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Meet Richard Lamas of Rundown Kreeps in El Sereno

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Lamas.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The first time I ever performed live was when I was in middle school during a church festival. I remember my friends and myself practicing Metallica, Toy Dolls and Nekromantix songs in my buddy’s garage for hours to ensure that we wouldn’t fuck them up on the day of the show. I must’ve been around 12 or 13 at the time but I can recall walking off stage after our performance and already being itching to jump back onstage for another set. As time progressed, I began searching out of my comfort zone to find new music. Before that stage of my life I would listen to either whatever was playing at home, or what was on stations like KROQ & Jack FM. I grew up with a Metal-Head mother and a father who was into Punk Rock, Rockabilly and Hair Metal, but I also spent a good deal of my youth at my grandparents’ house where I was introduced to Corridos and Cumbia as well as Hip-Hop and Reggae from my uncle who had been living there at the time. Social Distortion, Dokken, Bob Marley, System Of A Down, Sublime, Rigo Tovar, The Beastie Boys, Jose Feliciano, Chet Atkins, Rage Against The Machine and many more awesome artists were constantly being played around me, which ultimately pointed me in the right direction of interesting sub genres of music that I could check out.

Psychobilly (for those who don’t know) is an upbeat mixture of Punk Rock and Rockabilly. It is also one of the main reasons I decided to pursue music. The first UNDERGROUD show that I ever attended was a show named Blockabilly. Now I emphasis UNDERGROUD because there is an extreme difference between going out and paying $45-$80+ a ticket to sit a mile away from the stage on an uncomfortable Edwards Cinema type of seat for $16 a beer, and paying $10-$18+ for a great intimate show, cheap beer, and a healthy network of friends who all know and support each other. But I digress, I attended Blockabilly to see one of my favorite Cumbiabilly bands The Moonlight Cruisers. Little did I know that I was also going to get my mind blown by live Psychobilly bands like Gamblers Mark, The Chop Tops, and Craic Haus. After that show I began listening to local music more than I did the radio or even some of the bands that I grew up listening to. I also started Rundown Kreeps in the following weeks and unfortunately lost a coin toss that made me the singer of the band. (jk, although true story :p)

The first gigs for Rundown Kreeps were in backyards and burlesque shows. This lead to me meeting Natasha Estrada AKA La Cholita, and after one gig of her doing guest vocals on a Sublime/No Doubt cover we decided to form a new band entirely named La Cholita & The Kreeps. This would ultimately yet unconsciously put Rundown Kreeps on the back burner for a few years, but it was definitely the best thing for me. At this period of my life I was about 16 or 17 and had only a tiny bit of self-taught experience under my belt. I saw the bigger picture of being in a band through La Cholita & The Kreeps. In the few years that La Cholkta & The Kreeps were active we were able to perform at venues such as The House Of Blues, we got to open as direct support for one of my favorite bands the Nekromantix, we performed at Viva Las Vegas, and we toured Europe. But as time progressed the band was seeming tedious and somewhat in the way of everyday life. We never officially broke up, but are definitely inactive at the moment.

When I got home from the La Cholita & The Kreeps European tour in September of 2012 I was arriving an 18-year-old high school graduate with no main focus on a band. In my head this was the perfect time to bring back Rundown Kreeps. We immediately hit the studio and recorded the “Breaking The Routine” E.P. I remember being extremely proud because I was finally able to hold in my hand a grouping of songs that were 100% originally me. It was after that recording that we began to perform live again and more frequently. We juggled it between our work and school schedules for the rest of the year until my good friend Bobby Sins from the punk band LFC tipped me off to an opportunity to tour for a month playing country music with the Carson band Straight Shooter, and I immediately jumped on the chance.

This is where the music game changed for me. At that point I had already been on tour before, but had never known what true professionalism was when doing so. Not to say that my prior tours were unprofessional, but I can recognize that I definitely was. I took mental notes until there was no more capacity for any sort of knowledge left in my brain. If it wasn’t for Tony Slash of The Rocketz, Horacio Perez of Straight Shooter and the rest of my brothers on the Trail Of Beers then I’m almost certain my band would be nonexistent.

As the years passed I stayed touring with Straight Shooter and became a full-time member. Rundown Kreeps is more active than ever and has been DIY touring a few times a year hitting places like Texas, Nevada (Viva Ska Radio!!!!), Hawaii, New Mexico, Washington (The Ska Mission/Punx In the Woods!), Oklahoma (Barkingham Palace!!!!) And more. Rundown Kreeps has also released its debut album in August of 2017 entitled “illside village” as a shoutout to the part of El Sereno we live in named “Hillside Village”. You can find the album on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube, Rhapsody, Google Play and more!

Music is fluid and has many forms suitable for many different opinions and tastes. If you are thinking about starting a band or are in a band and would like to tour then just do it. It truly is as easy as that. Write some music, practice nonstop, figure out a route and hit the road. Message promoters, contact other bands, and reach out to venues. Expect to lose money, expect to get 1 response for every 10 emails you send out, expect to have people not like you or your craft, but expect to have a great time. You control your future and the lessons you take from the experiences within it, so make the most of your time and do what you want.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road hasn’t been smooth but it also hasn’t been too rough. I don’t really have a struggle in mind that has affected my touring or band in a major way. Most of my struggles are personal and I guess you can say that it reflects in my craft itself. So in a weird way I benefit from struggle because it allows me the opportunity to view the hard times in a different perceptive and turn them into music. But struggle has never held me back from doing what I love, at least not yet. So I guess you could say that the road hasn’t always been the smoothest, but I’ve never backed down from moving forward.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Rundown Kreeps – what should we know?
Rundown Kreeps is a Los Angeles based band that formed in 2009. We make music and perform anywhere we can to share it. I like to think that our sound and hardcore DIY ethic is what sets us apart from other artists but that’s not really up to me to determine. There are many incredible bands with amazing tunes and hardworking self-sufficient ideology that deserve to be heard on the radio. I would like people to be more open minded and not settle for the music that is being straight fed to them. Give a local band a chance, listen to their music, go see them live, and if you’re a fan buy their merchandise and tell your friends what sets them apart from the others. Music can be interpreted in many different manners, and I’d be lying to you if I tried to explain an exact reason as to why I think my music sets me apart from anyone else.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My family & friends. There are way too many people to name individually, obviously my parents, immediate family, and the friends that I see on a weekly basis are number one on the list of people who deserve credit for being there for me through thick and thin. But if you know of us, have listened to our music, or seen us live, you deserve a massive thank you as well!

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Image Credit:
Richard Lamas
Steven Lamas
Alan Escobar
Francisco “El Vampiro” Gallegos

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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