It`s funny, just when you think popular music can`t get any worse, when the current trends are demanding a come back of Mall Metal in all its suburban white-trash glory and sensationalized corporate cock rock is being shoved down your throat, the whole thing comes to a head and explodes. Crawling from the wreckage is always something new and fresh, something we can listen to and get inspiration from without guilt or shame. This pattern of exploiting something honest and pure until it`s been raped and pillaged so much that it`s no longer relevant then replaced with something sincere again has repeated itself exponentially. Just think about how every new musical era replaces the old.
It began with the clean cut rock n roll birth of the 50`s, which was recycled into the neo beats and hippies, a complete `fuck you` to that whole Leave it to Beaver false way of life. After Altamont though, the hippies gave up, realizing it took more than peace and love to change the world. Don`t get me wrong, it`s great to idealize things but get a fuckin` clue. Again music evolved into the gimme gimme era of 70`s disco and over indulgence, but once this gluttonous scene came to it`s zenith and everyone overdosed on coke or were thrown in jail, the really bad 80`s music came about. For posterity sake, I`m not touching that at all except to mention Metallica`s Kill `Em All, Motley Crue`s Too Fast For Love and Slayer`s Reign In Blood.
TThen came the 90`s with Runts and Posers, whoops, Imeant Guns n Roses, Poison and the rest of the crap, and from that Grunge was born. A reaction to the cheesy neo glam rock using the symbolic flannel as a indicator to peel off the spandex and pull out your artistic convictions once again. My point being, for every one of these musical coup de` tat`s the layer just beneath the surface was always waiting to start the next revolution and to expose the art that had a message, beyond the spoon fed candy coated bullshit that is dished out to the masses. That`s where the real talent lies. And when people finally get fed up with their limited choices, an explosion occurs. So now that it`s 2002, and dancing monkeys in the shape of boy bands, bimbo nymphs and corporate rock groups rule the airwaves, I am patiently waiting for the zit to pop. A group of independently creative thinking musicians and artists to rise up and once again lead us away from the morass of mediocre music.
Carrying that rock flag to the next level is Fu Manchu, a long time heavy hitting rock quartet hailing from Orange County, CA. Making up the band is founding member Scott Hill on rhythm guitar and lead vocals along with lead guitarist Bob Balch, and bass player Brad Davis. Drummer Brant Bjork who recently left to work on a solo project (he played on California Crossing but left before the tour) was replaced by Scott Reeder, a long time friend of the band. Fu Manchu has recently hit the scene with their latest and most commercial sounding album, California Crossing. Arguably their best effort to date, this album is still very guitar heavy but with both guitarists playing Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitars for a cleaner resonance. With this newest record Fu wanted to take a different approach to writing and in doing so have successfully expanded on their sound. They incorporated more back up singing into the songs and replaced their signature sound of blanketed distortion and Hill`s laid back style of vocals with actual songs full of hooks and melodies, and Scott actually sings! Choosing producer Matt Hyde who has most notably worked with Monster Magnet and Porno for Pyros, Fu opted to focus on equal parts of both melody and heaviness. Tracks like, "Thinkin Out Loud" definitely has a more pop quality to it but then again the track," The Wasteoid" has got some serious bad ass guitar on it that skeptics cannot deny. There are also some guest vocals on this record such as punk pioneers, Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris adding his vocals to "Bultaco" and Rodney Skelton of Speedealer contributing lyrics for the album`s title track.
Now the hard core Fu fans may be skeptical and upset but consider the source, Metal heads historically do not like change, it does not fit into their ordered universe. Think about it, anytime a favorite band among the Metal community put out an album that didn`t follow the traditional formula they were criticized harshly.(ie: Metallica`s Black album) Perhaps Fu will lose some long time followers, but in exchange will gain a whole new audience and that can`t be a bad thing even if some think otherwise. I mean, they could easily continue to make big fuzz albums with heavy distortion but the need for growth is mandatory in any art form.
Although changes in the line up have occurred since the early days when they were still on Bong Load Records, including a few members leaving to form such bad ass groups like Nebula, Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age respectively, the current Fu line up has been in place since 1997. With California Crossing being their sixth effort, Fu is on the brink of bringing their So Cal brand of rock to the mainstream masses, thankfully as the crossover is so necessary right now. Music as a medium is in desperate need to be rescued and with the resurgence of everything `retro` it was foreseeable that the Metal of yore would be regurgitated into something culturally relevant once again. California Crossing could easily be the album to awaken a generation of numb music fans and Fu Manchu just might be the band to cover new territory and simultaneously create music history. Enter "Stoner Rock". Unfamiliar? Well let me just break it down for you. "Stoner Rock" is an adaptation of heavy metal but with a more intellectual yet always partyin` approach known for big fuzz distortion, relentless riffage and that American 70`s guitar band era meets England`s Sabbath and Blue Cheer era.
For some time now, this underground scene of weighty music has been growing steadily, a new generation of Metal Heads and old school punk fanatics sharing a common love for all that is heavy, fast and loud. But this time the attitudes are different. Gone are the days of thinking, "My band is red hot, your band ain`t diddly squat." The creation of street teams for example, is proof that times are changing once again. With this new element as well as information being exchanged by website links and in chat rooms and cyber forums everywhere, the next revolutionary wave is about to happen.
"Stoner Rock", in my opinion a really lame term for something very cool is basically music you can, for lack of better phrasing, do stuff to. You know like drive around with your buddies, smoking bowls in the back seat of a `69 Chevelle SS, oh sorry, that`s just me fantasizing. But seriously, it`s great background music for favorite burnout pastimes. Here in Chicago that would be cars, bikes, scoring chicks, and just generally having a good time with friends, pot and beer being the all-encompassing factor, and Fu Manchu as the undeniable choice the soundtrack. As one of the pioneer bands who unintentionally herald this new genre, Fu Manchu is loved by all who surf, skate, generally exist on the fringes of society, and can shot gun a beer faster than you can say, "Oops, I did it again." Using a solid guide of heavy rock chords, the songs are based on variations of one particular riff with an intense rhythm section backing it up. Hence, when listening for the first time, you might think, `well this all sounds the same`, and most often it does. Except of course for the few bands who cultivate their craft with a little more precision like Fu Manchu.
Since `94 when "No One Rides For Free" was released on Bong Load Records Fu Manchu have steadily built a rather large yet underground following and have churned out some of the best rock albums for their market. "In Search Of ", "The Action is Go" and "King of the Road" all released on Mammoth Records are considered the classics of this new Rock age. Even the cover concepts for all their albums, which traditionally have been of hot, bikini-clad women combined with old, tricked out cars and vans has brought back the old school way of thinking but stays significant to the times and adds an element of respect concurrently.
Unfortunately they are constantly being compared to bands like Black Sabbath, and while somewhat accurate with all the low guitar bends it has proven restrictive. If getting out from under the label of "Stoner Rock" means losing some of their cult coolness, I think Fu Manchu are willing to make that sacrifice. After ten years of making kick ass heavy sounding records and remaining virtually unknown to the general public, Fu Manchu are ready to take the next step with a new sound and pass the rock flag on.
