Live music review: Fuzz delivered headbangers assault at Mohawk
“Just so you know, this show is going to be very, very loud,” a crew member warned the front of the crowd minutes before Fuzz took the stage at Austin’s Mohawk. “Seriously, if you have ear plugs, wear them.”
On a temperate Wednesday night (by Austin standards) the band kicked off a few minutes before 9 PM. With chants of “Ty! Ty!” the iconic front man, Ty Segall, graced his fans, just six months after Fuzz graced the same Austin stage for LEVITATION festival. The band, indeed delivered a headbangers assault on ears per the crew member’s warning.
The Fuzz discography contrasts to Segall’s prolific output elsewhere with only three studio LPs released since 2013. Segall, known for fronting so many other psychedelic outfits, swaps his guitar for a drum set for Fuzz. Charles Moothart, who plays drums in Segall’s current backing band, swaps his drumsticks for a guitar. Chad Ubovich (Meatbodies) plays one of the chunkiest bass tones imaginable. It’s a project that reflects bit of rock n roll indulgence with a heavy dose of talent. Those are the same reasons Fuzz is so beloved by Ty Segall fans.
The trio lined up evenly on stage with Segall at the center, flanked by his two band mates sporting heavy eye shadow. Maybe it helped them channel their inner, demonic, bone-crushing tones because Ubovich frequently wielded his bass vertically, playing it like a possessed, electrified, upright bass.
The band set the tone early with the heavy, dirty, distortion driven “Sleigh Ride” and “Let It Live” which proves that Fuzz are the masters, the kings of the fuzz. Apparently, Segall isn’t a big drug-user himself, but it’s easy to imagine the band’s songs providing the score to bubbling of bongs across the globe. I think the parents who grew up on Black Sabbath would be more than pleased to see their children obsessing over Fuzz.
Technically, Fuzz is typically known as the sound you get when blowing out an audio signal with static or white noise. But where this dissonance can be abrasive, there’s something almost comforting about letting the wave of warm distortion Fuzz creates, drape over you. Gain, distortion, whatever you want to call it, Fuzz’s collective tone is pure.
“Raise” thrust Moothart into lead vocal duties, giving Segall more room for timely drum fills. On record, but especially live, the bass takes up the whole room. It’s so heavy and present, that Moothart has ample space to meander with higher register guitar solos and extend the jams out into the unknown.
Sure, Fuzz rarely deviates from their core sound of sludgy, fat-toned pentatonic riffs and garage rock. But psychedelic music can take on many forms; Fuzz just decided to get their doctorate in shaking rib cages with infectious raw energy and volume levels that test the PA at every venue they play. Why deviate? Seeing them live, they’re low on cheap stage banter, but high on life.
In a way, Fuzz personifies Austin’s DIY music scene. The band built its foundation on touring, live performances, live takes in the studio, and above all, an attitude. Halfway through the set, Segall smirked through most of a song as he fixated on three simultaneous crowd surfers – who maintained their “rides” for an ungodly amount of time. Bless them.
What makes for a heavy riff? Is it the grungy tone? A high decibel level? The virtuosity of the player’s speed? Staying in the pocket of A-minor near the 5th fret? For Fuzz, it’s all the above, but with amped up aggression (and a hint of humility) that only they can deliver.
If you like Fuzz, check out: Queens of the Stone Age, White Fence, Thee Oh Sees, King Tuff, Kyuss
All photos: Drew Doggett
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