THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE HOODLUM FRIENDS
The friends your mother warned you about.
"Sneaking out the back door
To hang out with those hoodlum friends of mine."
-- I Wish, song lyrics (Stevie Wonder)
Youtube video playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2PMqfAPyJTYGkm1pkJxDz4OhtJWyEQCf
PERFORMANCE SERVICES
Music is about engaging with an audience and connecting with a crowd. Allow us to take your event to the next level.
BOOKING: TheHoodlumFriends@gmail.com / Randy Parada 805-708-8303 / 805 968-3905​
"I've seen hoodlums like this before."
"What are they fighting about?"
"Don't know. Don't know themselves, probably..."
-- The Wild One (Film)
Bars and Clubs
We’ve got music in our bones. We play songs that most everyone knows and loves. Songs that you can't help but sing along with and that get people up and dancing!
Corporate Events and Private Parties
Make it a day your guests won’t soon forget. Enliven private parties with live music. For corporate events, strengthen the bonds between coworkers.
Wedding Receptions
Memorable events call for an unforgettable sound. Our musicians enliven the atmosphere and help you celebrate your special day.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
"Just tell your hoodlum friends outside,
you ain't got time to take a ride."
-- Yakity Yak, song lyrics (The Coasters)
Because no experience is complete without music
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RECENT PERFORMANCES
UNSOLICITED AUDIENCE COMMENTS:
"You guys are great. Felissimo! No. Really. You are good! Felissimo!"
"I thought I was hearing a Roy Orbison record playing. You sounded just like him!"
"You guys are such good musicians!"
"Fantastic set list! You rocked!"
"I love the Hoodlum Friends. I re-scheduled my shift just so I could hear them again."
-- Jim, Security, Cold Spring Tavern
"The music started simply. Just a bass, keyboard and rhythm guitar... like a rusty Squeezebox. And then suddenly high above it -- a lead guitar sweetened it with a surf riff of such delight! These Hoodlum Friends were no performing monkeys. This was cover band music like I have never heard. It seemed to me that I was hearing the voice of God..."
-- Antonio Salieri, 1775
A few of the Santa Barbara venues where The Hoodlum Friends have recently performed:
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Brick Barn Wine Estate, Buellton
Carr Winery
Cold Springs Tavern
Corner Tap Bar
Dargan's Irish Pub
Downtown Santa Barbara State Street Prominade
Figueroa Mountain Brewery
Hilton Garden Inn, Skyview Bistro & Bar (house band), Goleta
I Madonnari Festival
Institution Ale
Island Brewing Company
Lemon Festival, Goleta
M.Special Brewing, Goleta
M.Special Brewing, Santa Barbara
Night Lizard Brewing Co.
Nite Moves - Beach Concerts (Ledbetter Beach)
Old Town Coffee, Goleta
Pure Order Brewing Co.
Rincon Brewery, Ventura
Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club
Stearns Wharf, Santa Barbara
Stow House - Rancho La Patera, Goleta
Sunstone Winery, Santa Ynez
The Brewhouse
The Uptown Lounge
Winchester Grill & Saloon, Ventura -
Corporate events, private parties, and weddings
ABOUT THE BAND
Behind The Scenes
"You hoodlums don't own the streets!"
-- Schrank, West Side Story
The Hoodlum Friends is a Santa Barbara, CA based cover band that plays an eclectic variety of classic rock and alternative / modern / pop rock, folk rock, and surf instrumentals. They play songs that are immediately recognizable by most folks, capture attention, and are upbeat.
A few selections from their repertoire:
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CLASSIC '60s ROCK:
Miss You, Eight Days a Week, Help Me Rhonda, The Last Time, Roll Over Beethoven, I Saw Her Standing There, Not Fade Away, You Can`t Do That, Secret Agent Man, It's All Over Now, Not Fade Away, Revolution, Green River, Come On Let's Go, etc...
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ALTERNATIVE / MODERN / POP:
And She Was, Bang a Gong, Should I Stay or Should I Go?, Surrender, Jenny Jenny, Sweet Emotion, Runnin' Down a Dream, Already Gone, American Girl, Pretty Woman, Lonely Boy, White Wedding, Oye Como Va, The Waiting, My Best Friend's Girl, Go (Black Keys), Give Me All Your Lovin, Truckin, You Wreck Me, Tequila, Message in a Bottle, Take it Easy, Rocking in the Free World, I Love Rock and Roll, Surrender, Come As You Are, Welcome to Paradise, etc...
