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Fu Manchu
Formed : 1990, CA, USA Scott Hill Brad Davis Eddie Glass Ruben Romano Mark Abshire

Fu Manchu Bio

Key in the ignition. Foot on the gas. It?s time to Start the Machine. SoCal rock legends Fu Manchu crank things up again after a nearly three-year gap between studio albums with their most aggressive and pissed-off release to date. Start the Machine, their ninth studio album in 14 years, not only reflects the frustration the band went through following their previous label?s demise, it represents a bold step forward in the evolution of its sound. You?ve never heard a Fu Manchu album that sounds like this before.

The years following the release of California Crossing (2002) were anything but idle for Fu Manchu. Drummer Brant Bjork left to pursue a solo career shortly after California Crossing was finished, so the band brought in longtime friend Scott Reeder (previously of Smile) and embarked on an eight-month tour. The newly revitalized quartet rounded out by guitarist/vocalist Scott Hill, bassist Brad Davis and guitarist Bob Balch recorded and released a live album in Europe, Go For It Live (2003), and later issued the three-song Something Beyond EP (2004). The real focus during this period, however, was on writing fresh material and finding a new label.

The band took on the former challenge making a new album with gusto. Given the rare luxury of being able to write without any looming recording deadlines to meet, Fu Manchu were able to try out new material while on tour and spend lots of time tweaking and improving songs when they were rehearsing at home. "It gave us a chance to try a bunch of stuff on songs we haven?t done before some slower stuff, some faster stuff," says Hill. "We just got a chance to live with the songs for awhile, which is something we?ve never had the chance to do in the past."

Demos of this new material soon led to a deal with DRT and Fu Manchu, armed with a dozen of the brashest and most aggro tunes culled from the 25 they had written, entered the studio with producer/engineer Brian Joseph Dobbs (Metallica, Mötley Crüe). Dobbs had been responsible for mixing Go For It Live and the band was confident he would give them the sound to fit the material they had written. "He knew we wanted a more raw sound than our last record," explains Hill. However, it wasn?t just a raw sound the band was looking for, they wanted a producer who understood the band?s music and could help them improve it. "He had a lot of really good ideas, arrangement-wise and vocally," says Reeder. "It?s cool to work with someone who?s completely enthusiastic and brings something to the table."

The results speak for themselves. Start the Machine sparks to life with Reeders?s thunderous, tribal beat on the propulsive "Written in Stone," a song the drummer says set the standard for choosing material for the album. "They have to be fun to play that was the litmus test for most of them," he explains. "Written in Stone" is also indicative of one of the other notable aspects of Start the Machine: huge, catchy choruses. Nearly every one of the concise, tight tunes (all clocking in well under the four-minute mark) features an instantly memorable chorus, augmented by strong backing vocals by Davis and Reeder from the hardcore-inspired blast of "I Can?t Hear You" to the slow paranoia of "Make Them Believe" and even the heaviness of "It?s All the Same."

Fu Manchu have not so much changed their trademark fuzz-heavy sludge as they have merely taken their songwriting to a new level. The twelve tracks that constitute Start the Machine are dynamic, energetic and diverse as if the band has something to prove after being left adrift without a label for two years. A feeling further enforced by the album?s title itself. "Start the Machine is indicative of our desire to crank the whole Fu Manchu machinery back up and get it out in everybody?s faces," says Reeder. "We?re very anxious to get this stuff out and wrap it around peoples? heads."

Discography

No One Rides for Free

Daredevil

In Search Of...

The Action is Go

Return to Earth 91 - 93

Eatin` Dust

King of the Road

California Crossing

CD Reviews

(Godzilla`s) Eatin` Dust

No One Rides for Free

Return to Earth `91-`93

Old Show Dates

Sep 22 Bottom Of The Hill San Francisco, CA

Sep 24 Bosa Nova Portland, OR

Sep 25 Red Room Vancouver, BC

Sep 26 Graceland Seattle, WA

Sep 28 Crazy Goat Salt Lake, UT

Sep 29 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO

Oct 1 Hairy Marys Des Moines, IA

Oct 2 Abbey Pub Chicago, IL

Oct 3 Peabodys Cleveland, OH

Oct 4 Mod Club Toronto, ON

Oct 5 The Continental Buffalo, NY

Oct 7 Maxwells Hoboken, NJ

Oct 8 Middle East Boston, MA

Oct 9 Knitting Factory New York, NY

Oct 10 Khyber Philadelphia, PA

Oct 11 Ottobar Baltimore, MD

Oct 13 The Nick Birmingham, AL

Oct 14 Vinos Little Rock, AR

Oct 15 Engine Room Houston, TX

Oct 16 Gypsy Tea Dallas, TX

Oct 19 Big Fish Pub Tempe, AZ

Oct 20 Casbah San Diego, CA

Oct 21 Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, CA

Oct 22 Roxy Los Angeles, CA

11/14/04 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre

11/17/04 Tempe, AZ Big Fish Sports Pub

11/19/04 Austin, TX Emo's

11/20/04 Oklahoma City, OK Green Door

11/21/04 Kansas City, MO El Torreon

11/23/04 Youngstown, OH Nyabinghi Dance Hall

11/24/04 Cincinnati, OH Radio Down

Nov-27 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room

Nov-28 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Club

Nov-29 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue (21+)

