Interview: Hard rocking Boulder act Pink Fuzz is coming to Austin Friday

When The Cosmic Clash learned hard rocking Boulder, Colorado act, Pink Fuzz was coming to Austin this month to open for Black Pistol Fire at Emo’s on Friday, there was a little celebration at our office. Pink Fuzz guitarist, John Demitro has performed with The Velveteers, a psych-rock trio TCC booked for SXSW in 2017 and 2018. The Velveteers lead singer and guitarist is Demitro’s youngest sister Demi. The Pink Fuzz roster consists of Dimtro’s sister, LuLu and childhood friend Forrest Raup.

When The Velveteers opted to sign with Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Records label last year and change their sound, John Demitro decided to double down on his other sibling act, Pink Fuzz, leaving The Velveteers to concentrate on his other band that launched over five years ago.

That singular focus is paying off as the Pink Fuzz continues to gain traction. The group was invited to perform at SXSW in 2018. Last weekend found the trio playing to big crowds at Denver’s Underground Music Showcase. That event books local and national touring acts that appeal to niche markets similar to Austin’s LEVITATION festival. Some of the same bands that have played LEVITATION appeared in Denver last weekend; Death Valley Girls, L.A. Witch, Seratones. It’s a hip, niche Denver music festival.

The trio’s most recent release is a live album that will give fans an idea of the great live show in store should they opt to head to Emo’s on Friday. We all know Black Pistol Fire can bring it. The addition of this incredible Boulder band to the bill guarantees Austin music fans will be rocking hard all night.

                                                

Tickets are still available for Friday’s gig, when Pink Fuzz perform with Black Pistol Fire and Lillie Mae at Emo’s. The band also visits Dallas and Houston with BPF before heading back to Colorado for the shows listed at the bottom of the page. Pink Fuzz are planning a national tour in October and November of this year. Follow the band on Facebook or Instagram to keep up with the band’s tour schedule.

 

The Cosmic Clash: Pink Fuzz is self-described as “high speed desert rock.” What does that mean to y’all? What are the group’s primary musical influences?

For us “high speed desert rock” is just a feeling we get, like the urge to drive fast or do something kinda crazy.  We feel that describes our sound pretty spot on. We drive a lot when touring and nothing gets us going more than good driving music. Someone coined that term on one of our last tours and we love it! When we write something and it moves us like that then we know we have something [worth recording]. 

We have a lot of different musical influences. Obviously, all the older classic stuff we grew up on like Sabbath and the Beatles but there are also so many amazing contemporary bands. Oh Sees, Broncho, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, King Gizzard, Queens of the Stone Age, Portishead, Smashing Pumpkins, etc…

TCC: Pink Fuzz are from Boulder, Colorado. It is well-documented that there isn’t a big rock scene there. How does that affect how the band approaches your work? 

Ha ha, very true. Colorado definitely has it’s pockets here and there and some great music and fans right now. When we were younger, we kind of just made our own scene with DIY shows and playing wherever we could. I feel like the absence of hard rock steered us to be heavier and weirder sounding. Not having much of scene also pushed us to hit the road at a young age. We’re a buncha road dogs and go out [on the road] all the time. 

TCC: Family businesses can be challenging. How is it working with family on this project? How do y’all cope with sibling relationships within the group? 

It can be hard at times but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. We can be completely honest with each other, writing can be so much easier in a lot of ways, and there is some kind of telepathy [between band members] we are able to hone in. All three of us were born at the same hospital and we (John and LuLu) grew up going to school with Forrest, so having a long history helps! 

TCC: It’s super cool y’all are on tour with Austin’s Black Pistol Fire this year. Tell us how that came about? Were y’all BPF fans before you talked about going on the road with them? 

We are stoked! We’ve known BPF for a long time. We opened for them a long time ago when they came through Denver at Lost Lake Lounge. There was maybe 10 people there and now they [Black Pistol Fire] are selling out 1800 caps [capacity venues] in Denver. We’ve stayed friends and fans ever since. We’ve gone out on a couple of tours before with them and it’s always a great time. 

TCC: Speaking of touring, what are three bands Pink Fuzz would like to tour with and why those acts or performers? 

Idles for sure, the energy they have is amazing. Their live show is nuts and we love their newest album.

Oh Sees would be wild, we’ve been seeing them perform all across the country since we were like 16. We just saw them recently when we played Treefort [Festival in Boise] and it was so fun!

The Kills would be a dream too. We’ve all loved that band for so long and they have had a pretty big influence on our writing. 

TCC: We love local bands. Tell us about some Boulder/Denver rock bands that should be on our radar please.

Boot Gun, The Sickly Hecks, Slim Cessnas Auto Club,  Honey Blazer, Grace Devine, The Nova Kicks, Spliff Tank

TCC: On a similar note, what new music are y’all listening to? 

We’ve been listening to a lot of BRONCHO, Caroline Rose, Porches, and Fontaines D.C. new album. Sugar Candy Mountain, Buck Meek and the Nude Party. Plus a lot more, we’ve always got so many different things playing in the van! 

TCC: You probably already know Texans are proud folks. Austinites are understandably proud of their music scene and we love hearing others tell us why they like visiting ATX. Why do y’all like playing Austin? How does ATX compare to large music markets like New York, L.A. or Chicago? 

We always love coming to Austin. There is so much culture and music history that Denver just doesn’t have. There’s always a killer show happening (we especially love running around town after our gigs to find another show) and we’ve had some of our best shows in Austin. Y’all love rock and we can’t deny the fact that you guys have some of the tastiest food.

Pink Fuzz Tour Dates:
8/4 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX.

8/5 – Emos – Austin, TX.