Posted in Whathaveyou on August 7th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Arizona’s Fuzz Evil will join up with Ohio denizens Valley of the Sun as the Sierra Vista four-piece continue to support their March 2025 outing, Smear Merchants (review here). They were out in May — that’s Fuzz Evil; Valley of the Sun are generally also ‘out’ somewhere, I just want to be clear about whom I’m speaking — on a West Coast run to herald the record’s arrival, but where that tour went as far north as Oregon, Washington and Idaho, these five shows keep it pretty regional in terms of geography.
But good shows is good shows and these will be those. As noted, you’ll see Valley of the Sun are part of the stellar lineup for this year’s Ripplefest Texas. Oh, to dream I was putting that sentence in first instead of second person. A sincere wrist-over-my-forehead “alas” later, life rolls on with characteristically cruel indifference.
My own daydreams aside, here are some things that are actually happening for the people undertaking them. Courtesy of the PR wire:
Fuzz Evil to Support Valley of the Sun Through Southwest Following Ripplefest Texas
Southwest heavy psych rockers Fuzz Evil are hitting the road this fall in support of Valley of the Sun, joining the Ohio-based stoner rock veterans for a short but heavy-hitting run across the American Southwest.
The tour launches the week after Valley of the Sun’s highly anticipated appearance at Ripplefest Texas this September, bringing together these two underground acts for a string of dates filled with fuzz-drenched riffs, thunderous grooves, and pure desert energy.
With both bands known for delivering loud, immersive, and riff-forward performances, fans can expect no-frills, full-throttle rock shows in intimate venues throughout the region.
Tour Dates 9.24- Rockhouse Bar and Grill – El Paso Texas 9.25- Pc’s Lounge- Sierra Vista, Arizona 9.26- CV Collective- Coachella California 9.27- The Dive- Las Vegas, Nevada 9.28- Permanant Records, Los Angeles California
Fuzz Evil is: Vocals & Guitar: Wayne Rudell Bass & Backing Vocals: Joseph Rudell Baritone Guitars: Preston Jennings Drums: Cajun Adams
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 2nd, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Arizona-based heavy rock and rollers Fuzz Evil are funky-fresh off the release last month of their new album, Smear Merchants (review here), on Desert Records. The four-piece led by the brotherly team of Wayne and Joey Rudell will support their latest outing on a West Coast tour starting May 17 after a couple local shows earlier in the month.
They’ll hit the Pacific Northwest for stops in Portland and Tacoma and swing through Boise en route to share the stage with The Otolith in Salt Lake City, which is a banger show and not a combination of bands you would intuitively put on a bill but a bit of upfront rock and some crush will probably go well toether. It’d be two bands I want to see, at least. So, efficient in that way.
Dates follow as per the PR wire:
Fuzz Evil Embarks on West Coast Tour to Support Smear Merchants!
Arizona heavy psych rockers Fuzz Evil are hitting the road for a West Coast tour from May 18-24 in support of their new album, Smear Merchants, which dropped on March 21. Known for their fuzz-drenched riffs and raw desert energy, Fuzz Evil is bringing their explosive live show to venues across the coast.
A highlight of the run includes a special night in Salt Lake City on May 23 at Urban Lounge, where they’ll join their labelmates The Otolith for a crushing, can’t-miss performance.
Stay tuned for full tour dates and get ready for a sonic onslaught as Fuzz Evil spreads the fuzz!
