June 21, 2024 (Los Angeles, CA) – Angeleño band Carnage Asada are an integral part of the tapestry and history of the Los Angeles punk scene. Featuring members who’ve done time in bands such as Legal Weapon, Saccharine Trust, Alice Bag Band and the BellRays their pedigree is indisputable. With a new album titled, Head On A Platter, slated for worldwide release August 23, 2024 (Historical Records), the band is ready for their next chapter of history making.
“Carnage Asada started as a solid, straightforward, intense punk outfit, but they have evolved into a complex, energetic punk jazz orchestra,” says Alice Bag (Alice Bag Band). Watch their 30 Year Retrospective, filmed live at Art Share in downtown Los Angeles in early 2024 HERE. “The reason I am still playing music is because I am still playing music with my friends” says cellist Dave Travis. “Adding trumpet and woodwinds to the guitar, cello, bass string section made my punk orchestra dreams come true.”
The three founding members in this line-up (David Jones, George Murillo, Dave Travis,) originally coalesced in the early 1980s while attending junior high school together, bonding over punk rock bands like Black Flag, X, and The Germs. By 1993, Carnage Asada was officially formed. The band has gigged regularly since then playing virtually every legendary L.A. venue including Al’s Bar, Mr. T’s Bowl, Bar Deluxe, and Travis’ many self-produced stages including early generator parties and the club he owned called Café NELA (2013-2019). The group has been featured in the L.A.Weekly, The L.A. Beat, Flipside, Sparkplug Magazine, Razorcake and more. They appeared in the 2018 documentary Tales of the American about the history of Al’s Bar and the American Hotel. The band’s infamous name even earned an entry into the Urban Dictionary online which reads: “Punk band from Los Angeles 1994-present. Features George Murillo, ‘the Mexican Lou Reed’ on vocals.”
Carnage Asada emerged from the pandemic with a new single produced by Geza X titled, “Chinese Lady Aluminum Foil/Little Fat Princess.” “Carnage Asada has a long history in Los Angeles,” says Geza. “They are one of the most original sounding bands I’ve ever worked with. Their one of a kind mashup of street poetry, psychedelia, and dada, augmented by a thunderous rock beat, tears up the stage everywhere they play, and is an instant crowd pleaser.”
Head On A Platter was recorded at Wasatch Studios in Los Angeles, California, and engineered by David O. Jones and his son Sebastian Jones. Frontman and lyricist George Murillo explains the title, Head On A Platter, saying: “We, humans, have become so de-sensitized to violence and violent images. Now it’s okay to see a decapitated head on a platter and think, ‘Oh well, that’s normal.’ Death has become a cartoon. ‘The normalcy of death and violence.’”
The band has shared the stage with acts such as Saccharine Trust, Mecolodiacs, Fatso Jetson, Backbiter, Mike Watt, the Gears, Legal Weapon, Sylvia Juncosa, and Cliff Roman’s Weirdos. Carnage Asada will appeal to fans of The Minutemen, James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Black Flag, The Stooges, Hawkwind, Captain Beefheart, War and The Mothers of Invention. They have multiple Southern California shows booked for summer and fall 2024.
Carnage Asada performance itinerary (more dates TBA):
Sunday, July 14 at Harvelle’s in Santa Monica, CA
Saturday, July 20 at Tower Bar in San Diego, CA
Friday, August 23 at Anna Broome Room/Artshare in Los Angeles, CA / Record Release Party
Friday, August 30 at Supply and Demand (opening for The Zeros) in Long Beach, CA
Head On A Platter track listing:
1. Black Trench Coat
2. Chinese Lady Aluminum Foil
3. Head on a Platter
4. Little Fat Princess
5. Psychedelic Experiment
6. Germs Reborn
7. Norteño
8. Come on Baby
9. Listen to the Whispers
10. Septiembre
11. Two Little Brothers from East L.A.
12. Blood of Thorns
Carnage Asada is:
Tony Fate – Guitar
David O. Jones – Bass
George Murillo – Vocals
Steve Reed – Drums
Dave Travis – Cello
Visit Carnage Asada online:
Left to right: Tony Fate, guitar; Steve Reed, drums; George Murillo (front middle kneeling) lyrics and vocals; Dave Travis cello; David O. Jones, bass. Band photo by Anthony Solis.