Beelzefuzz to Play Last Show at Maryland Doom Fest 2019
Beelzefuzz will take the stage on Saturday, June 22, as part of the most packed Maryland Doom Fest lineup yet. As founding guitarist/vocalist Dana Ortt recently made public, it will be the band’s last show. Ortt announced on Instagram that owing to ongoing drama surrounding the band’s name and former bassist Pug Kirby‘s claim thereupon — which is apparently valid so far as Facebook are concerned — he’s simply thrown up his hands and decided to put the band to rest.
We’ve been here before, of course. Five years ago, after making their self-titled debut (review here) in 2013, Beelzefuzz broke up owing to the same situation, and Ortt and drummer Darin McCloskey — also of Pale Divine — formed Righteous Bloom with Bert Hall, Jr. of Revelation on bass. They, in turn, changed the name back to Beelzefuzz in 2015 and went on to release their second album, The Righteous Bloom (review here), in 2016.
In the meantime, they’d picked up Pale Divine guitarist/vocalist Greg Diener to handle lead guitar alongside Ortt, and Ortt last year joined Pale Divine as well to back Diener‘s frontman role in that band. So, although the last incarnation of Beelzefuzz is done as of later this month in Frederick, MD, Ortt, McCloskey and Diener will apparently continue to work together — alongside bassist/backing vocalist Ron “Fezzy” McGinnis — in Pale Divine.
Do I think we’ve seen the last of Beelzefuzz? Probably, but who knows. They were clearly affected by the initial fallout, and even when they came back after their time as Righteous Bloom, there was an edge of been-through-it about their material. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of Ortt as a songwriter, however. He’s been doing solo shows around the Marylandosphere, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some other project popped up in addition to his ongoing work in Pale Divine. Some people are just too creative to sit still for very long.
But Beelzefuzz were a band of obvious potential who, especially live, were able to capture something of the spirit of classic progressive rock along with a groove drawn out from the traditions of Maryland doom. Their personality most came through on stage, but whether you were seeing them live or listening to their records, there was never any mistaking their sound. Here’s hoping a new one from Pale Divine shows up sooner than later, and here’s to one more blowout at MDDF. At least they’ll go out among family.
https://soundcloud.com/beelzefuzz
https://beelzefuzz.bandcamp.com/
http://doom-dealer.de/
It’s a real shame that Dana decided to move on, but i’m sure he has some great songs still to share with Us.
Lucifer Burns is a toupee wear pedophile.
That’s a pretty awful thing to say about somebody.