Fuzz Evil – Smear Merchants West Coast Tour 05.02 Tucson AZ 191 Toole 05.10 Sierra Vista AZ PC’s Lounge 05.17 Oceanside CA Pourhouse Brewery 05.18 Los Angeles CA The Redwood 05.19 Yuba City CA Hooligans 05.20 Portland OR Dante’s 05.21 Tacoma WA The Valley 05.22 Boise ID Realms 05.23 Salt Lake City UT Urban Lounge w/ The Otolith 05.24 Phoenix AZ Yucca Tap Room
Fuzz Evil is: Vocals & Guitar: Wayne Rudell Bass & Backing Vocals: Joseph Rudell Baritone Guitars: Preston Jennings Drums: Cajun Adams
Posted in audiObelisk on January 17th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Arizona heavy rockers Fuzz Evil — led as ever by guitarist/vocalist Wayne Rudell and bassist/vocalist Joey Rudell — will release their fourth album, Smear Merchants, on March 21 through Desert Records. And more than two months is early for a review of the thing, admittedly, but I’m not sure I can let this post go live without telling you it’s the best and farthest-reaching work the band have done. In the 10-plus years since their first split 7″ (review here), the Rudell brothers have steered through a number of sonic shifts, trying out ideas in persona and style. The preceding 2023 outing, New Blood (review here), pushed their prior good-times desert-style aesthetic forth with a bit more of an edge, and as the revamped four-piece of Wayne, Joey, baritone guitarist Preston Jennings and drummer Cajun Adams take off on the 10-song/45-minute plunge, they sound like they’ve thrown off some of the shackles of writing to genre and are a freer in their expression. It would seem Fuzz Evil have hit the point of bring able to let their music become whatever the hell they think it wants to be.
Considering they’ve been skillful songwriters all along, Smear Merchants comes across like an organic arrival at a moment of realization and self-reflection. It gets darker than one might think of as ‘refreshing,’ but it is the most individual they’ve sounded. Some of it is outwardly aggressive, more than the band has been before, as with the screams in the charged “Wanderer’s Wake” and some of it is quieter and more hypnotic. Those who got down to the dancey side of New Blood might be surprised at the noisy aural context “Smear Merchants” (premiering below) sets for the album that shares its name with its wailing-wah solo and tonal crunch.
But the brash punker thrust in the first half of the two-minute “Sermons of the Defiant” (where the repeated line sounds like, “I wanna fight the pope, I wanna fight the pope,” and if it’s not that, I’m not sure I want to know) just prior and the uptick in scope for the subsequent eight-minute sprawl of “Progression of the Black Sun”, languid swing hinting at doom in its twists and use of organ, but unmistakably desert-born, paint a more complex picture. And in truth, that’s the story of the whole record: it’s a more complex picture of who you thought Fuzz Evil were as a band. They’re still heavy, they’re still writing memorable pieces like the aforementioned “Wanderer’s Wake,” which picks up from the 17-second intro “The Fraile Mourning of Eternity” — weightier in its title than acoustic strum, but fair enough — and gives over to the shorter instrumental blast “Doomsayer’s Lament,” setting up a back-and-forth that plays out into the shuffling highlight “The Juice is Loosh,” the aforementioned “Sermons of the Defiant” and the title-track across side A with “Progression of the Black Sun” waiting to immerse the listener after the (perhaps virtual) LP platter flip.
The longest cut on Smear Merchants is a highlight as well for what it encompasses while still shining through with purpose for its comparatively extended run, but Fuzz Evil aren’t finished yet, and they flesh out side B with the ultra-hooky “Starlight Grave” and “How to Vibe Alone,” the latter of which brings a marked focus on fuzzal density and a right-on grooving lead and sludgy shouts later on, echoing back to “Wanderer’s Wake,” giving the record a sense of symmetry, and still leaving room for one final turn toward the unexpected with the patient drone intro that picks up from the residual crashes of “How to Vibe Alone” and moves fluidly into the instrumental finale “Whispers From the Abyss.” This last inclusion makes its way to a last nod, but for the first 3:45 of its total 5:11, it explores a guitar-effects drone, and so gives one more new look from Fuzz Evil before they turn their audience back over to the real world with no less intent than they started out in “The Fraile Mourning of Eternity” at the start.
…Well, so much for not reviewing it. I knew that was gonna happen.
Maybe you skipped to the audio here. Enough blah blah, give me the song. Fair.
What you really need to know, even two months ahead of the release, is that Fuzz Evil have found something new in this material and set themselves to exploring it with the same vitality they’ve always brought to their work. Take a listen to “Smear Merchants” on the player below and I think you’ll agree that defying expectation suits them quite well.
A quote and PR wire info follow. Please enjoy:
Fuzz Evil on Smear Merchants:
“This album is a journey, designed to be experienced in one sitting, with each track seamlessly transitioning into the next through wild time-signature shifts, key changes, and an intricate use of effects that add a whole new dimension to our sound.”
