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A band chooses a name to conjure up a description of itself to the outside world. Last Gang In Town chose the most appropriate moniker of all.

Formed at the end of 2001 in Miami, Florida, the group plays a driving blend of punk and rock n’ roll that’s fast becoming obsolete among the current wash of soggy emo bands and monotone pseudo rap rock groups.

That this plucky trio would form in the bowls of trendy Miami, the current sun and fun glamour hotspot of the world, makes them even more of an endangered species But LGIT are an unlikely mix.

Take the sons of two Cuban refugee families, one a wizened vet of the punk underground scene that reverberated in the USA during the Reagan years, the other an upstart who started his music career at the age 14. Mix with a Peruvian expat drummer, and you have LGIT- a blend of the best of British 70s punk and good old fashioned American rock’n’roll,.

They’re not just a band. Last Gang In Town are modern day descendants of Don Quixote, set loose in the New World, lancing at the current decrepit music scene in the same manner that their forebear lanced against windmills back in the Old Country.

Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Victor Garcia-Rivera lanced at windmills of his own back in the days when Hair Metal bands ruled supreme, forming seminal Cincinnati punk band The Edge, who later moved to Boston and released future Ebay collectible recordings on the Throbbing Lobster and Smear record labels.

In the 90s, when grunge took over the New World Order of music, he formed Spanish punk band Arranca, ruffling the feathers of both pro and anti-Castro Cubans with the release of the concept album “Exile On Pain Street”. He relocated to Miami, Florida shortly before that band dissolved.

In Miami, he joined forces with bassist George Rodriguez, a Hialeah teenager whose grandfather, Guillermo Rodriguez Feiffe, composed the classic Cuban tune “La Negra Tomasa”. George picked up the bass when he heard recordings by bands such as the Misfits, Sex Pistols, and the Buzzcocks, all bands whose glory days expired long before he was born. He started touring and recording in bands with Victor when just barely entering high school.

In spite of the generation gap, both musicians had much in common- raised in the USA by parents who fled Castro’s Cuba, yet totally out of synch with their Cuban American compatriots in musical tastes and lifestyles. Their inspiration came from across the seas, as well as from the island of their parents. The isle of Britain and its musical revolution of 1977 became their guiding light.

George and Victor formed the band Newport Gestapo in 2000, touring around the state of Florida and recording a demo. That group disbanded at the end of the following year with the departure of their drummer, and the 2 musicians decided to regroup with a more powerful, direct approach. They just had to find the missing piece of the puzzle.

An ad in a record store bought a call from recently arrived Peruvian immigrant Jamyl D’Angelo. Jamyl shared the same musical influences as Victor and George. Growing up in Peru he listened to British punk bands and jammed with friends, but couldn’t find any fellow Peruvian musicians with the same passion. His answer: Move North! Jamyl responded to Victor and George’s ad, and LGIT was legit! The trio quickly jelled.

George took a sabbatical from the music scene in 2003 when he went up north to complete his university studies and travel the globe, but returned in 2007 to reunite with the other 2 original members.

Last Gang In Town has songs with melody, but there is power and joy behind the tunes. The songs of LGIT are not the feeble exercises in self pity shared by the emo and rap rock bands that are all the rage, but a celebration of being unique in a mass market world. One of their strengths is their well-constructed songs. Between the extensive back catalog of songs that Garcia-Rivera has amassed over the years, along with the songs that he and protégé Rodriguez have written in the past 6 years, there’s enough material in their repertoire to release a box set. Some quotes from their lyrics tell their story better than anyone could:

“I don’t fit in, I deviate. Forbidden to participate” [Justice And Revenge]

“Make it past the bouncer if you have clout -power and money is what it’s all about in Miami” [Sobe]

“The real world- it does not welcome you- you orbit in its sphere, but escape its pull- it does not let you in, you do not fit in” [Parasitic Friend]

“Pack your bags, go hit the street- marginalized, you’re obsolete” [Marginalized]

“I walk these streets alone, these streets are now my home. If you look into my eyes, you might feel terrorized” [Destitute]

“What did I do to deserve this fate, to feel the wrath of society’s hate? I followed my conscience and did what’s right, and here I am in an endless night” [Endless Night]

“I’m not the lowest denominator, I won’t submit to the assimilator” [I Can’t Take It Anymore]

Lest you get the impression from the above lyrics that the band are a bunch of serious mopes, don’t be fooled- all the above songs are leavened with a dollop of wry humor, irony, and sarcasm. LGIT pokes fun at both itself and at the world around them. Take a gander at the words from “Goodbye 182”, their “ode” to pop punk darlings Blink 182:

“In the blink of an eye, you’ll be gone- “Where Are They Now?” on VH1, Goodbye 182! Fifteen minutes past, now be gone- let the clock start at 15:01, Goodbye 182!” [Since this song was written, the Blink boys have indeed bid their adieu!]

Last Gang In Town may not have their 15 minutes of fame, but that’s not their game. They’d rather have 15 years of being infamous. Listen to their music. Go see their shows. You too will join the Last Gang!