Fu Manchu

Metal File: Sci-Fi Video, Summer Tour In Fu Manchu's 'Stache

4 May 2007 06:01:00 EDT

Band's new video features 'some old, '50s-type sci-fi mind-control stuff,' frontman says.
By Chris Harris and Jon Wiederhorn

Fu Manchu
Photo: Century Media

Fu Manchu frontman Scott Hill has never been a fan of the label "stoner rock." But that hasn't stopped scores of music journalists and metal fans the world over from ascribing said tag to his Southern California fuzz-rockin' combo.

Not that Hill minds being lumped together with like-minded rockers Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Fireball Ministry. He just doesn't dig on labels, period. Fu Manchu, he claims, have always "done what we wanted," regardless of what anyone wants to call it.

"The first time I heard the phrase 'stoner rock' was in 1994," he recalled. "We were playing in Texas, and a journalist from England came over, and we're doing the interview, and he mentioned the term 'stoner rock.' ... To me, 'stoner rock' means, like, the Grateful Dead — hippie garbage. I've just never been into that mellow, hippie kind of stuff. But now it seems to be associated with a heavy guitar and fuzzy-sounding guitars, and in that respect, whatever, that's fine; it's kind of what we are. But it's kind of a lame term.

"You never want to get labeled anything," he continued. "But as long as it's not associated with hippie, mellow nonsense, we can deal with 'stoner rock.' It's better than a lot of the things we could be called."

Back in late February, Fu Manchu released their first album in three years, We Must Obey, which they co-produced with Andrew Alekel (Weezer, Rancid). Hill said the Fu began writing material for the effort in 2005, at the conclusion of the band's touring cycle in support of 2004's Start the Machine. The disc features 11 tracks, including "Knew It All Along," "Between the Lines" and a cover of the Cars' "Moving in Stereo."

To Hill, We Must Obey is pretty much typical Fu Manchu, but he does think the record sounds more aggressive than anything they've attempted before.

"I think people will be a little surprised by that," he explained. "I grew up as a kid listening to 1980 to 1985 punk rock and hardcore stuff — that's my main deal. I still listen to that stuff, every day, all day. I think some of those influences are coming out on this record. But people who have been into us for a while, they'll like the slower, heavier stuff on this album. The fuzz tone's in full effect, it's just a more aggressive record for us. But our sound is still there."

Earlier this year, Fu Manchu shot a video for "Hung Out to Dry" that will see the light of day once it's fully edited. Hill said the clip will feature Fu Manchu performance footage interspersed with "some old, '50s-type sci-fi mind-control stuff." Making the video, he said, was something of a challenge — as it always is.

"It's difficult to pretend like you're rockin' without the amps plugged in," he joked. "All you can do is think back to when you were a kid trying to play air guitar in your bedroom and capture that feeling."

After a successful headlining run — the band's first in three years — last month with Valient Thorr and Artimus Pyledriver in the support slots, Fu Manchu headed over to Europe, where they'll be gigging through June 3. After that, Hill's not so sure what the Fu will do — a spokesperson for the band's label said it will tour the States this summer but that those plans had yet to be finalized. Hill wants to spend the rest of the year on the road.

"We'll tour for as long as possible, and then we'll come home and record another one," Hill said. "We're always coming up with riffs and songs all the time, so as soon as we're done touring, I'd like to get back into the practice space, play, lose our hearing for five months, put out a record, and do it all over again."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Black-metal legends Emperor, who toured the U.S. last summer without guitarist Samoth (he couldn't get into the country because of visa issues) will return with their complete lineup for three final North American reunion shows: May 30 in Chicago, June 1 in New York and June 3 in Los Angeles. "The visa problems last year were a bummer," Samoth said. "Even though the U.S. dates last year were a success with massive support from our ever-loyal fanbase, we felt that we should return again as a full band to complete what we set out to do." ... After they return from their European tour, New York death-metal band Immolation will make another destructive round of their home continent. Dates start September 27 in Toronto and run through November 18 in New York. Suffocation and Skinless are also on the bill. ... Goofball Swedish grind band Birdflesh, who have been around in one form or another since 1992, will release their first proper studio disc, Mongo Musicale, July 17. The album track "Mongoloid Wannabe" can be heard on their MySpace page. And "After Ski Obliteration" can be downloaded right here. ...

The thrash-metal documentary "Get Thrashed" will make its West Coast premiere Saturday at the Silver Lake Film Festival in Los Angeles. Director Rick Ernst, associate producer Rat Skates — who used to play drums in Overkill — and former Exodus singer Zetro Souza will take part in a Q&A session after the screening. "I'm so excited to be a part of 'Get Thrashed,' " Souza said in a statement. "There's finally a film that makes you feel a part of that magical time. I'm psyched to see the film, interact with the fans and catch up with old friends." Members of Anthrax, Testament and Dark Angel are also expected to attend the screening. ... Alabama Thunderpussy found themselves with a bit too much downtime recently, so for some reason they worked out a cover version of Whitesnake's hideous hit "Still of the Night" and posted it on their Myspace page. What's next, Slayer covering "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"? Oh, wait, that already happened. ... Ex-Biohazard guitarist Billy Graziadei will produce the new album by Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, hardcore-metal band Cold World. The record, Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First, will be recorded at Graziadei's Underground Sound Studios in South Amboy, New Jersey, this month and will include "BoomByeBye." ...

