China White (band)

China White
China White in 1981. From left to right are Frank Ruffino, James Rodriguez, Marc Martin, and Joey Ruffino.
Background information
Origin	Huntington Beach, California, United States
Genres	Hardcore punk, punk rock
Years active	1979–1985, 1993–1995, 2002–2004, 2013, on hiatus since 2014
Labels	Frontier Lethal Malt Soda Recordings
Associated acts	Shattered Faith, Social Task, The Vandals, The Outsiders
Members	Marc Martin James Rodriguez Joey Ruffino
Past members	Frank Ruffino Scott Sisunik Richard Katchadoorian Vince Mesa Corey Stretz Steven "Spanky" Barrios Jeff Porter James Lugo Sandy Hancock

China White was an influential hardcore punk band from Huntington Beach, California, famous for their EP Danger Zone and their violent gigs. They were, along with Social Distortion and T.S.O.L., the most preeminent figures of the early Orange County punk scene.

The photographer Glen E. Friedman once described the band's sound as:

"Full doses of China White ... send[ing] staggering chills through your veins as you experience this nitro-punk injection."

The band was founded by guitarist Frank Ruffino in the fall of 1979, lining up Scott Sisunik on vocals, Marc Martin as second guitarist, James Rodriguez on bass and Richard "Skitchblade" Katchadoorian on drums, who was replaced shortly after by Vince Mesa.

The group's name was taken from the slang term for alpha-Methylfentanyl, the same synthetic opioid that killed Darby Crash in 1980, and by the Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers' song "Chinese Rocks".

According to Sisunik, the band's logo was designed inspired by a similar one featured on The Twilight Zone episode "Black Leather Jackets", aired on January 31, 1964.

After Sisunik quit the band to go on to form Social Task in late 1979, Marc, who sang backups, and played guitar, switched to lead vocals and left guitar duties to Frank. Vince Mesa also quit in 1980 and was replaced by Frank's elder brother, Joey Ruffino. Along with Rodriguez, this is considered the most relevant and stable China White formation.

After making their mark on both the O.C. and L.A. club circuits, in 1981 China White signed to Frontier Records and released their first EP, Danger Zone with its infamous front cover of a murder scene photographed by Edward Colver in 1981. They also featured tracks on New Underground Records' compilations Life Is Ugly So Why Not Kill Yourself from 1982, and Life Is Beautiful So Why Not Eat Health Foods from 1983.