Covered in body piercings, colorful tattoos, bleached hair, and Mohawks, the boys of the pop-punk band Sugarcult, and special guest Hanging on Halos rocked out in front of Plaza Del Sol at CSUN for a free concert on Nov. 21.
The Santa Barbara based band Sugarcult, which formed in 1998, consists of vocalist and guitarist Tim Pagnotta, guitarist Marko DeSantis, bassist Arin Older and drummer Kenny Livingston.
As Pagnotta watched Hanging on Halos perform, he talked about his childhood fear of Mohawks.
“Dudes with Mohawks scare me,” he said referring to a member of Hanging on Halos. “When I was younger, the football players who used to bully me would have Mohawks. It brings back bad memories. But, as for the band, I’m definitely feelin’ it.”
Although Sugarcult’s album “Lights Out,” was released in 2006, Pagnotta said he loves to perform the newest single “Los Angeles,” as well as hits from the band’s previous records.
“My favorite song to perform is ‘Pretty Girl (The Way),'” said Pagnotta. “Because it makes all the emo boys cry.”
The band’s 2002 single “Pretty Girl (The Way),” from their 2001 album “Start Static,” became a radio favorite.
“The song is also going to be in a commercial next month,” he said. “You wouldn’t think it would take nine years for people to get into our music, but it has.”
But Pagnotta is appreciative for the support Sugarcult fans continue to provide.
“It’s awesome. I haven’t kept friends of mine as long as some of the fans we have,” said Pagnotta. “It’s like sticking by a TV show and watching reruns. And, it just gets better and better for those fans. I mean, I’m not saying we’re a rerun per say.”
After Hanging on Halos performed, Sugarcult took the stage and their humor kicked into full gear.
“Thank-you for letting us invade your lunchtime. It must be hard to be here with cheap corn dogs and hot pockets 10 feet away,” said Pagnotta.
The first song the band performed, “Memory,” was off their 2004 album “Palm Trees and Power Lines.”
Then, Pagnotta instructed the audience to sit down and quickly stand back up after he sang the chorus.
“When I sing the chorus, all you little bastards stand up. If you jump up at the wrong time, someone might sock you,” joked Pagnotta.
After the band performed “Bouncing Off the Walls,” Pagnotta urged fans to attend their upcoming concert in December.
“Come see us for Christmas. There won’t be a food court though. But, there will be a lot of satanic activities going on that night. So, come see us, forget where you’re from and shake your ass,” he said.
“I have been a Sugarcult fan for four or five years. Tim is so hot. And, the music is really catchy. When I want to be hyper, I just put on their music,” said sophomore Jessica Moran, who attended the event.
During the opening act, the Redondo based band Hanging for Halos, informed the crowd that this would be their drummer, Bryan Russak’s, final show.
Russak, who is also a CSUN student, is moving to Orange County, and will attend California State University Fullerton next semester.
When asked which drummer he is most influenced by, Russak quickly said former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker.
“Because he’s got a lot of tattoos. No, I’m kidding. It’s because he’s a really great drummer and you just can’t dispute that,” said Russak, who is a junior Sociology major.
Sugarcult will perform at the House of Blues in Anaheim on Dec. 20 and will be on tour in Australia in February and March 2008.