Sacramento, California, hardcore band Killing the Dream will enter a Baltimore studio May 28 to record the follow-up to their 2005 album, In Place Apart. Ex-Jawbox frontman J. Robbins will produce. ... Female-fronted Dutch goth-metal band Autumn will release their Metal Blade debut, My New Time, May 29. Arno Krabman produced the album at Graveland Studio. Tracks include "My New Time" and "Satellites," both of which can be previewed on their MySpace page. ... Boston metal band Till We Die will release their debut album, Pressing On, June 26. Tracks include "Ride," "UPS" and "Pressing On." The band's next tour will launch May 12 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and run through June 8 in Springfield, Virginia. Till We Die will return to the road September 14 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to begin a tour supporting Powerman 5000 through October 2 in Boston.

Related Artists

New Releases: Nelly, Prodigy, Mr. Cheeks, Megadeth, Fu Manchu, Dizzee Rascal, Bowling For Soup & More

13 Sep 2004 09:55:00 EDT

Nelly's Sweat/Suit
Photo: Fo' Real/Universal

Sweaty club patrons and slick-suited players alike will find tracks to grind to on this week's top new release.

Nelly returns with a double shot of his Southern rap, with one half of Sweatsuit heating up the party with club tracks (Sweat) and the other taking the tempo down a couple notches while upping the sexy ante (Suit). The rapper, who collaborated with Mase, Fat Joe, Remy Martin, Jaheim, Christina Aguilera, Mobb Deep and country star Tim McGraw on the LP, said he had so much great material coming out of him in the studio that he couldn't possibly limit his third album to just one disc.

Last year, Mr. Cheeks came Back Again! with a new album and just 18 months later, he's back again with Ladies & Ghettomen. Meanwhile, garage/hip-hop artist Dizzee Rascal, who won the U.K.'s Mercury Prize in 2003 and is on the Long List for this year's Shortlist Music Prize, will release his sophomore album, Showtime, this week.

On the harder side of things, the Prodigy, whose biggest release was 1997's The Fat of the Land, will release the more dance-oriented Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, which debuted at #1 on the British charts at the end of August. Sticking with the heaviness, Megadeth will release their 10th studio album, The System Has Failed, their first since 2001's The World Needs a Hero.

Van Halen are releasing their 1986 video "Live Without a Net" onto DVD. With Sammy Hagar at the mic, the band rocks through tracks like "Why Can't This Be Love?" and "There's Only One Way to Rock." In other '80s rock band news, Tears for Fears will release Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, their first studio release since 1989.

Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson, who recently put out a solo album, Village Gorilla Head, is releasing Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe from his band Perfect, which formed in 1995 but only released an EP in 1996.

Pop-punk outfit Bowling for Soup are making their oddball name more widely recognized with the single "1985" off their newest album, A Hangover You Don't Deserve, which comes out this week. "The Lyricist Lounge Show" star and underground hip-hop fixture Wordsworth drops his debut solo effort, Mirror Music. And on the indie rock side of things, the Thrills release their sophomore LP, Let's Bottle Bohemia, and Canadian duo Tegan & Sara see their third album, So Jealous, hit shelves.

Some of the other artists with albums hitting stores in this big release week are the Datsuns (Outta Sight/ Outta Mind), Fu Manchu (Start the Machine), Flogging Molly (Within a Mile of Home), Citizen Cope (The Clarence Greenwood Recordings), Har Mar Superstar (The Handler), the Zombies (As Far as I Can See), Ray LaMontagne (Trouble), Gov't Mule (Deja Voodoo) and Branford Marsalis (Eternal).

Out Tuesday, September 14:

