Fu Manchu is a Southern Californian stoner rock band, who released their debut single "Kept Between Trees" in 1990. Fu Manchu's lyrics tend to stick to typical rock themes such as muscle cars, drugs, and women. They have been featured on compilations put together by Tony Hawk and ESPN's X Games, and invited to perform on the US television program Monster Garage. Their music is also featured in the documentary movie about skateboarding's founding crews, Dogtown and Z-Boys. They were also featured in the video game The BIGS 2.
History
Fu Manchu originally formed in 1985 as a hardcore punk band called Virulence. Their primary influences were the bands Black Flag and Bl'ast. The line up was vocalist Ken Pucci, guitarist Scott Hill, bassist Mark Abshire, and drummer Ruben Romano. In 1989 Abshire left the band and was replaced by Greg McCaughey. They released their debut LP If This Isn't a Dream... on Alchemy Records that year. In 1990, Pucci left the band and was replaced by vocalist Glenn Chivens, and they changed their name to Fu Manchu. Soon after they released the "Kept Between Trees" 7 inch single on Slap A Ham Records. On this early recording, Fu Manchu still exhibited much of the hardcore sound established by Virulence. However, the band soon began to drift away from hardcore and towards a more 1970s hard rock style. McCaughey was not pleased with this, as he regarded this move to be following a trend; the Seattle grunge phenomenon was breaking out of the underground at this time, and many of these bands were regarded as having a similar 1970s "classic rock" influenced sound. McCaughey was replaced by Mark Abshire. Chivens also left the band around this time for unknown reasons. Rather than search for a new vocalist, Scott Hill added lead vocalist to his guitar duties. To compensate, Scott Votaw was recruited as lead guitarist. In 1992, Fu Manchu released three 7 inch singles: "Senioritis," "Pick Up Summer," and "Don't Bother Knockin' (If This Vans Rockin')". In 1993, Votaw left the band and was replaced by guitarist Eddie Glass, who had previously drummed in Olivelawn.
In the wake of Nirvana’s success in the early 1990s, Fu Manchu was approached by a major record label and given funds to record a demo, in an effort to determine if a proper Fu Manchu album was worth pursuing. According to members of Fu Manchu, they recorded the demo with no intention of signing to the label. Instead, their plan was to go into the sessions with the mindset of recording a proper album rather than a demo, which they could then release independently. Sure enough, this is precisely what happened; Fu Manchu did not sign with the label, and the recording sessions would be released as Fu Manchu’s first album, No One Rides for Free (1994), which was released by Bong Load Custom Records, an independent label.
Abshire left Fu Manchu before they recorded their second album, Daredevil, in 1995. He was replaced by Brad Davis. The band promoted Daredevil with extensive touring throughout the USA and Canada, and reached a wider audience thanks to an opening slot with Monster Magnet, who at the time were the commercial darlings of the stoner rock genre.
Romano and Glass left shortly after the release of Fu Manchu's third album, In Search Of... (1996), citing personal and musical differences with Hill. They were replaced by Brant Bjork and Bob Balch, respectively. Glass, Romano and Abshire soon regrouped to form Nebula, a power trio that took the jam-influenced side of Fu Manchu and expanded on it. Members of Nebula have commented that "we're all family" to fans wearing Fu Manchu shirts at their concerts.
Fu Manchu went on to release several successful albums and reinforce their reputation as a powerful live act. The band had gained this reputation over the years due to their performance when touring with bands such as Kyuss, Monster Magnet, Marilyn Manson, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, and White Zombie, among others.
Brant Bjork left the band after their 2001 release California Crossing to pursue a solo career and was replaced by former Sunshine and Smile drummer Scott Reeder (often confused with bassist Scott Reeder, of Kyuss, Unida, and Goatsnake fame). In 2004, Fu Manchu released their 8th album, Start The Machine.
Fu Manchu's ninth album is called We Must Obey which was released on the 19th February 2007. The band has spent most of 2007 and 2008 on tour, playing several shows in North America and Europe.
In February 2008, the track "Mongoose" (from the California Crossing album) was featured in a Super Bowl ad for the Toyota Sequoia. [1]
Their tenth album Signs Of Infinite Power was released on October 19th, 2009 in Europe and October 20th in North America.
Discography
Albums
Singles/EPs
Compilation/Live
Cover Songs and Homage to Influences
Fu Manchu are known for recording cover versions of songs of their favorite bands, including Blue Öyster Cult, Van Halen, Thin Lizzy, Twisted Sister, and The Cars.
Fu Manchu are strongly influenced not only by 70s metal, but by early 80s hardcore punk rock. This is evidenced by their fuzzed-out, in-your-face sound and exemplified by several covers such as Black Flag's "Six Pack", Void's "Who Are You", and SSD's "Nothing Done". They also recorded a cover of "When The Shit Hits The Fan" by the Circle Jerks, which has thus far never been released.
Fu Manchu sometimes pay homage to the hardcore punk band Bl'ast via song and record titles. The song "Laserbl'ast!" from The Action is Go is an ode to Bl'ast (as well as to the 1970s B movie Laser Blast,) while the songs "Something Beyond" and "Start the Machine" are both named after Bl'ast lyrics.
Current line-up
External links
