Los Crudos were a Latin hardcore band from Chicago that ripped and thrashed through the 90s. I forget exactly how I was introduced to Los Crudos but it was probably one of the million (or so it seemed) compilations that they were a part of.

What turned me on the most to Los Crudos was the intensity of their recordings and the fact that the members were Latin and sung in Spanish. I am Puerto Rican, but was raised mostly in an English speaking household and had mostly white friends. So being able to identify with my ethnicity, especially through the punk rock culture was something that was exciting to me as a teenager.

I was lucky enough to see Los Crudos play a few times in my life. Once at a festival in Columbus, Ohio and another time at this house party I threw in Central Florida. Which was also last show my high school band, Kills Competition, ever played.

I know some have given me crap about the bands that I have been posting on lately for Emonday as not being “emo” but you have to remember that the original idea of “emo” (although sometimes looked down upon by people in the scene back then) was of “emo(tional) hardcore” and it’s vastly changed since then. This distinction separated (and came into conflict) with a lot of the “tough-guy” hardcore acts of the day. These bands would have a 15 minute set of blasting intensity after which they would spend another 15 minutes talking about animal rights, political prisoners, woman’s issues, etc, etc, in-between their usual minute long songs

There are a ton of other video footage of Los Crudos on YouTube and you can also get their full discography online.

- Twerps!