Fuel (band)

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Fuel

Fuel performing in May 2010
Background information
Also known as Small the Joy (1993 – 1994), Re-Fueled (2009 – 2010)
Origin Harrisburg, PA, USA
Genres Hard rock, post-grunge, alternative metal
Years active 1989–present
Labels SonyBMG/Epic
Associated acts Shinedown, Candiria, World Fire Brigade, Puddle Of Mudd, Emphatic, Tantric
Website www.fuelrocks.com
Members Brett Scallions
Brad Stewart
Andy Andersson
Shannon Boone
Past members Carl Bell
Jeff Abercrombie
Jody Abbott
Erik Avakian
Jonathan Mover
Kevin Miller
Toryn Green
Tommy Stewart
Yogi Lonich
Jasin Todd
Ken Schalk
Bryan Keeling

Fuel is an American rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. Originally known as Small the Joy, they changed the group's name to Fuel sometime in 1994. They are well known for their hit songs "Shimmer" from Sunburn, "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" and "Bad Day" from Something Like Human, and "Falls on Me" from Natural Selection. Their newest album Puppet Strings will be released March 4th, 2014.

History

Early years (1989–1997)

The origins of Fuel were formed in 1989 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and drummer Jody Abbott. Singer/guitarist Brett Scallions joined the group after Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie saw him in a bar in Jackson, Tennessee in 1993.[1] That same year, keyboardist/vocalist Erik Avakian joined the lineup and the band moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in 1994 where they played at local Pennsylvania bars and nightclubs. Their first EP Porcelain was released in 1996 and sold well locally, spawning a small radio hit with "Shimmer". The popularity of the EP brought them to the attention of Sony's 550 imprint, which released their second EP Hazleton the following year.

Early releases (1998–2003)

Upon signing to Epic, the band entered Longview Farm recording studios in Massachusetts, along with producer Steven Haigler and session drummer Jonathan Mover due to problems with Abbott. The band's full length debut, Sunburn, came out in 1998. "Shimmer" was again included and almost became a Top 40 hit; while, the other singles ("Bittersweet", "Jesus or a Gun", and "Sunburn,") received some airplay. The songs "Shimmer" and "Sunburn" are also featured on the charitable album Live in the X Lounge. "Sunburn" was also featured in the movie Scream 3, and the band contributed the non-LP track "Walk the Sky" to the 1998 American Godzilla film. The band hit the road in support of the release, but problems with Abbott continued. Once again Mover was enlisted, this time to play drums on tour while the band sought out a full-time drummer to join. It should be noted that the liner notes for the cassette and CD issues of "Sunburn" list the band members as Carl Bell (guitar), Brett Scallions (vocals), Jeff Abercrombie (bass), and Kevin Miller (drums), although Jonathan Mover is credited with playing all the drums and percussion on the record. The band picture includes Miller, though he did not play on the record.

In 2000, Fuel came back with their second album, Something Like Human, and scored a Top 40 hit in the U.S. with "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" which peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[2] Something Like Human peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200[3] and was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA on September 25, 2001.[4]

The group's third album, Natural Selection, named after Darwinian theory, was released in September 2003 and debuted at No. 15 on the U.S. Billboard charts.[3] The extended lag time between Something Like Human and Natural Selection was due to legal problems[5] and lead singer Scallions having to recover from surgery to repair a deviated septum he suffered from an on-stage collision with Bell.[6] The album spawned the hit "Falls on Me", which peaked at No. 52 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[2] Despite the exposure of the song, the album did not sell as well as Something Like Human did, and to date has not been awarded even Gold status by the RIAA.[4] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2004 for best engineered album,[7] and the band contributed the song "Won't Back Down" to the Daredevil soundtrack earlier in the year. They released their greatest hits album The Best of Fuel on December 13, 2005. Their song "Quarter" was featured in the games "Need for Speed: Underground", "NFL Street" and "NASCAR Thunder 2004".

Line-up changes and Angels & Devils (2004-2007)

After disagreements (both public and private), drummer Kevin Miller was dismissed from the band in 2004. On February 7, 2006, Fuel announced through their website that singer Brett Scallions had left the band. Fuel had already laid down the instrumental tracks for their fourth album and soon started auditioning singers so the band could move forward. Abercrombie and Bell took notice of American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry, after he performed "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show. The single shot up to the Top 10 download list on iTunes and stayed there for a number of days. This also sparked interest in other Fuel songs, which began to appear in the Top 100 download chart on iTunes. On March 3, 2006, judge Randy Jackson stated in an interview that Daughtry had been offered the opportunity to become Fuel's new lead singer.[8] Fuel confirmed their interest on their official website.[9] On May 11, 2006, Abercrombie and Bell appeared on the TV show Extra to officially offer Daughtry the job.[10] However, though flattered, Daughtry turned down this offer.[11] By this time also, Tommy Stewart, formerly of Godsmack, was named as Fuel's drummer on Fuel's Myspace page.[12]

On June 8, 2006, Bell announced that the band had found a new lead singer but were waiting confirmation from the record label to announce it.[13] Still, they officially entered the studio in mid-August with producer Scott Humphrey to start recording their fourth album. Due to other commitments Stewart was not available to play drums on the album, so Tommy Lee and Josh Freese performed drums in his place. The band has posted photos from within the studio fairly often on the band's website and MySpace.