Mindi Abair - Come as You Are (GRP)
Across Five Aprils - Living in the Moment (Indianola)
Action Action - Don't Cut Your Fabric to This Year's Fashion (Victory)
Eric Alexander - Dead Center (HighNote)
Anthony B - Untouchable (Pyramid)
The Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge)
BeauSoleil - Gitan Cajun (Gypsy Cajun) (Vanguard)
Blackfield - Blackfield (Snapper)
Bowling for Soup - A Hangover You Don't Deserve (Jive)
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown - Timeless (HighTone)
Norman Brown - West Coast Coolin' (Warner Bros.)
Kasey Chambers - Wayward Angel (Warner Bros.)
Peter Cincotti - On the Moon (Concord)
Citizen Cope - The Clarence Greenwood Recordings (RCA)
Cowboy Jack Clement - Guess Things Happen That Way (DualTone)
The Datsuns - Outta Sight/ Outta Mind (V2)
Dead to Fall - Villainy and Virtue (Victory)
Dem Franchise Boyz - Dem Franchise Boyz (Universal)
Dizzee Rascal - Showtime (XL/Beggars Banquet)
Dollhouse - Rock and Soul Circus (Dim Mak)
Dub FX - Dub FX (Pyramid)
Fast Forward/ T Cells - Split (Three One G)
The Faint - Wet From Birth (Saddle Creek)
The Features - Exhibit A (Universal)
Flogging Molly - Within a Mile of Home (SideOneDummy)
Fonzie - Wake Up Call (Transdreamer)
Fu Manchu - Start the Machine (DRT)
Giant Sand - Is All Over ... the Map (Thrill Jockey)
Gov't Mule - Deja Voodoo (ATO)
The Great Jazz Trio - Someday My Prince Will Come (88's/Columbia)
Hilary Hahn - Elgar Violin Concerto/ Lark Ascending (Deutsche Grammophon)
Har Mar Superstar - The Handler (Record Collection)
Ginny Hawker and Tracy Schwarz - Come Closer (Rounder)
John Herman - Just Ain't Right (Sanctuary)
The High Water Marks - Songs About the Ocean (Eenie Meenie)
Japancakes - Waking Hours (Warm Electronic)
Mike Katz - A Month of Sundays (Rounder)
The Knockout Pills - 1 + 1=ATE (Estrus)
Lake of Tears - Black Brick Road (Sanctuary/Noise)
Ray LaMontagne - Trouble (RCA)
Layton - Grand Design (Leftwing)
Ludicra - Another Great Love Song (Alternative Tentacles)
Mannheim Steamroller - Monster Mix (American Gramaphone)
Augie March - Strange Bird (spinART)
Branford Marsalis - Eternal (Marsalis Music/Rounder)
Mark McKay - Shimmer (Bacchus/ Toadfish)
Megadeth - The System Has Failed (Sanctuary)
Read: "Dave Mustaine, Megadeth Return To Life With New System"
Buy Now: The System Has Failed (Sanctuary)
Brad Mehldau - Live in Tokyo (Nonesuch)
Mexican Gangster - Mexican Gangster (Thump)
Mindless Faith - Momentum (Metropolis)
Joni Mitchell - Dreamland (Rhino)
Mr. Cheeks - Ladies & Ghettomen (Legal Drug Money/ Contango)
Nicole C. Mullen - Everyday People (Word)
Nelly - Sweat and Suit (Fo' Reel/ Universal)
Read: "Nelly's Double Dose Features Mase, X-tina And ... Tim McGraw?"
Nevea Tears - Do I Have to Tell You Why I Love You (Eulogy)
Dolly Parton - Live & Well (Sugar Hill)
Polly Paulusma - Scissors in My Pocket (Birdman/ One Little Indian)
Perfect - Once, Twice, Three Times a Maybe (Rykodisc)
Houston Person - To Etta with Love (HighNote)
Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love (Rounder)
Prodigy - Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (Maverick)
Read: "Twista, Kool Keith, Juliette Lewis Smack Up New Prodigy LP"
Buy Now: Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (Maverick)
Psyche - Legacy (Metropolis)
Mark Rae - Into the Depths (Grand Central)
Rachael Sage - Ballads & Burlesque (MPress)
Saturday Looks Good to Me - Every Night (Polyvinyl)
Coyote Shivers - Gives It to Ya. Twice (Foodchain)
Signer - The New Face of Smiling (Carpark)
Silent Force - Worlds Apart (Sanctuary/Noise)
Silkworm - It'll Be Cool (Touch and Go)
The Silos - When the Telephone Rings (DualTone)
Singapore Sling - Life Is Killing My Rock 'N' Roll (Stinky)
Scott Stapleton - A Storm Over Springtime (Undecided)
Jimmy Sturr - Rock 'n Polka (Rounder)
Tears for Fears - Everybody Loves a Happy Ending (Hip-O/ UME)
Tegan & Sara - So Jealous (Vapor/ Sanctuary)
The Thrills - Let's Bottle Bohemia (Virgin)
Sally Timms - In the World of Him (Touch and Go)
Viva Voce - The Heat Can Melt Your Brain (Minty Fresh)
Paul Weller - Studio 150 (V2)
Matt Wilson's Arts and Crafts - Wake Up to What's Happening (Palmetto)
Wordsworth - Mirror Music (Halftooth)
Zap Mama - Ancestry in Progress (Luaka Bop/ v2)
Thalia Zedek - Trust Not Those in Whom Without Some Touch of Madness (Thrill Jockey)
The Zombies - As Far as I Can See (Rhino)
Various artists - Disney's Lullaby & Goodnight (Walt Disney)
Various artists - Galactic Caravan: Intergalactic Bellydance (Ark 21)
Various artists - Many Blessings (Silver Ware)
Various artists - Trance Divas (Varese Sarabande)
Various artists – Soundtrack to "Moog" (Hollywood)
Various artists – Soundtrack to "Will & Grace" (BMG SMG)
DVD: Dion - "Live" (Image Entertainment)
DVD: Godsmack - "Changes" (Rounder)
DVD: Moloko - "11,000 Clicks" (Sanctuary)
DVD: UB40 - "Homegrown in Holland Live" (Rhino)
DVD: Van Halen - "Live Without a Net" (Rhino)

September 21:

Green Day - American Idiot (Warner)
Read: "Green Day: Anatomy Of A Punk Opera"
Ben Harper & the Blind Boys of Alabama - There Will Be a Light (Virgin)
Shadows Fall - War Within (Century Media)
Keb' Mo' - Peace ... Back by Popular Demand (Sony)

September 28:

Brian Wilson - Smile (Nonesuch)
Joss Stone - Mind, Body & Soul (S-Curve)
Hilary Duff - Hilary Duff (Hollywood)
Queen Latifah - The Dana Owens Album (Interscope)

October 5:

Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked for the Holidays (Warner Bros.)
Cake - Pressure Chief (Sony)
Good Charlotte - The Chronicles of Life & Death (Sony) Read: "Good Charlotte Get Serious With The Chronicles Of Life And Death" 1489850
R.E.M. - Around the Sun (Warner Bros.)

For The Record: Quick News On Britney Spears, Hanson, Franz Ferdinand, The Roots, Fu Manchu, Papa Roach & More

17 Jun 2004 05:49:00 EDT

Britney Spears (file)
Photo: Jive

Britney Spears' lawyer has been served with papers — six months after they were filed — for a pre-emptive lawsuit from a Utah drug company seeking relief from accusations that it tried to capitalize on the singer's reported use of the diet pill Zantrex-3. Basic Research claims it was ordered to stop citing an episode where Spears was seen spilling a bottle of the diet aid at London's Heathrow Airport, a fumble captured by photographers. The company claims it wasn't using the incident for its own benefit, and Basic Research is asking a federal judge to declare it has violated no law. ...