“Smear Merchants” is the title track of Fuzz Evil’s 4th studio record “Smear Merchants” to be released on March 21st, 2025 on Desert Records. The band evolves their music each record and with “Smear Merchants” it will be their take on more doom metal/stoner.
Smear Merchants marks a transformative moment for Fuzz Evil. Expanding from a 3-piece to a 4-piece lineup, the band’s sound is bigger, heavier, and more dynamic than ever before. Written, recorded, and produced entirely DIY, this album gave Fuzz Evil the freedom to push boundaries and experiment—and it shows. Every riff, transition, and effect reflects the band’s uncompromising vision and creative exploration.
While staying true to their signature driving energy, Smear Merchants ventures into bold new territory. Preston Jennings’ love for ambient textures and psychedelic soundscapes adds depth and atmosphere, while Kenneth “Cajun” Adam’s screaming vocals introduce a raw intensity that amplifies the band’s doom/metal elements. Together, these additions create a powerful blend of storytelling, instrumental exploration, and crushing riffs that redefine what Fuzz Evil can do.
From hypnotic breakdowns to blistering highs, Smear Merchants captures the full spectrum of sound, layered with effects that pull listeners deeper into the experience. This is Fuzz Evil at their most ambitious and innovative, delivering an album meant to take you on an unforgettable sonic journey. Experience the raw creativity and limitless energy of Smear Merchants, where DIY ingenuity meets heavy, transformative soundscapes.
Fuzz Evil is: Vocals & Guitar: Wayne Rudell Bass & Backing Vocals: Joseph Rudell Baritone Guitars: Preston Jennings Drums: Cajun Adams
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 1st, 2024 by JJ Koczan
What do we know about Arizona’s Fuzz Evil? They’re songwriters. No matter what the Sierra Vista-based troupe led by brothers Joey and Wayne Rudell get up to on a given release — whether it’s their new single “Wanderer’s Wake” below, issued ahead of their Desert Records label-debut, Smear Merchants, or the 2023 full-length that preceded it, New Blood (review here), or anything else they’ve done over the eight years since their 2016 self-titled debut (review here) — they have songs. They’ve never been an overly self-indulgent band, never left their audience behind, and their catalog is that much stronger for it.
Even as they pivot to heavier fare with “Wanderer’s Wake” and introduce the lineup they revealed in January alongside their cover of The Cars‘ “Just What I Needed” (speaking of songwriters…), the song remains the priority, and that’s also what lets them pull off the dive into gruff vocals and harder-hitting tones without losing the plot. It’s a less friendly sound on the surface, but still very much Fuzz Evil in the underlying groove and structure. I would say it meets the stated intention toward more of a stoner-doomed feel, and not that I wasn’t already keeping an eye for Smear Merchants — not sure if it’s an EP or LP at this point, but it’s a title, which is more than you sometimes get — but I hear all the more reason to do so in the single’s sub-five-minute stretch.
TL;DR: New Fuzz Evil track mixes it up with a little bit o’ nasty to go around. Dig it:
“Wanderer’s Wake” is the first single from Fuzz Evil’s fourth studio record “Smear Merchants” to be released in late 2024 on Desert Records.
“We are always trying to evolve our music each record and with “Smear Merchants” it will be our take on more doom metal/stoner.” -FUZZ EVIL
As purveyors of chug-heavy, fuzz-laden riffs, this heavy rock ensemble unleashes a monolithic fuzzpocalypse that reverberates through your ears and straight to your soul. With raw, gritty Fuzz and unique tones, FUZZ EVIL combines baritone fuzz, extraordinary riffs, and heavy bass tones to create a sound that’s as soulful as it is earth-shattering.
To stay updated on Fuzz Evil’s latest releases and upcoming shows, follow them on handles here:https://linktr.ee/fuzzevil
Song written by Fuzz Evil Song Recorded, Produced, and Mixed by: Joseph Rudell Art by: Joseph Rudell
Fuzz Evil is: Vocals & Guitar: Wayne Rudell Bass & Backing Vocals: Joseph Rudell Baritone Guitars: Preston Jennings Drums: Cajun Adams
