BraveWords: FUZZRD UNVEIL “MONSTER CARNIVAL” VIDEO
Fuzzrd presents “Monster Carnival”, the lead song from the band’s upcoming debut studio album. The track sets the tone, opening innocently enough… and then all hell breaks loose!
“It’s about struggling with debauchery,” says singer and guitarist Brett Petrusek. “You can be a pretty happy-go-lucky dude but sometimes you find yourself in a very dark place, like you’re turning into a werewolf. This song is about finding somebody who recognizes your dark side and embraces you for it.”
Leave it to Fuzzrd to find the bright side of Armageddon. The Minneapolis band has a knack for documenting searing personal experiences, strapping them to turbo-charged guitar riffs, and creating kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll in the process. The result? Tales of obsession, devotion, and redemption – all sung from the crater of a live volcano. And there’s room for some humor too. Asked about the band name (pronounced “Fuzz-erd”), lead vocalist / guitarist Brett Petrusek laughs and turns evasive: “It has six letters, just like the six knobs on an old Marshall amp. It’s actually kinda goofy, but we all need some goofy right now.”
The album is in many respects light and dark. There are pulverizing powerful tracks like “Razor”, the anthemic “Life Turned Black”, and “Viral Connection” which features Mark Slaughter providing guest vocals, guitar work and an outro solo. Petrusek offers dryly, “A dark, twisted little snapshot about retrospectively looking back at your first love.” The soul-baring approach reaches a peak on “Demons”, Petrusek’s gut-wrenching account of learning about the father he had never known. “I recently found my brother, who I never knew I had. We talked and in 35 minutes I learned more about my dad than I had ever known before.” You can hear the sheer emotion in Petrusek’s vocal, recorded on the first – and only – take. He offers, “I’ve become a lot more comfortable letting out my personal thoughts and not second-guessing myself. Being my own therapist and putting it into words. Tapping into the stories that already exist – that’s what makes it more real, more genuine.”
Bassist Robert Berg sums it up a bit differently sharing, “You get these catchy, sing-a-long choruses, but the lyrics are pretty stark and disturbing,” he laughs. “If Black Sabbath and Motörhead took Bon Jovi and Def Leppard, rolled them into a joint and smoked it today, you’d be in a cloud of Fuzzrd.”.
Fuzzrd were ready to unleash the beast in 2020, but then COVID-19 intervened. Amid the crucible of 2020, the band was determined not to let a pandemic go to waste. Fuzzrd decided to record their new tracks with producer/engineer Jeremy Tappero, who has made countless records in Minneapolis and is best known for his recent work with Soul Asylum (and a longtime ally and collaborator of Petrusek and Berg from their days in Downtread).
They’re stoked about the work-in-progress. “We’re all having so much fun with it,” says Savage. “I hate to say we’re taking advantage of the pandemic, but the down time has really been important for the band’s chemistry. This is a different way of doing a band. We haven’t even played a show yet! But we’re really loving what we’ve got.”
2021 marks an inflection point for Fuzzrd and all the rest of us. A chance to rip off old bandages, turn the page, and confront what’s really important in life. You might as well find a soundtrack that perfectly captures the moment…and crank it up damn loud.
For further details, visit Fuzzrd on Facebook.