Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
This band has no press
Discography
A pure live band...only bootlegs are readily available. The bands only excursion into a studio ended in digital disaster....like two cans with a string between them. If I hear the word "gate" ever again, it will be soon followed by an act of violence.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Phuzz originated out of a collaboration between songwriter Andrew Wheeler and multi-dimensional musician JD King in 2005. Former Buddy Guy tour drummer extraordinaire Kevin Johnston and Curt "Noodles" West round out the diverse group built upon the roots of the Allmans, Grateful Dead, Santana, Pink Floyd and other straight forward rock/blues like Mule, Zeppelin and Stevie Ray. While the band takes crowds through a diverse set of original music, they always seem to fall back to their roots and dabble in a little percussion based jam, coming in and out of genres and flavors. King, an admitted Mule freak, goes between slide guitar, percussion, and lead vocal while drummer Johnston simply blows the mind of almost everyone who steps into the room. I am not kidding. Wheelers gift is songwriting, the Steve Cripe axe, and the B3. His lyrics carry a depth and color which offer a connection and the opportunity to personalize the lyric by the listener. There are strange combinations of music and lyrics that make this band unique. For instance, there is the bluegrass tinged "Camel Toe Mafia" which celebrates the obvious, and the crowd favorite "Whatcha Got?" which uses hippie-profiling by the Boys in Blue to celebrate a way of life. Another favorite is "40 till Five", which is a combination of an orchestrated, Song remains the Same/Harry Hood type intro that goes into a Marley-esque reggae groove. "The Wolf" is an Allman-ish, mournful tune that explodes into a Floyd-like jam. "Mr. Whitebones" is a journey through the life of a white pimp, with again...lots of jam. "Bad Feeling" is another Wheeler/King 'She done me wrong' song with an Allman feel. The band plays mainly in mid-central Illinois, Indiana, and Chicago. A constant comment the band gets from clubs and newfound fans is "You ought to be out there on the road, playing festivals. Why haven't I ever heard of you guys before?" The basic fact is that the band has no official management, and the joys of playing in the moment have been enough up until now. Per the comments of Wheeler..."Labels like the pretty boys and the heavy stuff...we just jam, and love doing it. Our sound is retro, and that ain't selling right now, unless you're talking about festivals. We just need that one little break, and we could be another Widespread type of thing. I got too many ex-wives to be playing for peanuts, man."
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