Born in Mexico and raised in the Alaskan wilderness as the son of a trapper, Tito Larriva’s career began in Los Angeles. With the PLUGZ and later the CRUZADOS, it quickly gathered momentum. A Top 10 single and a cover story in Billboard magazine later, Larriva had become part of the L.A. music and film scene of the 80s. In the rehearsal room next door, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were taking their first steps. Emmylou Harris and Jeff Porcaro (the late TOTO drummer) were his neighbors. At the same time, the trained ballet dancer also began his acting career. After his debut as “Hammy” in the “Pee-wee Herman Show” (1981), he worked with Patrick Swayze (Roadhouse), Johnny Depp (Once Upon a Time in Mexico), Antonio Banderas (Desperados 2), with Mel Gibson and Milla Jovovic in Wim Wenders’ “The Million Dollar Hotel”, with David Byrne (True Stories), Cheech Marin (Born in East L.A.), in the Oscar-winning short film “Session Man”, and with R. Rodriguez (Grindhouse). Tito Larriva has written music for over 50 films (including the title songs for “Machete” in 201 and “Machete Kills” in 2013) and TV series. The starting signal for Tito & Tarantula came with Robert Rodriguez’s invitation to contribute to “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1995). The legendary performance as the vampire house band of the “Titty Twister” bar and the worldwide success of the film brought the band to Europe for the first time (as support for Joe Cocker). The European release of the debut album “Tarantism” followed in 1997, featuring the classic songs from “From Dusk Till Dawn”, “After Dark”, “Angry Cockroaches”, and “Strange Face of Love”. These songs mark the beginning of a new era in American film music and showcase Tito Larriva’s exceptional abilities as a singer and composer.

Tito & Tarantula emerged from the weekly sessions Larriva hosted under the name Tito & Friends, always featuring outstanding musicians from the L.A. scene. Alongside guitarist Steven Hufsteter, who is said to have turned down Bob Dylan’s offer to join his band, the group toured Europe, Asia, North and South America with heavyweights such as guitarist Peter Atanasoff (Norah Jones, Rickie Lee Jones) and drummers Alfredo Ortiz (Beastie Boys/Gogol Bordello) and Rafael Gayol (A-ha, Leonard Cohen).