For three days Fuzz reigned supreme at Fuzz Fest 9 at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor with punk, psych, and noise rock.
Fuzz Fest 9
The monster weekend of fuzz known as Fuzz Fest 9 descended upon the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor last weekend. With two stages running nonstop from doors to close, each day is a marathon of music made to amplify your mind and rock you senseless. Once again, Chris Taylor put together an eclectic mix of indie, garage, avant-garde, post-metal, punk, and psychedelic rock. The one main ingredient is passion.
A killer poster and t-shirt design was crafted by Tony Fero. His Rubber Wolf comics are legendary. His work on the Fuzz Fest 9 poster captures the passion that each band brings to the stage, along with extraordinary and fun imagery.
Keeping the sound on point was Adam Wilkinson. He has been the captain of the soundwave for Fuzz Fest for five years running. The kicker for this year is he pulled double duty with a performance on stage with his Les Paul with the band Good Man’s Brother. More on that gem later.
Day 1 – Fuzzy Freak Out
The first night of Fuzz Fest 9 included a great crowd and perhaps the most eclectic assortment of music of the weekend.
Along With Ghosts
Fuzzed out sitar with electronic beats and amplified astral projections from the Nth dimension calling you from the void gives a clue to the sounds of Along With Ghosts. The spacey electronics and haunting sitar lend to the sensation of piercing the veil between ours and who knows whose. A fine way to expand your mind in preparation for things to come.
Warlock’s Grave
Evidently, there is an old abandoned graveyard from the 1840s near Dexter where it is said a warlock’s grave can be found. I’m this many years old and just now learned about this thanks to the band Warlock’s Grave. While tracking down what I could find on the band, I found this bit of trivia. This ties in nicely with their psych rock rolling into doom music. Fans of early psychedelic jams such as Strawberry Alarm Clock, as well as metal originators Black Sabbath, will dig these unearthly tunes.
VASE
Cut from the cloth of bands such as Oleander and Seven Mary Three, which took their inspiration from the Stooges and MC5, comes a new band (at least to me) called VASE (voz). They put on a high-energy show with powerful vocals and a driving rhythm section. Lots of great stage swagger made their set fun and exciting. Their punchy cover of The Damned put their set over the top.
Checker
Checker is one part shoegaze shimmer, one part jingle-jangle alt-rock glimmer, and one part heartbeat rock, making for a total of super garage rock that will appeal to anyone with ears. The guitars twang and resonate with a touch of jazz improvisation, while the beat is insistent and moving. The vocals are the key, with each member of this duo pulling no punches as they create a soft parade of invention.
Human Skull
It isn’t Fuzz Fest without Human Skull. At Fuzz Fest 9, the band put on one of the most vital performances of the evening and perhaps the weekend. Punk in origin, with rock at its core, Human Skull put on a clinic in dynamics and persuasion. Their set captured the invigorating feeling of jumping off the swing set at the apex, legs, and arms flailing as gravity drives you back down to earth. With a smile, you race back to do it again and again.
Jacuzzi Beach
Offering a lively set of psych-rock tinged with blue was Jacuzzi Beach. It was a warm saltwater bath of effervescent music that conjures notes of Hawkwind and 13th Floor Elevators. They kept their music charged with electric dreams of chocolate ice. What the hell am I talking about, you may wonder? Give them a listen and experience the bliss for yourself.
The Hourlies
The kinetic sonic storm of pure rock fury is found in the music of The Hourlies. They made the main stage at Fuzz Fest 9 their own with a supercharged twin guitar attack backed with diesel-powered drums and bass. The exhilarating pace and lively performance kept the audience riveted to the stage.
Blood Rune Sigil
Who knew you could play powerful progressive rock crossing the border into metal territory with hand drums? Blood Rune Sigil came with the standard outfit of twin guitars, bass, and drums. Then they upped the ante with hand drums (djembe, I believe). The crazy thing is that it all came together in a storm of heavy rock. Their set was vibrant and forceful. At times, it was reminiscent of Mastodon, yet clearly their own animal of exotic origin.
