The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas, NV is adding another piece of punk history to its growing collection, and this time it’s coming directly from one of Southern California’s original punk pioneers.
On Saturday, August 1, Robert Lopez (aka El Vez) and Hector Penalosa of The Zeros will lead a special guided tour through the Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. During the event, Lopez will also donate the very guitar that helped soundtrack the early days of Los Angeles punk rock, giving punk fans a rare opportunity to hear its story from the musician who played it.
Check out the full interview below:
From Chula Vista to Punk Rock History
During our interview, we learned a lot. Robert Lopez grew up in Chula Vista, California, where he co-founded The Zeros in 1976 while still in high school. Alongside Hector Penalosa, Javier Escovedo, and Baba Chenelle, the teenage band quickly became one of the earliest Latino punk bands to emerge from Southern California.
Their first Los Angeles performance placed them on a lineup with The Germs and The Weirdos, a night Lopez says became legendary.
“We were 16 years old, driving back home after the show so we could make it to high school the next morning,” Lopez recalled.
That performance launched The Zeros into the growing California punk scene, leading to shows throughout Los Angeles and San Francisco before the band eventually split in 1978.
A Career That Never Stopped Evolving
Following The Zeros, he performed with Catholic Discipline and The Boneheads before shifting his creative focus toward running an art gallery for many years.
Music eventually called him back. In 1998, Lopez introduced the world to El Vez, his wildly original Mexican Elvis persona that blended rock and roll, Chicano culture, performance art, and punk attitude.
The project carried him across Europe, Japan, and Australia, earned television appearances, and even resulted in one of his iconic jumpsuits being archived by the Smithsonian Institution.
Today, Lopez continues creating music through projects, including collabs with The Schizophonics, Bobby and the Pinz, COVID-Cola, and several others.
The Guitar That Helped Tell the Story of The Zeros
One of the biggest moments of the August 1 event won’t be on the tour itself.
It will be the donation of Lopez’s beloved 1966 Rickenbacker Fireglo guitar.
The instrument originally belonged to Chip Kinman of The Dils, one of Lopez’s favorite bands. When Kinman decided the guitar wasn’t the right fit for him, Lopez eagerly purchased it in 1977.
For the next several years, it became one of the defining instruments of The Zeros.
“It was Chip’s, then it became mine, and I played it throughout 1977 and 1978,” Lopez explained.
The guitar remains in its original case and still carries decades of memories from Southern California’s earliest punk scene.
Rather than keeping it locked away in a private collection, Lopez believes it belongs where everyone can experience it.
“I’m glad to donate it to the museum so it can tell part of The Zeros’ story and the connection between all of us who built that early scene together.”
If This Guitar Could Talk…
When we asked what story the guitar would tell, Lopez’s answer wasn’t some glamorous tale of sold-out shows or famous musicians.
“It would tell the story of being dropped many times.”
The strap button occasionally failed, sending the guitar crashing to the floor throughout its career.
Memories of Playing with The Germs
Few musicians can say they witnessed the birth of Los Angeles punk firsthand.
Lopez can.
He remembers sharing the stage with The Germs during their earliest days.
“They were chaos,” he said.
To many audience members, the band’s destructive performances seemed confusing.
To Lopez, they were performance art.
“The beauty was in the mess.”
Watching bands like The Germs evolve helped inspire The Zeros to push themselves creatively every time they stepped onstage.
Why Live Music Still Matters
Lopez remains passionate about one thing above all else: Live performance.
He worries younger musicians sometimes become too focused on social media, carefully curated content, and appearing perfect online.
Instead, he encourages bands to embrace mistakes.
“The real performance is chaos. You might make mistakes. You might do something incredible. That’s what makes it live.”
For Lopez, keeping it real has always been the heart of punk rock.
Advice for the Next Generation
Asked what advice he would give emerging bands, Lopez didn’t talk about record deals or algorithms. He talked about courage.
“Don’t be afraid to fail.”
He credits legendary punk manager Malcolm McLaren’s philosophy of embracing failure as one of the most valuable lessons he ever absorbed.
Rather than fearing mistakes, Lopez believes artists should learn from them and let those experiences shape their creativity.
A Band Worth Discovering
When asked which modern band deserves more attention, Lopez didn’t hesitate.
His recommendation was The Schizophonics, the explosive San Diego trio he compares to a collision between MC5, James Brown, Prince, and garage punk.
He’s such a believer in the band that he personally invited them to tour Europe with El Vez, helping introduce them to entirely new audiences overseas.
Experience Punk History on August 1
The Punk Rock Museum has become one of the most unique places for fans to connect directly with the artists who built the genre.
Guided tours offer visitors something no traditional museum can: personal stories behind the artifacts, told by the musicians themselves.
On August 1, Robert Lopez and Hector Penalosa won’t simply walk guests through exhibits.
They’ll share the memories behind the music while welcoming another authentic artifact of punk history into the museum’s permanent collection.
If you’ve ever wanted to hear the story behind one of punk’s most influential early bands from someone who lived every chapter, this is a tour for you.
For more information, visit the links below:
About C² (Christy + Chris)
Concert lovers turned creators. Highlighting creators, bands, stories, sounds, and places you need to know.
Disarray Magazine is an independent media platform established in 2009, spotlighting rap, R&B, punk, hardcore, alternative culture, live music, food, nightlife, and the chaos in between. Created by journalist Christy Buena, C² exists to document the bands, people, and moments shaping the scene.
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