One show from Hanson's acoustic tour last fall will be the subject of the DVD "Underneath Acoustic Live," due July 27. The video, shot at the House of Blues in Chicago, features 19 songs, including their breakthrough hit, "MMMBop," and latest single, "Penny and Me." ... Boasting more than 130 artists spread across eight stages, the third annual Austin City Limits Festival, set for September 17-19 in the city's Zilker Park, will feature an eclectic lineup that includes Sheryl Crow, Trey Anastasio, the Pixies, Dashboard Confessional, Wilco, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand and the Roots. Two months before this year's three-day show kicks off, fans can remember last year's performances by R.E.M., Bright Eyes, Kings of Leon and others with The ACL Festival Live CD, due July 27. ...

Stoner-rock pioneers Fu Manchu are putting the finishing touches on their next album, slated for an August release, with producer Brian Dobbs (Coolio). The as-yet-untitled effort will be the band's seventh album and follow-up to 2001's California Crossing. ... Papa Roach will begin their summer tour on June 25 in Spokane, Washington. Dates are scheduled through August 4 in West Hollywood, California. Instruction and Dead Poetic will open. Papa Roach's third major-label album, Getting Away With Murder, is due in mid-September. ...

With more than two dozen songs in tow, dance-rock quartet Hot Hot Heat will begin pre-production for their second album later this month in Los Angeles. Dave Sardy (Jet, Dandy Warhols) is on board to produce the band's follow-up to 2002's Make Up the Breakdown. ... Former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra's collaboration with the Melvins, Never Breathe What You Can't See, is scheduled for a September 30 release. ...

Static-X will hit the road this summer on the Family Picnic Tour with Trust Company, Soil, Lo-Pro and Arithmetic of War. The tour launches July 27 in San Antonio, Texas, and winds through the country before wrapping up on August 6 in Dallas. ... Kittie will start a tour on July 7 in Chicago. Nine dates have been scheduled through July 30 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Candiria, 36 Crazyfists and Twelve Tribes are also on the bill. ...

06.16.04

The Hip-Hop Summit Action Network is coming to the Big Easy. On Thursday at the New Orleans Arena, the New Orleans Hip-Hop Summit will feature appearances by Reverend Run, LL Cool J, Doug E. Fresh, Bone Crusher, David Banner, Choppa, and B2K's Raz-B, among others. The event will be hosted by Russell Simmons, Def Jam president Kevin Liles and the Cash Money family. ...

Nick Lachey was spotted sharing ice cream in the park with a blonde babe Wednesday afternoon — and it wasn't his wife. Lachey and Olympic Gold Medalist Oksana Baiul were scooping ice cream for a Big Brothers Big Sisters benefit in New York's Bryant Park. Lachey is the "Official Centennial Spokesperson" for the organization. ... Courtney Love issued a statement late Tuesday in which she pledged to reschedule her tour, starting with a headlining gig at the Fuji Festival in Japan on August 1. She also called her latest legal trouble — a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon — "frivolous, malicious ... merit-less assaults" on her person. ...

It's not exactly surprising that bleeding-heart rocker Rivers Cuomo is the latest artist to jump on the blog bandwagon. On the Weezer frontman's Myspace.com page, he's posted three new cover songs with something in common: "Invincible" by pop newcomer Ann Poonkasem, "Annie's Song" by John Denver and "Tomorrow" from the play "Annie." ... Hundreds of musicians hoping to hit it big auditioned last Friday in Los Angeles at the first day of Ozzfest's unsigned-band contest, and now their East Coast counterparts can step up to the challenge Friday at the New York auditions to be held at the Roxy (515 W. 18th Street). The winning band will be rewarded with a spot on the main stage at this year's Ozzfest, a space on the second stage at Ozzfest 2005, free music equipment and cash prizes. ...

Drowning Pool, Dropbox and Flaw will tour together from June 30 in Springfield, Missouri, through July 24 in Madison, Wisconsin. Drowning Pool will also appear on June 19 at the 98.9 Rockfest in Kansas City, Missouri, and June 28 at Summerfest in Milwaukee. ... Conceptual metalheads Coheed and Cambria's latest LP, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 will be reissued by major label Columbia on June 29. The band, whose songs concern the lives of fictional couple Coheed and Cambria in an alternate universe, will help kick off the Vans Warped Tour on June 25. ...

Eminem's ex-wife, Kimberly Mathers, was arrested in an Ann Arbor, Michigan, hotel Tuesday night, on a two-month-old arrest warrant. In April, a Macomb County Judge issued a felony probation violation warrant for Mathers after she failed to return to a court-ordered drug treatment program. In January, Mathers was initially ordered to serve 30 days in county jail and an additional 90 days in treatment for drug violations. ... Flavor Flav is going from the rap life to "The Surreal Life." The clock-toting Public Enemy member will join the cast of the third season of the reality show, which will also feature Jordan Knight of New Kids on the Block, Dave Coulier of "Full House," Ryan Starr of "American Idol," Charo, seen often on '70s show "The Love Boat," and action star Brigitte Nielsen. The cast moved into its Hollywood mansion on Tuesday. The third season premiers on VH1 September 5. ...