Nov-30 Chicago, IL Logan Square

Dec-01 St Louis, MO Pops

Dec-03 Pittsburgh, PA The World

Dec-04 Toronto, ON Opera House

Dec-05 Columbus, OH Newport Hall

Dec-07 Charleston, WV Sound Factory

Dec-08 Cleveland, OH House of Blues

Dec-09 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue (21+)

Dec-10 Louisville, KY Headliners

Dec-11 Atlanta, GA Masquerade

Dec-12 Nashville, TN Exit Inn

Dec 14 New Orleans, TN One Eyed Jacks

Dec 15 San Antonio, TX White Rabitt

Dec 17 Tucson, AZ Club Congress

Dec 18 Silver Lake, CA Spacelan

Live Reviews

Khyber Pass 2004-10-10

The Fu loves Philly, and Philadelphia loves their Fu Manchu. The 'chu, from Orange County, rocked it like only these Californians do to a packed house at the Khyber Pass last night [10-10-04]. Mixing a blend heavy riffs, sound effects wizardry and the laid back Cali vibe, Scott Hill and Co. gave a marathon 18 song performance that was filled with the best aspects of heavy, stoner, space, and retro rock without being limited to the boundries of any of them.

After a long night, the band took the stage amid a chant from the crowd of "Fu Man Chu". A flick of the switch and the room was bathed in heavy amplified fuzz. A few more, a quick kick drum, and the band burst into action. "California Crossing" gave the crowd a chance to warm up with its driving riffs and frantic drums, everyone screaming their heads off, fists shooting straight up in the air. Bob Balch (Guitar) immediately broke into the chugging intro of the first song of the night, "I Can't Hear You", whose vocal trade offs and ripping bass were very welcomed. Before their next song, the band took a moment to shake hands and exchange nods with familiar faces in the crowd. The highlight of "Eatin Dust" was Bob's inspired soloing. Rock solid and tricked out with a brilliant sound. The unexpected changes in structure of "Written In Stone" (also on the new CD) are an evolution in the Fu sound. A breaking out without leaving behind.

Scott Hill took a moment to say, "Thank you all for coming out," and the band rolled into the hit Squash That Fly, the first song to get the audience singing along. Something they continued to do for the Classic "Trapeze Freak". "Laserblast" with its relentless striking riff, gave Bob Balch another change to shine and rip off a great solo. "Make them Believe", "Hell on Wheels", the rock just coming and coming.

The stand out highlight "Saturn III" must have used every effects pedal in the catalog as it wound its way through the riff intensive space jam. I was fully impressed with the way the band effectively brought the sonic landscape of their albums to the stage, but in "Saturn III" they raised the bar again, expanding their Musical Mind Movie to the farthest reachs of lonely space.

The destination was reached, and safely returned to the future, the Fu laid into another new number, the catchy riffing of "Open Your Eyes" from Start the Machine, the new album. Should be a single. "This song is a very old song from our first record. Ojo Rojo." Die hard fans noted they had not played this song since Fu's show with the Deftones nearly a decade ago. The last of the new tracks, "Hey" quickly followed; like all the newer material, it was greated with enthusiasm from the audience.

A short break for tuning and to catch their breath, they'd been on for a solid hour already. Then Fu Manchu played what might be the finest song in their catalouge, the classic Strato-Streak from "In Search Of". Bludgeoning heavy live. Rolling drums led right into the equally driving riffage of Evil Eye. This is where the band shines, a supertight performance at a galloping pace. The wide open california desert highway flew by outside as we were given a lift in the "Boogie Van". Again, Bob stepped to the forefront for a searing solo in fan favorite "Mongoose" from the Man's Ruin EP. Scott announced. "There will be no [Pigeon] Toe. This is our last song of the night: "King of the Road says you move too slow." And maybe he's right. In a second they were gone, heading down the highway to rock another town. Leaving behind a roomful of chants "Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu. Fu Manchu."
- California Crossing
- I Can't Hear You
- Eatin Dust
- Written In Stone
- Squash that Fly
- Trapeze Freak
- Laserblast !
- Make Them Believe
- Hell on Wheels
- 10 Saturn III
- Open Your Eyes
- Ojo Rojo
- Hey
- Strat0-Streak
- 15 Evil Eye
- Boogie Van
- Mongoose
- King of the Road