| Strongarm and the Bullies | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Genres | Punk, hardcore punk, Oi! |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Rebellion Records Holland, Destructive Productions |
| Associated acts | Street Dogs, The Business (band) |
| Website | [1] |
| Members | |
| Erick Barnes Jared Tomlin Chalon Kashai Otis Manning Caleb Davis |
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| Past members | |
| Michael Betz Johnny Smothers Rick Ashton Zac Tonic Dunham |
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Strongarm and the Bullies [1] is a Los Angeles area Streetpunk band and recording artists. They infuse a strong Blues sound into their Punk Rock style, and were shown performing in the 2009 film Punk's Not Dead.
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“Marooned on the Japanese island of Okinawa in 1998, three wayward rockers developed a bond through music and alcohol-fueled mischief,” is how founding member and guitar player Jared Tomlin describes the band’s beginning on their website.
The three founding members of this California based Oi! band did meet on Okinawa in 1998. Erick Barnes was an active-duty U.S. Marine stationed at Camp Hansen, while Rick Ashton and Tomlin were teenage children of U.S. Marines stationed on the island.
Originally, they performed a mix of punk rock covers and original songs as The Brothels, often playing to both Japanese and military crowds in the Gate 2 District of Okinawa. During 2001, all three returned to the U.S. and eventually regrouped in the Los Angeles area. In early 2002, they began to perform their brand of heavily blues-influenced streetpunk.
Strongarm and the Bullies consistently played shows in Southern California from early 2002 to February 2007, with several regional tours through California, Arizona and Nevada. They recorded and distributed a self-released five-song CD/EP in 2002, were featured on a compilation CD from the magazine Loud Fast Rules,[2] and on the Backstreets of American Oi!, vol. 2 compilation. In 2005, the band signed on with Rebellion Records Holland to release their debut full-length CD “You Had It Coming”, and also had the lead track on Rebellion’s punk rock tribute to Johnny Cash compilation covering “Don’t Take Your Guns to Town”. Their most recent recording was done in early 2007, just days before Barnes, the band’s singer, left for a 12-month tour in Iraq.
The band became a staple in the Southern California streetpunk scene, performing at venues like The Knitting Factory, Anarchy Library and The Glass House, and with many popular bands like The Templars, Street Dogs, The Business, Aggrolites, The Briggs, Funeral Dress, Beerzone, Roger Miret and the Disasters, Hudson Falcons, Pressure Point, Iron Cross, The Agitators, The Briefs, Reducers SF, The Generators, Whiskey Rebels, The Voids, Resilience, Angel City Outcasts, Rat City Riot, Born To Lose, Flatfoot 56, and The Boils. They are also shown in the 2009 film Punk's Not Dead performing at the infamous Drunk Tank in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California.
Strongarm and the Bullies performed at the East Coast Oi! Fest in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in May 2008 after Barnes returned from Iraq. Although group members now live in various parts of the U.S., the band continues to reunite and perform in Los Angeles annually.