Fush
Yu Mang... a message to all the nay sayers, the clue less and those that
dis a way to get away with swearing -- on the radio (That was "Walkin'
On The Sun" from Smash Mouth's Fush Yu Mang.) and to your parents (Mom,
I want Fush Yu Mang by Smash mouth.) -- and to make your parents swear
in public (Excuse me, I'm looking for that, uh, Fush Yu Mang record by
Smash Mouth...it's for my kid.).
Smash
Mouth. It's like the good cereal with all the vitamins in it, the stuff
that tasted good and is good for you. Wild, raucous, energetic and great
to dance (or mosh) to, Smash Mouth's debut disc, Fush Yu Mang (Interscope),
is not only the ultimate party album with songs about silly subjects that'll
put you in a good mood -- like it or not, but also, on occasion, serious
with important stories hidden behind phat grooves and light-hearted beats.
While the twelve songs on Fush Yu Mang sound like they belong side by side,
each has its own feeling -- like the very '60s "Walkin' On The Sun," the
surf 'n' turf of "Nervous In The Alley," the Buzz cocks-like "Pet Names,"
the mafia rock of "Padrino," and the frat rock of "Let's Rock." The music
is a happy marriage of styles with no pretense of attitude about being
the hippest, coolest thing since, well, fortified cereal and the Fonz.
"When
we formed the band, we didn't have one style of music in mind. We just
decided we were going to write songs that feel good to us," explains vocalist
Steve Harwell. "Put every style in a blender on high, chop, frappe', whatever
you want, mix it together, pour yourself a cup, take a big shot, and that's
us. I don't want this band to be considered a punk band, a ska band, a
surf band, a rock band, a pop band. I just want to be considered Smash
Mouth; however people interpret it, it is what it is."
Smash
Mouth's musical blend is the result of the four main ingredients -- Steve,
guitarist Greg Camp, bassist Paul De Lisle and drummer Kevin Coleman --
and their different styles and influences -- from Van Halen to Ministry
to the Clash and the Buzz cocks to War. Smash Mouth formed in 1994, in
a sense, because the four San Jose -- the major metropolis south of San
Francisco -- natives had nothing better to do musically. When Steve's signed
rap group (F.O.S.) fell apart, he started making noise with childhood friend
Kevin. (As kids, the two played together in a garage band, in fact, too
young to drive, Steve would push his Fender cabinet inside a shopping cart
a mile through the neighborhood to Kevin's house everyday they practiced.)
Steve's manager introduced the two to Greg, who had just left a local band
(lackadaddy) he had formed. "They came to my house just about every morning
at ten, banging on my window. They really wanted me to be in this project,"
states Greg. "They brought songs with just drums and lyrics, so I helped
them write and it ended up being really fun -- even that early in the morning."
Paul, who was once in a band with Greg, joined when they started playing
live.
In
those early morning hours, they began making demos in Greg's bedroom, dubbed
Room 222. Although the sessions ultimately caused him to get kicked out
of his apartment, the demos caught the ear of producer Eric Valentine (Third
Eye Blind, Meices, Steve Vai). In 1996, Valentine produced a two-song demo,
which Greg and Steve were determined to get played on the radio; they took
it to San Jose station KOME and talked the DJs into listening to it. "He
flipped out on 'Nervous in the Alley'," remembers Steve. "before we knew
it, we were the only unsigned band in regular rotation on KOME." The band
was then asked to play second stage at the station's summer radio show
at the Shoreline Amphitheater -- in front of several thousand people and
alongside established bands like No Doubt, Beck and 311 -- even though
they had only played in small clubs around San Jose, San Francisco and
Los Angeles. After KOME spun "Nervous in the Alley" nearly a hundred times,
the station pulled it because listeners were calling to find out where
to purchase the music -- and it wasn't available.
Without
a record deal, Smash Mouth went into the studio with Valentine in the spring
of 1997. The plan: record an album and if major labels were not interested
when they were finished, the band would release it themselves. Bites happened
almost immediately, and after meeting with Interscope head honchos, the
foursome signed their names.
The
actual recording and mixing of Fush Yu Mang at Valentine's studio in Redwood
City (Northern California) took only a month. the majority of the songs
were played live, there's little or no tricks going on in the recording
process, and the only additional instruments were horns and keyboards on
a few dongs. Although predominately penned by Greg -- both musically and
lyrically, it's the creative combination of the unity that turns the music
into actual songs. "All the songs are written on an acoustic guitar; then
I take the bare skeletons to the band so they can add their parts and personalities."
Silly
or serious, punk or ska, rock or roll, it's Smash Mouth's joint effort
as well as drive that transformed a - couple - dudes - banging - on - a
- guys - bedroom - window - before - cereal - was served into an unsigned
- band - on - the - radio and then a - signed - band - on - the - radio.
"We formed the band with the intention of getting on the radio and making
a record. It wasn't about trying to be cool. Being cool is cool, but being
broke is being broke. I don't want to be cool and broke; I would rather
be cool and have dough and a career and have people dig our stuff. I think
we have hit songs, and that may sound like we're bragging, but I think
the songs are great.'
Aware
that with a fast-rising band (Walkin' On The Sun" was at radio long before
the record was out) comes many misconceptions, Greg and Steve want to set
the record straight about Smash Mouth -- before there is a record.
Misconception
1: Are you for real? "We are for real and we are going to prove it live."
-Steve
Misconception
2: Who in the band works at a radio station? "None of us work at a radio
station -- that's not why we are on the radio. we're on the radio because
people are requesting it, and they're not all our friends." -Greg
Misconception
3: Is someone in Smash Mouth related to an Interscope suit? "(Interscope
President) Tom Whalley is my dad, but we don't like to talk about it. Well,
my dad is actually Bob Dylan and my brother is in the Wallflowers. And
my cousin is Marilyn Manson." --Steve