Phantom Planet singer Alex Greenwald says that chicks love vegetarians, and to prove his point, he's posing with a baby chick for a new PETA campaign. "There's a lot of horrendous things that go on, not to everyone's knowledge" in the chicken-farming industry, Greenwald said while posing for the campaign poster last week. "People should be aware of it, and not just how cute little chicks can be." ... The Lostprophets shot a video for their next single, "Last Summer," on Tuesday in Los Angeles with the Malloys, who have recently worked with 311 and Metallica. The group is currently riding the wave of its current single "Wake Up (Make a Move"), so no radio add date has been announced for "Last Summer." ...

Pearl Jam will release a mostly acoustic live double disc on July 27. The 24-song Live at Benaroya Hall October 22, 2003 will feature more than two hours of material. Highlights include the first live performance of "Man of the Hour" and covers of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War," the Ramones' "I Believe in Miracles" and Johnny Cash's "25 Minutes to Go." ... The University of St. Andrews in Scotland will award Bob Dylan with an honorary degree at this year's summer graduation ceremony on June 23. This is the second honorary degree that the rock icon has accepted — the other was from Princeton University in 1970. Currently on a European tour, Dylan will play one of two Glasgow dates that evening. ...

Whether you like him or not, Uncle Kracker's new album will sound the best. That's because Seventy Two and Sunny, due June 29, will be the first album to feature 5.1 surround sound on a standard CD. ... Pioneering Los Angeles punk band X are releasing what's being touted as their first-ever best-of collection, out July 27. Compiled by John Doe, X: The Best - Make the Music Go Bang will be a two-disc, 46-track set, spanning their entire recording career. Songs from X's alt-country offshoot, the Knitters, will also be included ...

Related Artists

Metal File: Hard & Heavy News On Motorhead, Cradle Of Filth, Fu Manchu, In Flames, Rob Halford, Goatwhore & More

5 Jun 2003 08:33:00 EDT

Motörhead
Photo: Sanctuary

Hello fellow children of the grave, how's it going? Iann Robinson here. I just got back from L.A., and it's good to be back in NYC finally. I got a chance to check out the Led Zeppelin DVD, and it's amazing. Anybody who wants to know how rock should be played has to check this thing out. It looks and sounds really cool.

I got a copy of the In Flames EP, and it's really good. I know there was some split on the last record productionwise, but nobody can deny that In Flames are one of the best metal bands going right now. The new song on this EP and the cover of "Land of Confusion" are my two favorite things. I highly suggest you pick this up. I also finally picked up the Premonitions of War CD. I'd only seen them live, and it was a real treat. It's always nice to hear death metal done well.

I got to see a screening of "Hulk," and I can tell you this much: the Hulk looks really good. I know we all feared from the trailers, but he looks killer. I'll reserve my opinion on the film until it's out, to let you guys make up your own minds. Well, that's it for me, take care and enjoy the metal news:

Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth got into a fistfight with Murderdolls drummer Ben "Ghoul" Graves at a party following the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London and was ejected from the club Sahara Nights. Winners at the awards ceremony, which was held at the Forum in Kentish Town, included Cradle of Filth's "Babylon AD" clip (Most Valid Reason for Wasting £100,000 ... The Award for Best Video), Murderdolls (Thank God It's Not Good Charlotte ... The Award for Best Newcomer), Amen (The Mosh and Go Award ... The Award for Mind-Blowing Live Act), Deftones (The Overpriced and Over Here Award ... For Best International Act), AFI (Music to Smack Your Best Mate to Award ... The Award for Best Album) and Audioslave's Tom Morello (The Flash Bastard Award ... The Award for Best Guitarist). The night's biggest honors went to Marilyn Manson (The Golden God ... The Award for Best Frontman) and Motörhead's Lemmy (The Spirit of Hammer Award ... For a Lifetime of Metal). ...

Metallica will be the focus of an upcoming car combat video game that will feature music, voiceovers and creative input from the band. The still-untitled game will be created by Vivendi Universal Games in collaboration with Segnana Inc. It's due in 2005. ... Singer Matt Barlow has left Iced Earth. He said he intends to study for a degree in criminal justice and then to pursue a career in law enforcement administration. ... Korn frontman Jonathan Davis won't just be singing about killers and mutants on this year's Ozzfest — he'll be bringing them out on the road. The tour will feature an exhibit of Davis' twisted art, rare artifacts, weapons and other memorabilia focusing on death and darkness. The exhibition, called "The End," will be housed in a mobile facility with almost 1,000 square feet of gallery space. Admission will be charged. ...

Former Judas Priest singer Rob Halford will film a show in Anaheim, California, on Sunday for release as a DVD. In an effort to make sure the house is full, tickets are being sold two-for-one to fans who provide the password "metal" at time of purchase via Ticketmaster. ... "Kings of the Road" Fu Manchu will release the double live album Go For It ... Live on July 22. The California quartet, with a decade of meaty, driving, stoner rock under their collective belt, recorded the disc in Stockholm, Sweden, and Los Angeles, two stops on their 2002 California Crossing world tour. ... New Jersey's God Forbid have just finished recording a rendition of the Guns N' Roses classic "Out Ta Get Me" with producer Chris Pearce. The track will join cuts from Dillinger Escape Plan, Unearth, Every Time I Die, Haste and Nora, among others, on a GN'R tribute album coming from Law of Inertia Records early this fall. ...