FOLK ROCK:
Mr. Tambourine Man, Eight Miles High, Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Feel a Whole Lot Better, Turn, Turn, Turn, etc...
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INSTRUMENTALS:
Walk Don't Run, Miserlou, Penetration, Baja, Pipeline, Mr. Moto, Wipeout, Surf Rider, Hawaii 5-O, Mission Impossible Theme, Peter Gunn theme, etc...
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Song covers by artist:
Aerosmith – Sweet Emotion
Astronauts – Baja
Beach Boys – Help me Rhonda / Surfin’ Safari
Beatles – I Saw her Standing There / Revolution / Come Together / You Can’t do That / Eight Days a Week / Roll Over Beethoven
Bel-Airs – Mr. Moto
Billy Idol – White Wedding
Black Keys – Lonely Boy / Go
Blur – Song 2
Bob Dylan – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Byrds – Mr. Tambourine Man / Turn Turn Turn / Feel a Whole lot Better
Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl
Champs – Tequila
Chantays – Pipeline
Cheap Trick – Surrender
Chuck Berry – Rock & Roll Music / Roll Over Beethoven
Clash – Should I Stay or Should I Go
Credence Clearwater Revival – Green River
Crowded House – Don’t Dream it’s Over
Darius Rucker – Wagon Wheel
David Lindley – Mercury Blues
Dick Dale – Misirlou / Let’s go Trippin’
Doors – Love me Two Times / Love her Madly
Dwight Yoakam – Fast as You
Eagles – Already Gone / Take it Easy
Grateful Dead – Truckin’ / Not Fade Away
Green Day - Welcome to Paradise
Henry Mancini – Peter Gunn
INXS – Devil Inside / Suicide Blonde
Joan Jett – I Love Rock & Roll
John Mellencamp – The Authority Song
Johnny Rivers – Secret Agent Man
Lalo Schifrin – Mission Impossible
Lemon Heads – Mrs. Robinson
Lively Ones – Surf Rider
Markettes – Out of Limits
Modern English – Melt with You
Muse - Uprising
Neil Young – Rockin’ in the Free World
Nirvana – Come as You Are
Police – Message in a Bottle
Pretenders – Back on the Chain Gang
Pyramids - Penetration
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dani California
Richie Valens – Come on let’s Go
Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love
REM – The One I Love
Rolling Stones – It’s All over Now / The Last Time / Miss You
Roy Orbison – Pretty Woman
Santana – Oye Como Va
Stevie Ray Vaughn – The House is Rockin’
Surfaris – Wipeout
Talking Heads – And She Was / Life During Wartime
Tokens – The Lion sleeps Tonight
Tommy Tutone – Jenny 867-5309
Tom Petty – American Girl / Runnin’ down a Dream / The Waiting / You Wreck Me / Listen to her Heart
T. Rex – Bang a Gong
UB40 – Red Red Wine
Ventures – Walk Don’t Run / Hawaii 5-0
Weezer – Island in the Sun
White Stripes – Seven Nation Army
ZZ Top – Gimme all Your Lovin’
BOOKING:
TheHoodlumFriends@gmail.com / Randy Parada 805-708-8303 / 805 968-3905
" ...you ain't sliding around with your 'ol white hoodlum friends" -- Aretha Franklin, in the film "Blues Brothers"
Michael Mills
Rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals
Michael grew up by the beach in Playa del Rey. He lived the life of a surfer in an Annette Funicello 'B' surf movie. Except when doing his Billy Idol impression, he is the absent-minded evolutionary psychology professor Hoodlum. Listen to some of his song covers.
Randy Parada
Lead guitar, vocals.
Randy grew up in the San Fernando Valley. His Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar is the coveted secret weapon of the band.  He memorizes good jokes. He is the easy going, quiet Hoodlum.
Lars Praiseman
Bass
Lars was famous as one of the original members of the band Hot Poop. They opened for a couple of even more famous bands at UCSB. As long as his golf game is going well, he is the optimistic Hoodlum.
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Barry Birmingham
Drums and percussion
Santa Barbara drum teacher and professional musician, Barry Birmingham started taking lessons and learning how to play drums at age 11 from many local teachers in the New York and Southern California areas. By the time he was in junior high and high school he was playing in concert bands, marching bands, jazz bands and playing in local rock cover bands. See: https://barrybirmingham.com/
