Fuzz

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Fuzz
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, CA
Years active	1991
Genre(s)	Grunge
Former Members
Rivers Cuomo Patrick Wilson Scottie Chapman

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 had 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."

Activity

The band was active and practicing as early as February 1991, and a five-song demo tape was recorded on March 9. Fuzz' repertoire was likely more than 5 songs, but not many more, and it is unclear what beyond the 5 demoed songs was developed 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 show. "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."

Patrick Wilson recalls that as far as he can remember, they only played the Coconut Teaszer show, and that it happened after they made their 3/9/91 demo tape, which places it sometime after March 9, but before the bands dissolution which would have been sometime by April, and certainly before May. "People liked it, [we played] maybe 5-6 songs?"

Breakup

After the performance at the Coconut Teazser [date to be determined], Chapman quit the band. Patrick recalls: "All I remember is Scottie saying that she was "holding us back", which is probably the nicest way of saying "you guys are dorks"."

In desperation, Patrick and Rivers took out a classified ad in the Recycler classified ad paper, seeking a bass player, and recieved one applicant, a Japanese girl named Yuki. However the vibe didnt work out, and she didnt continue on with the band. They got no other responses to the ad before the band fell apart. Patrick: "I don't remember it "ending" so much as Rivers and everyone moving to the Westside and [us moving on to the] 60 Wrong Sausages attempt. [with Jason, who had just then arrived in LA via Pat Finn]". 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" . 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 Mythbusters.

Demo

On March 9, 1991, Fuzz used their rented out rehearsal space to record a five song demo onto Cuomo's 8-track tape.

Wilson: "We rehearsed way the f*ck out in the Valley, and that's [also] where we recorded the demo."

All five tracks had been previously rehearsed by the band. It is unknown if the tracklist order is accurate.

1. "The Answer Man"
2. "Ain't Got No Words"
3. "The Biggest Animal"
4. "I Will Not Cross Over" (eventually renamed "Burn My Britches")
5. "Spiderbitch"

Members

• Rivers Cuomo - guitar, vocals
• Patrick Wilson - drums
• Scottie Chapman - bass

See also

• 60 Wrong Sausages
• Weezer
• List of Rivers Cuomo songs