Type O Negative will begin a tour on July 25 in Worchester, Massachusetts, to support their new album, Life Is Killing Me, which drops June 17. Shows have been confirmed through August 9, but more dates will be announced soon. ... Static-X are working on their third album in Los Angeles with producer Josh Abraham. Drums on the album will be played by A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese, who filled in following the departure of Ken Jay earlier this year. Static-X begin a tour on July 3, with dates confirmed through August 2. ... Apparently Ozzfest isn't enough: Cradle of Filth will augment their summer schedule (which already includes a headlining slot on Ozzfest's second stage) with a headlining tour. The trek will run alongside Ozzfest and see the band playing shows on its days off. ...

Canadian female metal band Kittie will perform a benefit show in their hometown of London, Ontario, to help two sibling friends who have been battling cancer for several years. Proceeds will go to the family of Justin Wolfe from the band Acacia and Gregg Wolfe of Dam 13. ... Necrophagia will release an EP called Goblins Be Thine on Halloween. They also plan the release of a DVD titled "Nightmare Scenarios" on the same day. ... The Black Dahlia Murder will be hitting the road at the end of this month with the Red Chord, Premonitions of War and Dead Water. The highly anticipated two-week tour will start on June 20 and end on July 2. ... Swedish death metal stalwarts Grave are on tour with Immolation to support their album Back From the Grave. Opening the tour are Goatwhore and Crematorium. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Jon Wiederhorn and Robert Mancini

Related Artists

Sevendust, Fu Manchu, Filter On Board For Summer Locobazooka Trek

4 Apr 2002 04:42:00 EST

Nonpoint, Mushroomhead, Gravity Kills, Reveille, Earshot also lined up for package tour.
By Joe D'Angelo

Sevendust's Lajon Witherspoon
Photo: Jason Perlman

While the status of the granddaddy of summer package tours — Lollapalooza — is shrouded in mystery, don't be fooled by a tour with a similar-sounding name. Locobazooka is the one that's actually happening.

Filter, Sevendust, Fu Manchu, Nonpoint, Mushroomhead, Gravity Kills, Reveille and Earshot are set to perform on the summer trek, which begins June 27 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to promoters. The music fest will visit a total of 16 smaller markets before wrapping up July 21. Two more bands are expected to be added to the bill, and a full itinerary should surface in the next two weeks.

Locobazooka launched a decade ago as a one-off show in Worcester, Massachusetts, sponsored by radio station WAAF, and continued as such until last year. For its 10th anniversary, organizers decided to take their show — which last year included Disturbed, Kittie and Rollins Band — on the road. The organizers' objective is to bring bands that individually would only play major markets to smaller cities. Tickets should cost approximately $20.

Related Artists

Going Back To Cali: Fu Manchu Salute Their SoCal Upbringing

6 Feb 2002 07:54:00 EST

Orange County rockers find inspiration in surfing, cars, BMX bikes.
By Jon Wiederhorn

Fu Manchu
Photo: Mammoth

Musicians often view lyrics as vehicles to express their innermost thoughts or frustrations. Orange County, California, combo Fu Manchu prefer to use them to talk about cool stuff, and the impetus for their scorching vocals often comes from their favorite films, toys or pastimes.

"We've all grown up surfing, skateboarding and being around cars, so a lot of those things have been used in the band since we started," singer/guitarist Scott Hill said.

While Fu Manchu might not have a lot to say lyrically or in interviews, their simplistic sentiments complement their crunchy, chugging guitar rhythms, insistent beats and powerful vocals. Their music is aimed not at the head, but the heart and groin, and their surging sounds are generated from an engine of plunging pistons and gleaming chrome.

So, singing about such uncerebral subjects as UFOs ("Separate Kingdom") and the cult movie "Valley Girl" ("Squash That Fly") isn't just amusing, it grants the listener a ticket inside the band's spontaneous world of beaches, fast cars and wild parties.

Nowhere is this more clear than on "Mongoose," an old track the group re-recorded for its seventh record, California Crossing. "On that one, I'm back to stuff we've grown up with in Southern California, like old bicycle motocross stuff," Hill said. "What we do is come up with the music first, and usually we'll talk about something while we're writing the song. And we must have been talking about the old Mongoose bicycles, so I just sort of wrote about that."

The album title was just about as carefully thought out: "I think a lot of people think we're a typical Californian band, so we always wanted to use the title 'California' in one of our albums," Hill said. "We were actually gonna use it in on our last album (King of the Road), but Mr. Bungle had that record California, and then the Red Hot Chili Peppers put out Californication, so we said, 'All right, forget it.' "

Fu Manchu wrote many of the riffs for California Crossing in early 2000 while on tour. Last April they got together with producer Matt Hyde (Betty Blowtorch, Monster Magnet) to arrange and fine-tune the material. By the end of May they had 20 songs finished, so they started recording at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys. A month later they entered Henson Studios (formerly A&M) in Los Angeles to master the album. While they were there, Fu Manchu had a strange brush with fame.

"We met Paul McCartney," Hill said. "He was in the same studio, working on his record. We were mixing, and I was walking on the lot and up the stairs and he was sitting there in shorts and no shoes, just picking at his toe. And he goes, 'Hey, how ya doing?' He probably thought we were just some punk kids who worked at the studio."

For California Crossing, Fu Manchu wanted an album that rocked hard, but they didn't want the heaviness to bog down its listenability. So they worked closely with Hyde on the instrument tone and song structures and made sure the choruses were energetic and exultant.

"We kind of laid off the heavy fuzz guitar that we usually use and made the recording a little more midrange," said Hill. "We just really wanted to work on the arrangements and getting in and out of the songs really quickly."

The resulting sound is slick yet turbocharged, not unlike the rumbling thunder of Urge Overkill's overlooked 1993 classic Saturation. For Hill, one of the highlights of recording California Crossing was having Circle Jerks singer Keith Morris sing guest vocals on "Bultaco."

