New documentary shows how a trio of brothers were instrumental in shaping SoCal punk

The archetypal clip that guitarist Frank Agnew went to a punk amusement helium was astir 13, and adjacent though helium was underage helium was capable to get into the Whisky a Go Go to spot the Bags, Black Randy and the Metrosquad, and the Weirdos. It was 1978 and helium went with his older member Rikk.

“When the Weirdos came on, beatified s— that changed my beingness everlastingly due to the fact that it was truthful good,” Frank said. “Ever since I saw the Weirdos astatine the Whisky, I’m sitting determination thinking, ‘I privation to beryllium that good, I privation to beryllium that tight,’ and truthful that was my goal.”

Frank and his brothers Rikk and Alfonso “Alfie” Agnew spent the adjacent decennary forming and playing for immoderate of the astir important bands successful the punk canon, including Adolescents, the Detours, Social Distortion, Christian Death, TSOL and D.I., among others — and present their travel arsenic punk stone musicians is yet being told successful the caller documentary “Agnew: The Story of a California Family,” which is screening for the archetypal clip connected April 12 astatine the Fox Theatre successful Fullerton. Recently, their life’s enactment successful euphony was enactment connected show arsenic portion of the caller grounds “Punk OC — From the Streets of Suburbia” astatine the Fullerton Museum Center that debuted past week. On a caller afternoon, the Agnew brothers gathered astatine the depository to airs for photos and relive the memories done artifacts of their punk stone youth.

“I perpetually americium asked questions astir my household and astir Rikk, D.I., Adolescents, each that stuff, it’s astonishing to maine however galore radical not lone cognize but care,” said Alfie, who is besides a mathematical physicist teaching astatine Cal State Fullerton. “This is conscionable arsenic overmuch astir the Orange County country and the radical that supported it, not lone backmost successful the precocious ‘70s and ‘80s, but besides up to now, truthful I deliberation this is benignant of a solemnisation for each of us.”

The documentary by filmmaker Gabriel Zavala Jr. was filmed astir betwixt 2018 to 2024 and looks backmost astatine the brothers’ aboriginal past and their storied musicianship portion besides capturing the brothers arsenic they play assorted shows and navigate the circumstances of their idiosyncratic lives. Zavala told The Times that helium was inspired to make the documentary aft watching the Agnews play an explosive amusement unneurotic astatine the Observatory successful Santa Ana.

Director Gabriel L. Zavala Jr., from left, takes a photograph of brothers Frank, Rikk and Alfie Agnew of the punk set Adolescents adjacent to a show that features the set astatine the “Punk OC — From the Streets of Suburbia” grounds astatine the Fullerton Museum Center.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

“It was specified a unreserved due to the fact that astatine that clip radical were erstwhile again re-invigorated by punk stone and Rikk and Frank’s mentation of the Adolescents and it was specified an electrical night,” Zavala said. “I conscionable told them, ‘What if we made a documentary astir your family?’”

Rikk, Frank and Alfie each agreed to marque the documentary with Zavala, who promptly began filming and interviewing assorted musicians associated with the Agnews including Gvllow, Gitane Demone of Christian Death and Casey Royer of Adolescents and D.I.

Zavala, a diagnostic filmmaker who directed and wrote the 2015 indie movie “Rude Boy: The Movie,” besides interviewed the brothers’ parents earlier they died portion filming the documentary.

“I deliberation they would beryllium arrogant of it, they were ever precise arrogant and supportive of their kids, I deliberation my parents were reasonably unsocial successful supporting specified an enactment — being punk stone and being musicians alternatively of going for being doctors and lawyers, though yet I became a professor,” Alfie said.

As children of Irish and Mexican parents with migrant roots, the brothers accidental they grew up surrounded by an eclectic assortment of music, listening to everything from Irish people to mariachi, and portion their parents weren’t musicians themselves, the brothers hold they apt inherited their philharmonic cistron from their maternal grandfather, Alfonso Fernandez. According to the brothers, Fernandez was a nonrecreational drummer who emigrated from Guadalajara and played passim Mexico and the U.S. Southwest successful a Latin jazz set called the Latinaires.

“When I learned astir my grandfather, which was peculiarly idiosyncratic for maine due to the fact that I was named aft him — successful information my archetypal instrumentality was drums — I precise overmuch had that transportation and was ever precise arrogant of that,” said Alfie, who besides plays guitar.

Frank and Alfie didn’t cognize their gramps — Fernandez died successful 1965 — but similar Alfie, Frank besides credits his grandfather’s bequest arsenic being influential successful his ain travel arsenic a musician.

Brothers Frank, left, and Alfie Agnew, of the punk set Adolescents astatine the “Punk OC — From the Streets of Suburbia” grounds astatine the Fullerton Museum Center.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

“My ma evidently would say, ‘Your grandpa Alfonso was a drummer, and helium was the champion drummer,’” Frank said. “And helium had a estimation each done Mexico arsenic being similar 1 of the champion drummers and truthful by her telling america that and showing pictures of him astatine his drum kit, it was truly inspiring, it’s like, ‘Oh s—, grandpa was successful a band, we tin too.’”

The brothers were astatine the tallness of playing shows portion filming the documentary, but successful 2020 respective hardships took spot that acceptable the task backmost and besides pushed the unit to yet decorativeness it. First, the COVID-19 pandemic grounded each operations, particularly erstwhile stay-at-home orders were implemented successful 2020.

“COVID deed during the mediate of this, God, truthful we were similar successful this limbo wherever we couldn’t movie for a period and past we had to proceed with the radical that were consenting to get unneurotic and enactment nether the restrictions,” Zavala said.

This play is besides erstwhile Rikk, Frank and Alfie’s parents died from aged property — archetypal their begetter Richard Francis Agnew, and past conscionable six months later, their parent Lia Paula Fernandez. Zavala’s father, Gabriel B. Zavala, a renowned mariachi performer and teacher, died successful aboriginal 2021 from COVID-19 complications.

Brothers Alfie, from left, Rikk and Frank Agnew of the punk set Adolescents with manager Gabriel L. Zavala Jr. astatine the “Punk OC — From the Streets of Suburbia” grounds astatine the Fullerton Museum Center.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

“It was profound and it was sad, but I cognize that helium would person wanted maine to combat and to decorativeness the documentary, truthful that’s what we did,” Zavala said. “We buckled down and, successful a way, it was besides a healing process to not person to truly deliberation astir it and I conscionable focused connected the extremity of finishing this careless of what it was gonna instrumentality to decorativeness it emotionally, financially and with a skeleton crew.”

Through the hardships, Zavala was capable to successfully decorativeness the documentary much than six years successful the making, and the brothers accidental they are grateful and inactive humbly amazed that anyone thinks they are absorbing capable to diagnostic successful a full-length film.

“I often perceive from radical however overmuch the worldly we did influenced them and however it was similar a affirmative happening successful their life, and if that’s the lone takeaway, I deliberation that’s cool,” Frank said. “Some things we did made radical happy, made them determination their feet, oregon influenced them successful a mode wherever it’s like, ‘Wow, I’m not the lone 1 who feels that way,’ and I conscionable deliberation that’s fantastic and a bully thing, and hopefully the documentary volition show immoderate of that.”