Press / EPK

Bio

Short (~50 words)

El Sancho is a DIY punk trio from Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Fast, hook-heavy three-chord songs since 2019.

Medium (~150 words)

El Sancho is a DIY punk trio from Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Since 2019 they’ve been firing off fast, hook-heavy three-chord songs and tearing up stages across Hawaii and beyond, sharing bills with TSOL, FEAR, Agent Orange, D.O.A., Supersuckers, and Teenage Bottlerocket. Latest LP “Roll Right Over You” (2025) was praised in MRR #510 for sing-along choruses and lyrical depth.

Long (~300 words)

El Sancho is a Waikoloa, Hawaiʻi punk trio firing off fast, hook-heavy three-chord songs that swing from pointed politics to self-aware humor. Since 2019, the band has shared bills with TSOL, FEAR, Agent Orange, D.O.A., Supersuckers, Bad Cop Bad Cop, M.D.C., Teenage Bottlerocket, Strung Out, D.I., and Voodoo Glow Skulls. Their sound draws from the catchy energy of 90s punk acts like Screeching Weasel, The Descendents, Bad Religion, and Radio Birdman. Razorcake says El Sancho “handles the endless American nightmare era well.” MRR #510 reviewer Tony Party calls their 2025 LP “Roll Right Over You” a record that “emulates PROPAGANDHI with lyrics defining personal politics, wrapped in subtle humor” and cites the DWARVES and HARD-ONS as influences. Every El Sancho studio release has been reviewed in Razorcake. El Sancho’s live album “El Misfits: Elvilive” was a 2025 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award finalist for Alternative Album of the Year.

Press Quotes

“Emulates PROPAGANDHI with lyrics defining personal politics, wrapped in subtle humor.”
— Maximumrocknroll #510, Tony Party (November 2025)
“Sing-along choruses and lyrical depth.”
— Maximumrocknroll #510, Tony Party (November 2025)
“El Sancho handles the endless American nightmare era well.”
— Razorcake, Matt Werts (May 2021)
“Catchy and infectious.”
— Maximumrocknroll

In the News

Live from the Empty Palace — Episode 10PBS Hawaiʻi · August 10, 2022
El Sancho performed “Island Fever” on PBS Hawaiʻi’s Live from the Empty Palace, filmed at the historic Palace Theater in Hilo. The episode aired statewide on PBS Hawaiʻi and streamed nationwide on pbs.org and the PBS App.
1st Waikoloa Smash Jam on SaturdayWest Hawaii Today · August 22, 2025
Feature on the first Waikoloa Smash Jam, a community skatepark benefit at Waikoloa Plaza with live music from El Sancho.
Hoku Award finalists are announcedHonolulu Star-Advertiser · April 11, 2025
The Star-Advertiser’s 2025 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award finalist list includes El Sancho’s “El Misfits: Elvilive” for Alternative Album of the Year.
2025 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award finalistsHawaii News Now · April 10, 2025
Hawaii News Now’s finalist announcement for the 2025 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards lists El Sancho’s “El Misfits: Elvilive” among the Alternative Album of the Year finalists.
Downtown Hilo hosts punk rock concert this weekendHawaii Tribune-Herald · March 2, 2023
Preview of a downtown Hilo punk show featuring El Sancho, ahead of the release of the band’s third album.
Give Your Christmas Playlist A Makeover With 2021’s Best New Holiday SongsHuffPost · November 29, 2021
HuffPost’s national roundup of the year’s best new holiday songs includes El Sancho’s Joey Ramone tribute “Merry Christmas Joey Ramone.”