Interview: Fuzzripper stops by 1428 Elm for a chat
By Aaron Posey
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for horror themed music. Recently while gawking at Facebook I saw a page suggested for me, it was a band called Fuzzripper out of Clarksville, Tennessee. When I saw their logo I knew I had to check them out.
I saw a song they posted called “DeFeo”and thought this can’t be about Ronnie DeFeo, the famed Amityville murderer. As soon as the lyrics started I realized I was wrong. I gave their debut album Nightstalker a listen and was pleasantly surprised.
I reached out to Fuzzripper and they were gracious enough to grant us at 1428 Elm an exclusive interview. These up and coming horror rockers have good things on the horizon. Below is the exclusive chat I had with the band.
1428 Elm: Congrats on the new album Nightstalker. The band seems to be relatively new, as according to Facebook you played your first show a little over a month ago. How did you guys hook up to form Fuzzripper and who is all in the band?
Dusty: Yes, we would like to say our birthday is Halloween 2017, but we started practicing about a month before then. In one form or another I have played with these members before Fuzzripper. So their was already chemistry between us all. Maybe I’m the portal? I’m probably not that cool. Fuzzripper consists of Dusty Mahan on vocals and guitar, Tommy Scott on guitar, Christen Mahan on bass, and Jason Hartley on drums.
Tommy Scott live – via Facebook
With songs like Acidify which is about the Manson murders and DeFeo which is about Ronnie DeFeo who murdered his family and led us to The Amityville Horror, your music and lyrics focus on the darker and horror aspects of life. What led to the band taking this path and what inspires the band as musicians?
Dusty: Since I can remember I have been infatuated with the darker side of things. The first horror movie I saw was Pumpkinhead. My family still jokes I used to peek around the corner to watch it, but eventually I mustered enough courage to see it through. As far as our first album Nightstalker, it is drawn from a psychological standpoint. It’s so easy to stand in awe of how these humans had the mental capacity to achieve these murders. Let alone do it with little to no remorse. As the band’s main lyricist it fascinated me to the point of obsession in a way. In no way do I condone these actions, we as humans I think just have an interest in what we can’t understand.
If you could collaborate with anyone, living or dead who would it be?
Dusty: Living, I would love to collaborate with the band Ghost. Our styles are similar in a way. Also, I feel like our voices would complement each other.
Tommy: Maybe Wendy O. Williams. I think I would’ve had a blast sharing a stage with someone as electric as her.
Christen: Josh Dies. The stuff he wrote for Showbread was unreal.
Jason: Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie. Am I allowed to say that in an interview for a horror website?
Fuzzripper live. Left to Right – Tommy, Jason, Dusty, Christen – via Facebook
As a band with horror themed lyrics, our readers want to know, what is Fuzzripper’s favorite horror film?
Dusty:Nightbreed for sure. Monsters are the good guys hiding out from evil humans? Way cool.
Tommy: Just to avoid picking something “basic” or obvious like The Shining or Rosemary’s Baby, I’m going with Near Dark. Criminally underrated. Bill Paxton is iconic in this.
Christen: I’ve only seen a handful of them, but I guess I liked Hellraiser the most.
Jason: I’m super picky about horror movies. In general I prefer suspense to horror. It Follows is a fantastic recent film that really makes your mind scare you more than anything they can put on screen. You can’t go wrong with The Shining or American Psycho as a bit of a parody and self-aware commentary on the genre.
Best horror guilty pleasure? What is that one movie you keep coming back to even though you know how terrible it is?
Dusty: Halloween III, not even terrible to me. Sorry Mr. Myers, it’s my favorite of the series.
Tommy: I might be stretching the definition of horror here, but my gut response is Savage Streets with Linda Blair. The plot is paint-by-numbers, but the soundtrack is arguably the best of the era. If that don’t work, then I’m saying Scream Queen Hot Tub Party. Look it up, kids.
Christen: I’ll have to go with Dusty on this one and say Halloween III.
Jason: Why would you do that to yourself? I’m not sure I have a good answer for that. The Room is terrifying right?
The band has such a unique and awesome name. How did you come up with it?
Dusty: It seemed like over a year I binged on serial killer documentaries. That and we take a more Fuzz approach with our distortion set up. A fuzztortion if you will. So Fuzz as in heavy guitars and ripper as in Jack the Ripper. Ripper could also be linked to some sick riffage on guitar.
For the uninitiated how would you describe the band’s sound to someone?
Dusty: If Black Sabbath, Megadeth, and Stranger Things had a baby, you would get Fuzzripper.
What are the band’s plans for the rest of the year and what can fans expect to see in 2018?
Dusty: We are excited about our big New Year’s show at the end of December 2017. There is a lot of prep that goes into our shows, because it is a full on show. We have already started writing and demoing for the next album. It’s a more open minded concept about paranormal instances, or things science can’t even explain. In 2018 there will be a lot more shows. We plan on hitting up all the states that connect to Tennessee, and more. It’s huge for us to work out the logistics of our show, so we can get on and off stage in a professional manner. Our automated lights are killer, but they take time. We have some plans for bettering set up.
Is there a place fans can stalk you, buy your merchandise, see upcoming show dates etc.?
Dusty: Our website will be launching shortly. You can find all the links to our store and social media sites there.
And the most important question of all, is Die Hard a Christmas movie?
Jason: Get your shit together. You write for a horror website, this movie has nothing to do with Christmas. But yes. I watch it every Christmas Eve.
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I want to extend a special thanks to Fuzzripper for taking time out of their schedule to chat with me. If you are looking for some good old school fuzzy horror rock definitely check them out. If you are in the Tennessee area you can see them on New Years Eve at Wicked Good Sandwiches. And be sure to check them out on Facebook!