For those unaware, Cruzados are excited and busily gearing up to release their long awaited and much anticipated third album, a collection of 11, all new original songs titled She’s Automatic! to be released August 13th, 2021 on Cruzados co-founder bassist/songwriter Tony Marsicos imprint Scamco; an LP edition will follow in the fall.

Recorded in Los Angeles in the winter of 2021, the new album promises to deliver the bands signature rock and roll sound and spirit that first put Cruzados on the map some 30 years ago.

The bands new lineup features the aforementioned Tony Marsico, vocalist Ron Young (Little Caesar), guitarist Loren Molinare (The Dogs), guitarist Mark Tremalgia and drummer Rob Klonel.

The album includes guests performances by John Doe (X), Dave Alvin (The Blasters), David Hildago and Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), Gia Ciambotti (Bruce Springsteen), Melanie Vammen (The Pandoras), Greg Kuehn (TSOL), Jimmy Z (Rod Stewart), Buck Johnson (Aerosmith), Janelle Frese and Bill Maresh.

Signed by record executive Clive Davis, Cruzados released their debut album Cruzados (1985) and After Dark(1987) on Arista Records spawning the singles and videos Motorcycle Girl and Bed of Lies which quickly became MTV favorites and chart toppers - with the latter single reaching the #4 position on the Billboard chart in 1987.

The Cruzados original songs and fan favorites in their live shows would eventually find their way into blockbuster motion pictures such as Roadhouse, From Dusk Till Dawn, Desperado, Gun Men, El Mariachi among others. (The Cruzados would appear as themselves in the hit motion picture Roadhouse as well).

Cruzados hit the road hard touring worldwide between the years of 1985 and 1989 performing at every dive bar and over the top stadium show in its path.

The band shared the bill with a wide variety of diverse groups such as Fleetwood Mac, Joe Walsh, Billy Idol, Warren Zevon, Stevie Wonder, INXS, Joe Cocker to REM and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

After two albums and endless tours the band called it quits. Front man/vocalist Tito Larriva would go on to act in motion pictures as well as form his own band Tito and Tarantula where original Cruzados guitarist Steve Hufsteter would join him as part of his touring band

Cruzados drummer Chalo Quintana would go on to tour with Bob Dylan, Social Distortion, Cracker and Izzy Stradlin. Cruzados guitarist Marshall Rohner would also Join Social Distortion. Bassist Tony Marsico would go on to play with Tito and Tarantula, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Roger Daltrey, and Marianne Faithfull.

This album is dedicated to the memory of our fallen Cruzados brothers Chalo Quintana and Marshall Rohner, whom without them Cruzados would not exist, the band explain.

Their spirit and dedication to rock and roll will live on forever in the music that they helped to create.

1. On The Tilt A Whirl
2. Across This Ghost Town
3. Nine Million Tears
4. She’s Automatic
5. Son Of The Blues
6. Sad Sadie
7. Long Black Car
8. Let Me Down
9. Wing And A Prayer
10. 54 Knockouts
11. Rock That Boat

Opening on the drum-led, mid-tempo rockers On The Tilt A Whirl and the earnest Across This Ghost Town, next up is the foot-stomping brilliance of Nine Million Tears, the gently raucous, hand jive-imbibed She’s Automatic, and then we get both the foot-tapping, ZZ Top-imbued Son Of The Blues and the lonesome ballad Sad Sadie.

Up next is one of my own personal favorites, the melodic rocker Long Black Car and that is followed by the old school rock ’n’ roll ambiance of Let Me Down, which in turn is backed by the buoyantly bullish rocking duo of Wing And A Prayer and 54 Knockouts, before the album comes to a close on the harmonica-driven, cagey rocker Rock That Boat.

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020 and the enforced solitude that followed, Marsico began to contemplate a new project under the Cruzados handle.

Being penned up with the pandemic at home for a year, I started questioning my mortality, he says. I felt like I got shortchanged with the Cruzados. We never got to put out a third album, due to a lot of crazy circumstances that cropped up.

I wanted to do the band justice and go out on a high note. That was my goal, and to pay tribute to Chalo and Marshall.

Material for a new Cruzados release came quickly. I wrote a batch of new songs during the pandemic at home, Marsico recalls. I had a lot of frustration and anger that I had to get out of me. Before I knew it I had an album.

There was not any big plan. I just felt motivated to do something more constructive than sit around being miserable about the state of the world.

Songs co-written with former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Rick Vito (Long Black Car) and veteran blues keyboardist Barry Goldberg (Son of the Blues) were also brought to the table. I had always wanted to get those out, because we’d never properly released them, Marsico says.