INTERVIEW: Fuzzwalker — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Fuzzwalker

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THEY are a fun and fiery band…

who are preparing to release their new single, Energy. I ask the group about the song and the inspiration behind it; how they all got together; whether they have a favourite memory from their time in music – what gigs they have coming up in the coming weeks.

Fuzzwalker reveal the music that inspired them; a new artist we should all get involved with; where that unique name comes from; how songs come together for them; what they all get up to when they are not playing and recording – what they hope to achieve in the remainder of the year.

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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?

Hello, Sam. Excellent, cheers! We had a big old Easter weekend - ‘Good Fuzzday’ occurred on the Friday with a gig in Staines, which was smashing - barring Matt powering through of a chest infection! Easter Sunday shall now forever be known as ‘Easter Ed’, as our lead guitarist Ed played host to us all and whipped us all up a succulent roasto.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?

We are Fuzzwalker – hard-cut Indie-Rock riffs, Britpop sensibilities; a bit of fuzzy magic. There’s four of us: Matt on vocals and guitar, Ed on lead guitar and backing vocals; Donna on drums and Billy on bass. We love to get Fuzzy with the people of the world.

Can I ask where the name ‘Fuzzwalker’ comes from?!

Nobody really knows for sure - it came from somewhere deep within the workings of Matt’s mind. It was originally a working title for a song and we all liked the sound of it as a word, and it stuck. Not only for the song, which is on our debut E.P., but also for us as a band name...

The single, Energy, is out on 4th May. What can you tell us about the song’s background – and, will there be any cheeky Star Wars nods?!

We are constantly writing new songs and Energy is one that came to us all at once a few months ago now. Matt liked it so much, he insisted we give it the studio recording treatment the very next day. The title makes reference to something people always tell us after a gig (usually along the lines of: “Wow; you guys have so much energy!”).

It got to the point where it was getting a bit weird; people saying that exact line to us every time. I suppose you could also say we are using our energy in much the same way a Jedi would - to move people's body parts in all manner of ways.

Are you guys working on any other material for later in the year?

Absolutely. In fact, Energy is the first single from our second E.P. (which will be out in the summer). There'll be another single before the E.P. - and then, one final single to coincide with its actual release.

How do songs come together? Will one/two of you work on one part and bring it into the room? Give me an insight…

We tend to write songs together mainly.

One of us will bring an idea to a rehearsal, and we'll jam on it; see where that takes us. Usually, once a song is fleshed out, then Matt will develop a melody for it and get some lyrics together. Sometimes he already has an idea.

What sort of artists did you all grow up around? It seems like 1970s Punk and 1990s’ best feature highly!

There are loads of various influences between us. Matt traversed his adolescence during the height of '00s Indie and, as a result, is a massive fan of bands like Hard-Fi, but also took to '90s Britpop - bands like Oasis, Blur etc. and their influences like The Stone Roses. Similarly, Billy grew up listening to bands like the Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party and the Foo Fighters, whilst also having an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things Led Zeppelin.

Ed is a huge fan of bands like Guns N’ Roses and Halestorm - which is probably how he got the nickname ‘Shred-win’. Donna is a Bon Jovi and Thunder nut and even has the nickname ‘Don Bonham’ - in reference to Zeppelin’s drummer.

Take me back to the very start. How did Fuzzwalker get started?

It was a bit of a chance meeting - Donna and Billy were looking to get something new off the ground, having played together as a rhythm section for a few years in a previous band. After putting an advert out to find a guitarist/singer, Matt answered the call by proxy of a different man called Matt who found our Matt on a different website. Eventually, after a few meetings and chats here and there, the Donna, Matt and Billy combo that exists today got together and formed Fuzzwalker.

For the first year, we were joined by Carlos on lead guitar, who held the position brilliantly until he could no longer. It was at this point Ed joined our ranks - and our current lineup was solidified.

Do you have any gigs lined up? Where are you heading?

We sure do!

Thur, 12th April – The Facebar, Reading

Sat, 14th April – Nambucca, London

Sat, 21st April – York Uni

Fri, 27th April – The Star, Staines

Fri, 4th May – Boileroom, Guildford

If you had to choose a ‘dream line-up’ – three acts to play with – and any rider you could get; what would that entail?

The dream line-up would be Fuzzwalker, Hard-Fi; Arctic Monkeys and Muse. On our rider, we would demand only yellow and green Skittles, as well as plenty of beer and toast (with Marmite).

What do you all hope to achieve in 2018?

We're ready to reach more people's ears and faces this year with our music, building our fanbase and bringing the fuzz. All of our releases are available to stream on Spotify and for download from our Bandcamp.

Just striving to put on the fuzziest show possible with each and every gig we do.

Have you each got a favourite memory from your time in music – the one that sticks in the mind?

There are so many weird and wonderful Fuzzwalker moments; the fuzziest being a time when we busked in Guildford - an incredibly drunk man decided to tell us he was fifty-three and “full of sh*t” whilst clutching a bottle of stolen red wine. He proceeded to dance in a slightly intimidating way whilst we busked on the high-street. He was also keen for us to play anything by The Doors.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Take your music seriously - but never take yourself too seriously (smiles).

IN THIS PHOTO: Rews

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Definitely worth checking out Rews! They're an awesome duo we've all discovered independently, and absolutely love. We've even had the pleasure of supporting them recently!

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

Music is, essentially, our lives; our way to unwind from the stresses of the real world. When Billy's not music-ing, he likes to chain-cook roasts. Ed drives his van in circles around Milford when he can. Donna's been learning Spanish and Russian recently and Matt wanders around different ASDA stores to look at all the things.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Rews – Shake Shake