"That was cool because the Circle Jerks were one of the first bands I saw live, like in 1981," he said. "They were a big inspiration for the band and me because we grew up on punk rock in the early '80s."

As positive an experience as the creation of California Crossing was for Fu Manchu, the band was dealt a surprise setback afterward when drummer Brant Bjork announced that he was leaving to rejoin his former Kyuss bandmates guitarist Josh Homme, drummer Alfredo Hernandez and bassist Nick Oliveri in Queens of the Stone Age.

"He just wanted to do different music and stuff, and he didn't know if he wanted to tour for ... this record," said Hill, emphasizing that the split was completely amicable. "He offered to stick around until we found a new drummer. But we found a new drummer right away."

Fu Manchu are currently on the road with Bjork's replacement, Scott Reeder (ex-Smile), who coincidentally has the same name as a onetime bassist for Kyuss. "It's funny because people are always like, 'Huh, what?' and we're like, 'No, it's a different guy.' But he's an awesome dude and a great drummer. We called him up, practiced one time and it sounded great, so we went, 'OK, you're in.' "

Related Artists

Fu Manchu

Fu Manchu Bask In Kind Buzz At L.A. Tour Opener

30 Jan 2002 07:13:00 EST

Van-rockers play new material, old favorites for worshipful devotees.
By Ryan J. Downey

Fu Manchu
Photo: Mammoth

WEST HOLLYWOOD — If Fu Manchu were hoping to find a few friendly faces when unveiling new material Tuesday night at the Troubadour, the stoner rock outfit was undoubtedly stoked by the warm welcome it found.

By the time the band hit the stage at 11 p.m. to kick off its U.S. tour, the club was packed and the crowd was by all indications "into it," if otherwise meditatively subdued in their devotion.

Those in attendance, including former Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, were clearly devotees of the Fu, nodding their heads along to the band's low-end celebrations of surfing, skating, B-movies and '70s culture in quiet satisfaction, murmuring lyrics to themselves.

Fu Manchu hit the stage with a comfortable swagger, visibly jam-oriented players telepathically in tune with one another. Singer/guitarist Scott Hill (dressed Jeff Spicoli-style in a colorful, striped, oversized shirt), bald bassist Brad Davis, lead guitarist Bob Balch and new drummer Scott Reeder (formerly of Smile) tore through more than 14 songs spanning their decade's worth of rock and roll archeology.

The band launched its attack with the one-two punch of "Evil Eye"— the lead track from 1997's The Action Is Go — and "King of the Road" from the 1999 album of the same name.

But despite the vintage sounds, the crowd may have been most blown away by the suddenly short 'do adopted by Hill, who recently shed his appropriately straggly coiffure.

"Holy haircut!" came a cry from the back of the room early in the band's set. By the middle point of the night, the good-natured heckling had reached a noticeable crescendo, prompting Hill to lean into the mic and quip, "Yeah, so I cut my hair. ... Be into it."

With the new look came new music, courtesy of California Crossing, which hits stores next week. The album's title track, like most of the collection, drops much of the band's formulaic fuzzy guitar tone in favor of cleaner sounds without sacrificing Fu Manchu's combination of kitsch and strangely ominous heaviness.

Reeder, who recently replaced Brant Bjork and does not appear on the new album, was a definite standout, pounding his toms mercilessly beneath Davis' studied and controlled finger-picking. Hill and Balch's body movements were often as in tune with each other as their instruments were, with the band's frontman swinging his axe from side to side during the handful of open-ended power chords his buddy handled alone.

Hill smilingly apologized to the crowd for a small mistake during "Weird Beard," a barely perceptible mishap during an otherwise flawless and casual execution of a smattering of the band's back catalog. The set also included "Hell on Wheels" and another new track, "Squash That Fly" — a song that sees Fu Manchu continuing to build their musical Frankenstein monster from the discarded body parts of Black Sabbath and less obvious influences such as ZZ Top, Devo and the Cars.

Perhaps seeking additional support, Hill and Balch brought their parents out for the gig. Judging from the kind buzz that greeted the band, they didn't need the backup.

Read about all of the shows we've recently covered in Tour Reports.

Related Artists

For The Record: Quick News On Kid Rock, 'NSYNC, Weezer, Fu Manchu, Baha Men, Gorillaz & More

17 Jan 2002 06:25:00 EST

Kid Rock
Photo: MTV

Kid Rock is scheduled to kick off a North American tour in support of Cocky on February 22 in Saginaw, Michigan. Openers have yet to be announced and the full itinerary has not been finalized, though the outing is expected to last through May. ... 'NSYNC want their baby back — their baby back ribs, of course. The meat-loving quintet sings the praises of Chili's popular menu item in a series of commercials that begin airing during the Golden Globe Awards on January 20. ... Southern California foursome Fu Manchu will launch an extensive U.S. tour on January 29 in Los Angeles to promote their latest album, California Crossing, due February 5. The trek, which will also feature Canadian aggro rockers Headstrong, travels across the country and back before wrapping March 10 in San Jose, California. ... Move It Like This, the new pack of dogs from the Baha Men, will arrive on March 26. The first single from the follow-up to Who Let the Dogs Out will be its title track, which will also appear in the film "Big Fat Liar." ... Gorillaz will issue G-Sides, a collection of songs previously unavailable in the U.S., on February 26. The disc will include the new cuts "Faust" and "The Sounder" as well as the B-sides "Ghost Train," "Hip Albatross" and "12D3." ...

