Along with X, Black Flag, Fear and the Circle Jerks, the savagely satirical Angry Samoans rode the first wave of Los Angeles punk. Formed in Van Nuys, California in the summer of 1978, the band was founded by singers and guitarists “Metal” Mike Saunders and Gregg Turner, a pair of erstwhile rock critics who previously teamed with fellow writer Richard Meltzer in the group Vom. After considering names like the Egyptians and the Eigen Vectors (a mathematical term—Turner later became a math professor), they settled on the Angry Samoans, enlisted Saunders’ brother Kevin on guitar, bassist Todd Homer and drummer Bill Vockeroth, and initially set out as a Dictators cover band.

Your dad’s favorite band. Tim Chavez - Guitar Joe Oesterreich - Bass John Bogusz - Drums

Rock n Roll from the region.  If you ain't got that wine, I ain't got the time...

Consisting of 4 old time pals who are no strangers to the Chicago music scene (Members of Mystery Actions, Bleach Party, Heart Shaped Hate, Absolutely Not, Youth Dekay), they decided to whip up some raucous tunes of their own and hit the ground running. VANG!'s music is a hodge podge of genres and influences spanning across this diverse lineup's previous musical ventures.