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'''Fuzz''' is a short-lived trio from Los Angeles, California. The band is notable for being the first time [[Rivers Cuomo]] and [[Patrick Wilson]] would play in a band together. | '''Fuzz''' is a short-lived trio from Los Angeles, California. The band is notable for being the first time [[Rivers Cuomo]] and [[Patrick Wilson]] would play in a band together. | ||
== | ==Origins== | ||
After the implosion of [[Avant Garde]] and the subsequent [[Zoom]], Rivers was both personally and musically adrift in the second half of 1990, unclear on which way to go. He took a job at Tower Records on Sunset Blvd around this time, and met [[Pat Finn]], a co-worker who became a lifelong friend and musical foil. Pat dissuaded Rivers from his nascent idea of attempting a metal/funk/hip-hop hybrid band next, as the inclusion of Avant Garde vocalist [[Kevin Ridel]] was a red flag to Pat, a sign that the band would not be focused on Rivers and his untapped songwriting abilities that Pat could innately sense were bubbling under. | |||
While Pat Finn was up in Northern California for the winter of 1990-1991, Rivers re-thought his plans, wrote a bunch of new songs, and turned to Patrick Wilson. Rivers, ever observant, knew that between all the indie and alternative music he was being exposed to at Tower, and Pat and Patrick's wealth of knowledge and talent, that his next musical venture would need to abandon all metal and "technical" shredding, and focus on better songs. Rivers had made a conscious decision to move away from the metal he had grown up with and get into something both heavier and timely. This was Rivers's first band that was "his", and he recognized in Patrick a perfect partner - no drama, extremely musical, a crushing drummer, and having great musical taste. They formed Fuzz in early 1991. The original lineup included Rivers, Patrick, and a woman bass player named [[Scottie Chapman]]. The band jelled immediately and Rivers' new songs were powerful and rocking, just as Pat Finn has foreseen. Unlike previous bands of Cuomo's, which focused on a metal sound, Fuzz was reminiscent of the grunge music that had been rising in popularity at the time of the band's formation, but the songs were perhaps a level beyond a lot of typical grunge due to how raw and emotionally cathartic they were (inspired by Rivers' personal crises and issues), combined with Rivers' newfound strong melodic sense. | |||
According to archivist [[Karl Koch]], ''"Fuzz was a band that Rivers formed to embody the songs he was coming up with. The sound was heavy and rocking, somewhat in the style of the then - new style of such groups as [[Nirvana]], Mudhoney, and Soundgarden. Actually, it was far more rocking than those bands! Fuzz had an enormous sound."''<ref name="rechist1">[[Recording History - Page 1|Weezer Recording History - Page 1]]</ref> | According to archivist [[Karl Koch]], ''"Fuzz was a band that Rivers formed to embody the songs he was coming up with. The sound was heavy and rocking, somewhat in the style of the then - new style of such groups as [[Nirvana]], Mudhoney, and Soundgarden. Actually, it was far more rocking than those bands! Fuzz had an enormous sound."''<ref name="rechist1">[[Recording History - Page 1|Weezer Recording History - Page 1]]</ref> | ||
The band was active and practicing as early as February 1991,<ref name="rechist1" /> and a five-song demo tape was recorded on March 9.<ref name="rechist1" /> Each of the five songs were attempted during practice for [[Weezer]] after the band's formation in 1992. | ==Activity== | ||
The band was active and practicing as early as February 1991,<ref name="rechist1" /> and a five-song demo tape was recorded on March 9.<ref name="rechist1" /> Each of the five songs were attempted during practice for [[Weezer]] after the band's formation in 1992. Fuzz' repertoire was in fact more than 5 songs, but not many more, and it is unclear which ones beyond the 5 demos were practiced to viability. | |||
Pat Finn was making frequent commutes down to Los Angeles in early 1991 from the Bay area, watched Fuzz practice several times, and recalls going to at least one and possibly 2 shows. "I remember sitting on Rivers' Randall amp (that he sold me, that I still have), at the Coconut Teaszer [as Fuzz played]. Rivers wore the bucket hat and that brown and orange striped pullover. It was powerful, but not many folks were there unfortunately. Typical "non-prime night Teaszer crowd". But I was not going to miss that show! I had to drive down from Petaluma in my Escort that was missing a window." | |||
==breakup== | |||
After the performance at the Coconut Teazser [date to be determined], and likely one other show [details as yet unknown], Chapman quit the band.<ref>Hiatt, Brian. ''The Strange Birth and Near Death of Weezer.'' Rolling Stone, 28 Aug. 2019, https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/weezer-blue-album-25th-anniversary-877089/</ref> A new bassist was tried out, a Japanese girl [name forthcoming upon further research], but she also quit or at least stopped showing up to practice. In desperation, Patrick and Rivers took out a classified ad in the Rock City News music paper seeking a bass player, but did not receive any responses before the band fell apart. Rivers was continuing his studies at SMC, and Patrick continued working at various strange jobs including at California Tan in Westwood, where he and Matt had worked for a while. | |||
Later, after Pat and Patrick's defunct band [[Bush]] had re-formed as [[60 Wrong Sausages]] with Jason Cropper, Rivers agreed to join it, contributing not only several new songs he had made post-Fuzz, but also his entire Fuzz repertoire including "[[The Answer Man]]" and "[[I Will Not Cross Over]]" <ref name="rechist2">[[Recording History - Page 2|Weezer Recording History - Page 2]]</ref>. Patrick and Pat were extremely stoked to be able to play those songs. After 60 Wrong Sausages' dissolution, all of the Fuzz tunes in fact carried over again, to the earliest months of weezer's existence as well. | |||
Scottie Chapman moved away from music entirely, and in later years became a cast member for the television show [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters Mythbusters]. | |||
==Demo== | ==Demo== | ||