Santa Cruz is a Finnish hard rock band formed in 2007 in Helsinki by Archie Cruz and Johnny Parkkonen. The band's music has appeared in TV commercials for Mercedes-Benz and in sports compilations on ESPN. Vocalist and guitarist Archie Cruz has appeared in "The Local Band" lineup with Alexi Laiho, Olli Herman and Jussi 69.
History
Formation and Demos (2007-2013)
Arttu Kuosmanen and Joonas Parkkonen formed Santa Cruz in 2007, with bassist Mitja Toivonen joining in 2008. The band released two demos in 2008–2009. After changing a number of temporary drummers, they settled for a full-time drummer, Taz Fagerström in 2009 becoming a 4-member band. The band released a self-released EP of 6 songs titled Anthems for the Young 'n' Restless, which helped them get signed with Finnish record label, Spinefarm Records in 2012
Screaming For Adrenaline (2013-2015)
The band released their first studio albumScreaming for Adrenaline in April 2013. The album reached no. 27 on Finnish album chart The band had live shows in England, Belgium and Germany in 2013.
Santa Cruz and Skydiving Without A Parachute (2015-2016)
Their eponymous 2nd album Santa Cruz was released in March 2015. The album featured a heavier sound than the previous and the band has described its sound as "glamcore". The album debuted as no. 3 on Finnish album chart. In 2015, the band made a European tour of 27 gigs. In 2016, the band toured with Sebastian Bach in the U.S. In June 2016, Santa Cruz released the single "Sky Diving Without A Parachute".
In late 2016, the band released a cover of One Direction’s "Drag Me Down". The band released their third album, "Bad Blood Rising" in November 2017, featuring the singles “River Phoenix” and “Young Blood Rising.”
Lineup Changes and Katharsis (2018-2019)
On March 18, 2018 the band, through their social media accounts, announced the cancellation of their upcoming U.S. tour as well as the departure of Johnny, Middy, and Taz, leaving Archie as the sole original member of the band. On April 16, 2018 Brody DeRozie was announced as the band's new guitarist, however on May 22, 2018 Brody announced his departure from Santa Cruz. On July 7, 2018 Archie posted a video on his YouTube Channel, featuring new Santa Cruz guitarist, Pav Cruz. While no official announcement was made, it is believed that both Crispy Cruz, and Bones Cruz were the bassists in the band during late 2018, and early 2019, respectively. On August 3, 2018 Jordan Marshall was announced as the band's new drummer, however on January 31, 2019 Jordan left the band, 3 days into tour rehearsal. In early 2019, drummer Toxy Cruz, and bassist Ero Cruz were announced as the band's new rhythm section, rounding out the new lineup. This lineup would go on to play a few European shows and a small Latin American tour. On September 22, 2019, the band issued a statement that guitarist Pav Cruz would not be joining them on their upcoming US tour due to "immigration issues", and that guitarist Joe Perez would be filling in. Pav released his own statement shortly after, clarifying that he was leaving the band permanently, and that it was due to his own personal choice, and had nothing to do with any immigration issues. The band released their fourth album, "Katharsis" in October 2019, which features lead vocalist Archie Cruz, and producer Kane Churko on all instruments.
Archie Cruz's Rehab, Further Lineup Changes and Future (2020-present)
On May 2nd, 2020, following a break-up with Archie’s fiance, a police report was filed for Archie Cruz for destruction of property in Ventura, California, as he fled back to his home country of Finland. His ex-fiance Kate also claimed to have been abused for months both physically and mentally. In response to these accusations Ero Cruz left the band, leaving the future of Santa Cruz uncertain once again. On May 29th, 2020 Archie Cruz announced on an Instagram post that he finished rehab after 3 weeks.
