Fuzz Mutt: Loud but Loving

Indie rock band Fuzz Mutt are the perfect musical metaphor for a summer music festival: cheerful and sunny upon arrival but mosh through a couple sets and you’ll find yourself completely consisting of rivers of sweat and wild-eyed sonic transcendence.

With influences like Black Sabbath and Queens of the Stone Age, this is a band who knows how to bring the punk rock passion to the indie scene. Songs like “A Quiet End” and “The Doubt” combine flavors of The Pixie’s Dolittle with vocals reminiscent of The Violent Femmes’ Gordon Gano.

But don’t let their massive sound fool you. Loud but loving, aggressive but inclusive, these Everett musicians welcome crowds and individuals of every kind.

But engage at your own risk, Fuzz Mutt’s motto at live gigs is “If you feel like you have to puke halfway through the set, then you’re playing the show right.”

Check out Fuzz Mutt live at Sound Off! Semifinals Saturday, February 23.

What does being part of Sound Off! mean to you?

Max: It’s really cool. It’s a little weird because I have some hang ups about battle of the bands type scenarios in general, but I like the idea that this is more about community building and about working with each other. [That makes it] different than any other kind of battle of the band competition, and it’s done in a way that feels very wholesome and community building.

What artists are currently inspiring the music you create?

Seann: Right now?

Max: All sorts of rock and roll music. We listen to a lot of classic rock stuff, punk rock, and different artsy weird stuff. We all have varied influences.

Seann: Yeah, but pretty much the same, generally.

Max: Seann likes Frank Zappa. And Jared, what are you into lately?

Jared: Lately, I mean OHM. OHM is pretty cool.

Max: OHM, yeah. We like the heavy stuff. [A] lot of stonery rock stuff.

Seann: Good tones.

Max: Guitar driven stuff.

Why do you make music? How does it make you feel?

Max: I feel like it’s sort of an innate thing. It’s very spiritual and cathartic. I think it’s just a very important thing. I don’t really know what I would do [if I was] not making music. So, it’s sort of like I have to.

Seann: I mean, it’s cool. It’s fun. You know, I didn’t do very well in high school, so I got a lot riding on this.

Jared: Solid.

Max: Street smart is what it is.

Jared: Yeah, totally. To build on both of those opinions, it’s cool to just vibe and connect and get to meet people. Playing music is [a] pretty fun thing to do.

Jared: Ultimately, yeah, similar perspective I feel like.

What do you hope to achieve through your music?

Max: Just to reach as many people as possible and do it at the highest level that we are capable of doing it at. [To] just make stuff as much as possible and enjoy it.

Jared: I mean, yeah, I agree with that. It’s just a good thing.

Max: Just to keep doing it.

Jared: Yeah.

Max: Do it to do it sort of thing.

What’s an album that really made you feel that way?

Max: When I was 13-years-old, I went on Limewire and I pirated Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses and Black Sabbath’s Discography — just the Ozzy side of the Black Sabbath’s Discography — and those were the [only] two things I had on my iPod and so those were like [my] “I want to make guitar, rock and roll music. I want to do that.”

Seann: The album?  That’s a tough one. The reason I started playing bass guitar was because of Getty Lee. He’s just a cool guy. Notorious cool guy. But, music in general, I’m not sure. I listened to a lot of music growing up. So, it just seemed somewhat natural, you know?

Jared: A specific album? I’m not so sure about that. More so just kind of committing myself to the process. There’s been a lot that’s happened through that.

If your music were a fruit or vegetable, what would it be and why?

Max: Fruit or a vegetable? Like a pineapple, maybe?

Seann: Pineapple?

Jared: Some cauliflower.

Max: Cauliflower is so plain, though. I feel that’s not a good thing.

Jared: I was kind of thinking that was a terrible thing to say.

Max: Maybe some cauliflower with some cheese on it. Like cheddar cheese on cauliflower.

Seann: Some stinky cheese. Got to have some stank to it. Our music [has] got some stank to it.

Max: But pineapple because its spikey and its tasty on the inside.

Seann: Yeah. A Pina Colada.

Max: Well that’s not a fruit or vegetable.

Seann: it’s got fruits in it.

Max: It’s a very fruit-based beverage.

Seann: I’m trying to think of what else.

Max: I think pineapple’s good. I like pineapple.

Seann: I mean. Sure.

Max: What about a peach? Peach because peaches are fuzzy.

Seann: A peach.

Jared: There we go. That’s pretty good too.

Max: A peach. It’s a peach

Check out Fuzz Mutt at Sound Off! Semifinals on February 23. Get your tickets right here.