Velvet Snakes
Whipping up the hard psych energy into a reverberant sound bath of wrangling rock is The Velvet Snakes. Fans of psychedelic pioneers such as The Electric Prunes and The Seeds dig the plush grooves and slithering riffs of the Velvet Snakes.
Scissor Now
Another staple of Fuzz Fest is Scissor Now! They bring an undeniable sense of humor and fun to every performance. Each tune is an angular blast of potent energy designed to tweak your noggin to the point of poppin’. Scissor Now delivered a wonderful set of joyful lunacy.
Tyvek
Hurling short shots of minimal punk was Tyvek. Each tune, complete with popping drums, thrumming bass, and ringing guitars, captivated the lone survivors of the first night of Fuzz Fest 9. Sadly, a lot of people missed a feisty performance.
Day 2 – Heavy Shot of Fuzz
Friday night at Fuzz Fest 9 promised to crank up the muscle.
Psycho Death Punk
Grungy proto-metal stompers Psycho Death Punk hit the main stage first. As the crowd swelled, the band played hard-hitting, crunchy riffs that blended the sounds of Helmet and Green Day with the melodic sense of Local H.
Man At Arms
Opening the side stage was Man At Arms. Their music is hard to qualify, as it has elements of jazz, punk, and noise rock all in one. The tunes are full of nuanced layers of sound that seem to create dissonance and harmony simultaneously.
Angel of Mars
In the stronghold of doom, you will find Angel of Mars. The rich vocal harmonies paired with sonorous riffs driven by titanic rhythms dangle you threateningly into the void. Before you are lost to the unknown, Angel of Mars tears you back to reality with a breathtaking melody. To be transfixed by the beautiful might of this band’s music is bliss.
Virga
If you could surf through the galaxy in a cosmic timeship with its course set for the heart of a distant sun, the soundtrack would be written by Virga. Dreamy and vibrant like a Salvador Dali sunrise, this band’s lush and inspiring music was a highlight of Fuzz Fest 9.
Supreme Mystic
Supreme Mystic brought their messages of empowering hope with muscular intensity to the main stage at Fuzz Fest 9. Their performance was full of fierce intensity and raw determination. With the bass and drums hammering, the guitars cut with razor-sharpness. Hardcore vocals amplified the strength within the tunes, and keyboards added harmonic layers. Supreme Mystic’s cover of David Bowie’s “Suffragette City” stole the show.
Good Man’s Brother
Taking a page from the hard rocking playbook of Grand Funk and mixing in a heaping helping of hashish is Good Man’s Brother. Their set featured foot-stomping heavy riffs that call to mind the classic hard rock with the stoner weight of bands such as Fu Manchu and Kyuss. In a nod to the old school, they covered Grand Funk’s “Sins of a Good Man’s Brother” with guest vocals by Bobby Marks (Electric Huldra).
Sweet Nothin
Coming all the way from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was the potent 70’s groove machine Sweet Nothin. They commanded the main stage with a full-bore rock and roll extravaganza. Gyrating guitars, mammoth bass, and kicking drums flashed back to Rod Stewart when he was with the Faces. This band has hot rocks and diamond riffs.
Sonic Smut
Putting on a furious set of sonically devastating rock was Sonic Smut. This band transcends space and time to bring you a timewarp of psychedelic purple haze. Sledgehammer drums lay the ground for guitar and keyboard black magic. You could feel the burn coming off this band as if you were standing next to the sun. It was a white-hot performance that scorched the earth.
Warhorses
First, a strange phenomenon occurs around midnight at Fuzz Fest. It happened again during Fuzz Fest 9. One minute, the Blind Pig is packed, and the next, it is half-empty. Apparently, the hot dog vendor sets up outside around midnight, and after several hours of fuzzy frenzy, folks apparently get hungry.
The bummer is that while downing some dogs, they miss the band hitting the main stage just after midnight. Tonight, that was Warhorses. This is a tragedy as their set was full charge ahead. Thundering drums and bass rattled the floor as the guitar and vocals soared. Each tune felt urgent and vital as if your life depended on the rhythm and the riffs to save your soul. If you needed a buzz at Fuzz Fest 9, the Warhorses set would have stoned you.