On March 9, 2007, Carl Bell officially announced that Fuel's next album, complete with new band members, was fully mixed and going to mastering, and on April 19, 2007, he posted on Fuel's official website that their new lead singer has been confirmed as Toryn Green.

On May 15, 2007, Bell announced the title of the new album - Angels & Devils - set to be released on August 7, 2007. On June 19, 2007, Fuel's first single from their new album, "Wasted Time", was released into rock radio and internet download and peaked at No. 24 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. A second single, "Gone," was released on October 23. Angels & Devils debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 42, selling about 15,000 copies in its first week.[14] On October 20, 2008, Sony's catalog division Legacy Recordings released the album Playlist: The Very Best of Fuel on their Playlist series.[15]

The return of Scallions and Puppet Strings (2010-Present)

On April 8, 2010, the reformation Lance Dowdle
of Fuel was finally confirmed in an official press release.[16] Also the Fuel MySpace and Facebook were updated with the new line-up and tour dates. The new band website is www.fuelrocks.com.

"There is only one original of anything" exclaims Scallions, "and that includes Fuel. The original lineup with Carl, Jeff, Jody and myself will always be something special to all of us, and our first Fuelies (a term for Fuel fans) but it has been thirteen years since the original lineup was intact, and since then many great musicians have come and gone. The lineup I put together for Fuel is not meant to replace or diminish what any of the original members created. Just the opposite, it is to give our fans a live destination, and to keep the Fuel name alive for a new generation to discover. Maybe someday we'll all get on the same page and play together again, but life happens and the next thing you know you just can't jump on a bus and take off for a month, let alone a year."

It was later announced on June 25, 2010 that former Shinedown guitarist Jasin Todd had joined the band to replace Yogi Lonich on lead guitar.[17] As of January 2011, Yogi Lonich has since returned to the band as lead guitarist. Jasin Todd has left the band on good terms. As of March 2011, Brett Scallions has started a new band called World Fire Brigade [18] The lineup for World Fire Brigade includes all current members of Fuel in addition to Smile Empty Soul vocalist/guitarist Sean Danielsen.

The re-formed Fuel performed at The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 1, 2011.

The band played Bethlehem Musikfest alongside Buckcherry, however Yogi Lonich was not on stage. A friend of Scallions, Martin Estrada sat in and played lead for the show. Brett Scallions announced on his official Facebook page that Yogi Lonich was dismissed from the band. Scallions stated that Lonich was not committed or loyal to the band, and the two were in a "heated discussion" so therefore he is no longer playing with the band. Scallions also hinted that there is in fact a new Fuel record in the works and also introduced the band's new lead guitarist, Andy Andersson. The band will continue its tour and will also be playing new material during the sets. Scallions also noted that Lonich was never in World Fire Brigade, but rather recorded lead solos on some songs that will be released on the upcoming album.[19]

Puppet Strings (2014)

Fuel entered the studio on March 8, 2012 to record their fifth full length studio album titled Puppet Strings. Eddie Wohl, producer of the World Fire Brigade album, will produce the new Fuel album. In late September the band re-entered the studio to complete the guitar and bass tracks for the record. As of February 2013 the band are still in the studio finishing off vocal and guitar tracks. Originally planned for a 2012 release the album has now been pushed back to a possible mid-2013 release. This marks 6 years since the band released their previous album Angels & Devils with (then) lead singer Toryn Green.

On April 30, 2013 drummer Ken Schalk announced his departure from the band citing reasons that if touring got in the way of family time it would be time to move on. On that same day Scallions announced new drummer Bryan "Keelgood" Keeling. The band will, however, keep Schalk's drum tracks, as referenced by Keeling in his first interview since joining the band.[20] On April 30, 2013 Brett Scallions announced that a new Fuel single is targeted for a mid-summer release via download once the "details have been worked out and handshakes have been made".

On June 26, 2013, Scallions announced that Bryan Keeling was going out on tour with Eric Sardinas in Europe and that Shannon Boone (current drummer for Puddle of Mudd) has joined the band. Scallions also commented on the new album; "The record has been recorded and is so close to being released for all of you I can taste it. There will be big announcements very soon regarding release dates, singles, videos, and much much more. Take care and we will see you all soon at a venue near you!"

