the brainchild of Justin Maurer, the front man of Portland Oregon's Clorox Girls for nearly a decade. He continued to write songs as the final lineup of Clorox Girls disbanded. Read more on Last.fm …read full bio

L.A. Drugz are Justin Maurer, Cezar Mora, James Carman & Johnny "JD" Reyes. These nogoodniks are members of other bands too. Clorox Girls, Suspect Parts, Maniac, Images & Bad Machine. They don't read Rimbaud. They breathe Rock 'N Roll. LA Drugz are an LA story. The band formed in Los Angeles as the brainchild of Justin Maurer, the front man of Portland Oregon's Clorox Girls for nearly a decade. He continued to write songs as the final lineup of Clorox Girls disbanded. His particular blend of 60s pop and LA punk eventually became LA Drugz songs. Maurer was born in LA and came of age in the Pacific Northwest, cutting his teeth on local punk rock in Seattle and Portland. His father, a dental supply salesman and former musician, gave his son his 1970s Remo drum kit to bang on in the garage when it was rainy out. His uncle John, who regaled him with tales of hitchhiking to see The Who in the 70s, showed him a few chords on the guitar and he was well on his way. Maurer's mother is completely deaf and allowed him to throw punk rock shows in their basement. He began touring at the age of 15, and with Clorox Girls he released 3 albums and 10 singles. Clorox Girls toured the world, fostering a dedicated fanbase in South America and Europe. When the band broke up he lived and worked in Madrid and London where he toured and released records with bands like Red Dons, Mano De Mono, Role Models and Suspect Parts. At 27 years old he found himself down and out in Los Angeles looking for another musical project. Maurer met lead guitarist and angel-voiced backing vocalist Cezar Mora when living down in Long Beach. They shared enthusiasm for the Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Arthur Lee & Love, early LA punk and old country music. Mora played lead guitar in the final lineup of Clorox Girls and along with Maurer, intended to form a Beach Boys cover band in Spanish. Both are fluent in Spanish, Maurer from his days living in Madrid and touring South America, Mora from his Mexican-born father and extended family. Mora had some connections in the Latino low-rider world and believed they could make a living performing at classic car shows. When learning and singing an entire set of Beach Boys covers in Spanish proved too difficult, Maurer and Mora decided to form a new band. Cezar Mora grew up in North Long Beach and attended Jordan High School - a rough and tumble school rife with gang activity. The school's mascot is a Black Panther. He lived down the street from rapper Snoop Dogg and as a kid he was often asked directions to Snoop's house by carloads full of black teenagers trying to locate a party. Local gangs recruited Cezar, but he declined their advances, deciding to pursue music instead. He formed The Switchups and later The Bad Machine before joining forces with Maurer in LA Drugz. James Carman was born and raised in the South Bay neighborhood of Carson - a working class neighborhood bordering Compton, Torrance, Long Beach and San Pedro. Carman's father, a cabdriver, met his mother while serving in the Navy, stationed in The Philippines. Carman's older brother was active in a local gang and in a revenge-based incident, a rival gang performed a drive-by shooting directed at the Carman family home. Carman had to change high schools when his older brother's gang rivals put a hit out on him. Carman's offense was being a younger brother of a prominent gang member. After serving prison time, his brother gave up gang banging, and this in part encouraged Carman to follow music. He formed the band Images, strongly influenced by UK punk and power pop. Images gained the attention of The Buzzcocks' US management and they found themselves opening for the Buzzcocks on a west coast tour at 14 years old. Clorox Girls played with Images in San Pedro and Maurer was impressed with Carman's drumming and singing. They got along and agreed to collaborate together. Johnny "JD" Reyes was born to a Filipino family in Orange County. He was a childhood friend of Carman's and played bass in the original lineup of Images. He grew up a fan of British music like Oasis, Smiths, Johnny Marr and The Buzzcocks. When he auditioned for the band on bass, he showed up with a bright yellow "Orgasm Addict" t-shirt and after a few songs, the guys agreed to add him on bass. Now what to call it? In the dreaded "band name conversation," Maurer mentioned that the best music was like a drug and Carman suggested "The Drugs" as a band name. Maurer liked the name of 80s band "LA Guns" so suggested "LA Drugs." When it was discovered a band called LA Drugs existed from Boston, they decided to change the spelling to LA Drugz as an homage to 70s East LA punk band The Plugz. After a slew of Westcoast dates, Portland, Oregon's Hovercraft Records released their debut 12" EP in 2013 and they have US and European tours slated in 2014. The title track "Outside Place" was featured in Hollywood film "The Lifeguard." And so they are born. They're an L.A. band with an L.A. story, an L.A. band of mixed race and ages. They are a unique breed of a high-octane L.A. punk/60s pop super group who bring the past and present into a beautiful battering ram. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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…shrink me down again