The Idiot Kids
Unleashing the full fury of punk rock music in a luminous blast wave was The Idiot Kids. Tight and raging, their set was fast-paced and compelling. If you dig bands such as Minor Threat and Fear, you’ll dig the frantic force of the Idiot Kids.
Zzvava
The smallest hour sizzled with Zzvava on the stage to close out night two of Fuzz Fest 9. Their set included a joyful, high-voltage dose of rock. After a few songs, members of the band switched instruments and cranked it up again without missing a beat. Zzvava left the crowd uplifted and infatuated.
Day 3 – Wild and Full of Fuzz
The third and final night of Fuzz Fest 9 promised plenty of rock and roll histrionics.
Cobra Youth
A blitz of abrasive punk rock designed for maximum subversion is how Fuzz Fest 9, Day 3, started off thanks to Cobra Youth. A bombastic two-piece hellbent on insighting mayhem with hilarious songs such as “Haunted by Assholes” and some tunes where they shouted “bananas,” which evidently had something to do with Planet of the Apes. A wild ride that made you grin. Nudge Nudge Wink Wink. Know what I mean?
Pepper and the Heavy Boys
If Sammy Davis Jr. and the Melvins had a baby, it would be Pepper and the Heavy Boys. They jammed uproarious tunes with punk rock fury and lounge singer leisure. The rhino love was strong, and the buzz of this band left us so damn high we could touch the sky man!
Sex Change
Sex Change hit the stage with a rampage of hardcore punk and never let up. I’m sure their favorite phrase is, “Fuck you! Let’s Go!!!!”The cathartic release of rage firing off the stage left us cleansed and purified.
Day Residue
It was time for an acerbic mouthful of gritty punk rock and Day Residue delivered. You could feel the radiant waves of disenchantment, causing your middle finger to twitch. Pulling no punches, each song swung hard.
Barbed Wire Playpen
Speaking of throwing punches, the guys in Barbed Wire Playpen played a bristling set of jaw-busting hardcore. The manic mayhem they had cultivated in the 90’s was alive and thrashing. If you couldn’t feel the frenzy within this music, you were dead.
Ficus
I was pleasantly pleased with the glimmering progressive psych rock of Ficus. Their jams slammed you through the astral plane into a world of hypnotic harmonies and moving melodies. When they crank up the heavy, you feel it vibrating through each of your lives spread across the multiverse. Ficus is a cosmic dark star that will blow your mind away.
Mazinga
As the bomb bays opened, Mazinga exploded on the stage. They ripped it up with high-flying, death-defying rock and roll. The temperature in the Blind Pig must have climbed 20 degrees after their pyrotechnic performance.
Cherry Drop
Imagine an amalgamation of the MC5, Black Flag, and The New York Dolls, and you’ve got yourself a super hybrid of punk called Cherry Drop. These guys bring it hard and heavy with tons of stage appeal. Intoxicating and electrifying, Cherry Drop is here to destroy your town.
Towner
Like clockwork, the hot dog guy arrived, and many folks missed out on a solid set of punk by Towner. They played an inviting set beaming with blissful indie pop rock. Their music had a grounding effect that made everything feel real.
Fen Fen
In a spit-flying hyperactive fever dance, Fen Fen started a fire with their music and let it burn. Their show was raw, grimy, and aggressive. No quarter was asked and none given as they incited mayhem with menacing glee. Fen Fen put on a terrific show that felt essential.
Carbon Decoy
Power psyche gods of gorgeous grooves known as Carbon Decoy closed out Fuzz Fest 9 with a phenomenal performance. The hypnotic thrumming bass and drums demanded movement, which the crowd obliged. Undulating like the shore of an ocean, bodies moved, and a lone surfer took to the waves. The guitar soaked in reverb evoked incantations bordering on madness, yet our sanity held. Or are we still living in those hot minutes of electric hallucinations?
Photos
Life In Michigan was proud to join Faygo, VGkids, Music-go-round, and Great Honk Productions as sponsors of Fuzz Fest 9. We’ve got more photos from day 1, day 2, and day 3 in our galleries. Enjoy, spread the word, and support our mission by sharing this post.
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