The debut LP by Missy Elliott/Timbaland protégé Tweet is set for release on April 2. Her first single is "Oops (Oh My)." ... The Olsen Twins and Deftones aren’t the only acts covering Weezer. A Tribute to Weezer, featuring Dashboard Confessional, the Ataris, Midtown, the Stereo, Further Seems Forever, Elliott, Piebald, Mock Orange and others, will be released February 5 on Dead Droid Recordings. ... If you like to wake and quake, you'll be pleased to learn that Megadeth will release their first live album, Rude Awakening, on March 19. The LP will feature 24 tunes, including "Kill the King," "Wake Up Dead," "Hangar 18," "Mechanix" and "Peace Sells." ... Washington, D.C., duo Deep Dish are recording their first studio album since 1998's Junk Science and will promote their recent release Global Underground - Moscow with a dozen North American dates beginning January 18 in Miami. The double-disc mix album includes their remix of Dido's "Thank You," which is nominated for a Best Remixed Recording Grammy Award.

01.16.02

Jay-Z and P. Diddy were among the luminaries in the audience for a press screening of the Roc-A-Fella movie "State Property," starring Beanie Sigel, Tuesday night at a theater in Times Square. Police were on the scene to alleviate crowding in the overpacked house. ... That same night, Brandy unveiled her new album, Full Moon, during a listening party at Man Ray in Manhattan's Chelsea district. The LP is due March 5. ... Michelle Branch will embark on a month-long club tour, her first as a headliner, to promote last fall's The Spirit Room beginning February 6 in San Francisco. The 18-year-old singer will perform her latest single, "All You Wanted," on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Friday. ... Soul songstress Jill Scott visited "Sesame Street" recently to help the children's television show kick off its 33rd season. Scott can be seen surrounded by Muppets while singing a new version of "We Are All Earthlings" on the episode, which debuts on February 4 on PBS. ... Pitchshifter are in the Machine Shop studio in Hoboken, New Jersey, working on their yet-untitled follow-up to 2000's Deviant, which is scheduled for release April 23. The industrial metal act is working with producer Machine, who produced its 1998 record, www.pitchshifter.com. ...

New and unreleased tracks from Coldplay, New Order, Starsailor and 15 other British artists are available on a new CD put together by Club Bang, a British music nightclub in Hollywood. Rarities Volume 1, which includes a live version of Coldplay's "Trouble," is available at the club or through First Floor Radio Promotions. ... Smash Mouth filmed a video Wednesday for "Holiday in My Head," the second single from their self-titled third album. The song will also serve as the lead single from the soundtrack to "Clockstoppers," a sci-fi thriller starring Jesse Bradford ("Set It Off"). ... Dave Matthews Band, Bilal and City High will be featured in a series of concert specials presented by Music Choice throughout January and February. The hour-long programs will air free of charge on cable systems across the U.S. ... Girls Against Boys are set to release their sixth, still-untitled LP on May 14 through Jade Tree Records. The band, whose last album was 1998's Freak*on*ica, will kick off a two-week tour on March 10 in Bowling Green, Ohio. ... Chuck D is on the same lineup as Microsoft honcho Bill Gates — both are scheduled to take part in the Blacks in Technology Conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center from February 2-3. The symposium series, which aims to stimulate networking and technological awareness in the African-American community, has separate events planned in Atlanta, Chicago and New York, and organizers are working out details with Prince, Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones to attend.

Related Artists

Fu Manchu To Pump "King" On Sevendust Tour

15 Feb 2000 03:15:00 EST

Fu Manchu's Scott Hill and Brant Bjork

The So Cal fuzz groove masters of Fu Manchu appear to be living up to the "King Of The Road" title they've affixed to their new album.

After tackling the opening slot on Anthrax's recent U.S. tour (which wrapped up over the weekend), the band now plans to do the same for Sevendust when that group hits the road with P.O.D. for two weeks worth of dates beginning on March 3.

The band also plans to play this year's South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas next month and hopes to land another high-profile tour or perhaps headline its own outing after that.

All the roadwork comes as Fu Manchu unleashes "King Of The Road" on record stores this week, bringing with it a sound that bakes the 8-track era dashboard rock of Foghat under the California sun. The release marks the band's second full-length for Mammoth Records and delivers ten fuzzed-out rock odes to custom vans, Camaros, and Jeff Spicoli of "Fast Times At Ridgemont High," plus a cover of Devo's "Freedom Of Choice."

In case the band misses any cities on its tour schedule, Fu Manchu is making the rounds vicariously through a 30-minute "cable access" show airing in select markets across the U.S. Described as decidedly low-fi by spokespeople at Mammoth Records, the program began airing in Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Austin last week and will air again in those cities this week.

If you would rather catch Fu Manchu in the flesh, here's where you can see them open for Sevendust:

3/3 - Green Bay, WI @ Riverside Ballroom
3/4 - Duluth, MN @ NorShor Theatre
3/5 - Omaha, NE @ Ranch Bowl
3/7 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Empire Fair Expo Hall
3/8 - Cedar Rapids, IA @ 3rd Street Theatre
3/9 - Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre
3/10 - La Crescent, MN @ Community Arena
3/11 - Wausau, WI @ Grand Theatre
3/12 - Peoria, IL @ Madison Theatre
3/14 - Lincoln, NE @ Royal Grove

Related Artists

Fu Manchu - Hung Out To Dry

5 Feb 2008 12:00:00 EST

Hung Out To Dry

Artist: Fu Manchu
Label: Century Media
Director: Luke Heyne
Album: We Must Obey