When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens,
Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's
"Detroit Rock City,"
it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and
mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's
since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and
revolutionary to your ears.
What have been your musical epiphany moments?
From my folks listening to Frank Sinatra to my first time hearing Black Sabbath.
Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?
We crack open some beers and I play Lawrence some riffs and when he hears something he likes we try to develop that into a song.
Who has influenced you the most?
Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Melvins and Sleep
Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?
Working on our radio show really helps inspire new idea. Plus it keeps us up to date with new the bands and releases.
We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?
We are based out of Chillicothe, OH. It’s a small college town south of Circleville, OH and about an hour away from Columbus. I grew up in Wichita Falls, TX and found my way here in Chillicothe after moving several places, including California, throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s. Lawrence (Lord Buzz) is an Ohio native but works as a trucker so gets a lot of inspiration and exposure to different cultures on the road. It’s not as much as the location as it was the era we were first exposed to heavy music which has shaped our minds. Where'd the band name come from?
When I was approached by Jerry from coreofdestructionradio.com
to host a radio show Fuzz Lord was the first name which came to my mind. After a year or so of doing the station we
decided to start the band and Fuzz Lord was the perfect name.
You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the
soundtrack for?
Apocalypse Now
You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?
The Lord of the Underground because of the lyrics.
Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?
We have never played live because of our conflicting work schedules. Lawrence is on the road for months at a time and I usually work nights and weekends. We all have to concentrate on what keeps us alive at the moment. We have been talking about putting together a live band to tour.
What makes a great song?
Heavy riffs!
Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?
The first song we wrote as a band is from the EP demo, ‘The
Key in Silence.’ It’s a funny story
because it wasn't intended to be a song or the outline of our songwriting
formula, it just happened. I was playing
the main riff, we were loaded and just finished arranging a radio show and Lawrence started
aggressively screeching over the riff then BAM we both felt it and were like
DAMN that's something really heavy! We got Stoner Dan involved, he brought over
a laptop and we recorded that song and another one and put the demo up on
bandcamp.
What piece of your music are particularly proud of?
We are very proud of our recent S/T release. It was a giant step ahead of the demo. We were shocked by what we were able to pull off with our recording budget. Justin and Mark at Sonelab did an excellent job with the production.
Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?
Lawrence is a huge Melvins fan. There’s something about Elder which blows us both away. Wino from The Obsessed is the perfect guitarist. So many great bands nowadays and so easy to discover them with the internet. It wasn’t as easy to find new underground bands when we grew up. We were limited to the touring bands and ‘Zines’ which at the time who were mostly hardcore, punk and hardcore punk.
Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?
Vinyl
Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice!
Gin
We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?
We are from Chillicothe, OH. The best record store around here is Apollo Records. In Circleville there is a great store called The Hippie Hut Guitars and Things. Columbus, OH (The Capital City) has a few. Magnolia Thunderpussy and Spoonful Records are our favourites.
What's next for the band?
We are writing a new album and conceptualizing the live band.
Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?
Continue supporting underground bands to keep the movement alive so we are not only force-fed major-label BS!