Recently Scallions announced that the record is done and the band just needs to work out "a few bugs" and that "a record label is already on hand" although he did not mention which label yet. In a July 22, 2013 interview with the Oakland Free Press it was revealed that the new record had an album title, the title was revealed as Puppet Strings, which is also a potential title track with Robby Krieger of The Doors as special guest lead guitar.

So far there have been 7 songs performed live from the new record, they include, "I Can See the Sun", "Headache", "Time For Me to Stop", "Never Be the Same", "Puppet Strings", "Hey Mama", and "Yeah!".

Scallions confirmed that the new album was mixed by Ben Grosse who also collaborated with Fuel on the Something Like Human album. According to Scallions the new album is currently in the mastering stage of production.

It was announced through Guitar World on December 5, 2013 that the album indeed titled, Puppet Strings, will be released March 4th, 2014. The song, "Yeah!" was released for free download on the website as well, although it was believed to be the first single, Scallions stated that it is not the first single, but rather a "teaser." The first single, "Soul To Preach To" will be released in January, 2014. [21]

Members

Current lineup
Former members
  • Carl Bell - lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1993–2010)
  • Jeff Abercrombie - bass guitar (1993–2010)
  • Jody Abbott - drums, percussion (1993–1997) (as Small the Joy and Fuel)
  • Erik Avakian - keyboards (1993–1996) (as Small the Joy and Fuel)
  • Jonathan Mover - drums, percussion (1997–1998)
  • Kevin Miller - drums, percussion (1998–2004)
  • Toryn Green - lead vocals (2006–2010)
  • Tommy Stewart - drums, percussion (2005–2010)
  • Yogi Lonich - lead guitar, backing vocals (2010, 2011)
  • Jasin Todd - lead guitar (2010)
  • Ken Schalk - drums, percussion (2010–2013)
  • Bryan Keeling - drums (2013)
Touring members
  • Rev Jones - bass guitar (2004)[22]
  • Tommy Stewart - drums (2005)
  • Ronny Paige - bass (2007–2008)
  • Jonathan Mover - drums (2011)
Chronology

Discography

Main article: Fuel discography
Studio albums

References

  1. ↑ Anderson, Philip. "Interview with Carl Bell/Fuel". KAOS2000 Magazine. March 3, 1999.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Billboard Chart History". Retrieved June 28, 2010. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Billboard Album Chart History". Retrieved June 28, 2010. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Gold and Platinum Database Search". Retrieved 2008-01-01. 
  5. ↑ Davis, Darren. "Fuel Rehearsing for New Recording". Yahoo! News. October 23, 2002.
  6. ↑ "Fuel Vocalist Sings Again After Surgery". Yahoo! News. October 16, 2003.
  7. ↑ "Complete List Of 2004 Grammy Nominations". 
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ "Carl Bell Of Fuel Talks About Am Idol Singer...." Melodic.net. May 16, 2006.
  10. ↑ "Chris Daughtry Gets 'Idol' Boot and Offer of a Lifetime". ExtraTV.com. Warner Bros. May 11, 2006. Archived from the original on Jan 8, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2011. 
  11. ↑ "Daughtry turns down Fuel gig". News 14 Carolina (Time Warner Cable). Associated Press. June 3, 2006. Archived from the original on Feb 12, 2007. Retrieved June 29, 2011. 
  12. ↑ "FUEL - Harrisburg, Pennsylvania". MySpace.com. Retrieved 2011-12-07. 
  13. ↑ "Breaking News! a message from Carl Bell". Fuelies.net. Jun 9, 2006. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2011. 
  14. ↑ Katie Hasty, "After Five-Year Absence, UGK Scores First No. 1 Album", Billboard.com, August 15, 2007.
  15. ↑ "Playlist: The Very Best of Fuel" LegacyRecordings.com. Retrieved March 21, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Fuel re-ignite with Bon Jovi, fronted by original lead vocalist Brett Scallions" PRWeb.com April 8, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Former Shinedown guitarist Jasin Todd Joins Fuel" Tunelab.com. June 26, 2010.
  18. ↑ "World Fire Brigade". 
  19. ↑ "An introduction is in order...". FuelRocks.com. August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011. 
  20. ↑ http://tradiov.com/la/videos/drumsmack-5-7-13-jerry-jenkins-darrin-pfeiffer-brian/
  21. ↑ http://www.alternativeaddiction.com/musicnews/article/3550/New-Fuel-Album-Set-For-March-4-2014-Release
  22. ↑ "Hair Metal Mansion Interview with Rev Jones of Steelheart/Michael Schenker Group/Mountain". Hair Metal Mansion. September 25, 2010. Retrieved October 11, 2011. 

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