Stuck Mojo

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Stuck Mojo
Origin Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre(s) Rap metal
Alternative Metal
Years active 1989–2000
2005–present
Website stuckmojo.us
Members
Lord Nelson
Rich "The Duke" Ward
Sean Delson
Mike Martin
Steve Underwood
Former members
see below

Stuck Mojo is a rap metal group from Atlanta, Georgia. They were formed in 1989 by guitarist Rich Ward and original bassist Dwayne Fowler. Lead vocalist Bonz joined later in the year. Together with the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Urban Dance Squad, they are considered by many to be one of the key bands in the creation of rap metal, despite releasing their first full-length album in 1995, the band had released demos from 1990-1993, one of which earned them a contract with Century Media. Stuck Mojo is currently signed to Napalm Records.

Contents

[edit] History

The band was formed in 1989 when bassist Dwane Fowler invited guitarist and friend Rich Ward to come over and jam with his drummer Richard Farmer. The band cycled through a number of vocalists before settling on rapper Bonz. Each member of the band came from a different musical background; Dwane was best described by guitarist Rich Ward as being 'P-Funk All-Stars meets Burning Spear'. Rich himself was influenced by the early works of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne. Bonz came from a rap and hip hop background, being heavily influenced by the early works of RUN-DMC and Faith No More. The band recorded and released their first untitled demo in 1991, followed by a 3-song demo the next year. Around this time, Richard Farmer left the group and the band went through a number of drummers before settling on Benjamin Reed. With Benjamin, the band recorded and released The Mojo Seven demo in 1992. After acquiring management, the band hit the road, playing in dozens of clubs around the west coast which eventually earned the band a large following. Before the tour, the band decided to fire drummer Benjamin Reed for his many personal commitments would only slow the band down. The band hired drummer Brent Payne for their first independent tour. The band recorded their fourth demo, a three-song record that they used to shop for record labels. This record eventually attracted the attention of Century Media who signed the band in 1994.

The band released their first album, Snappin' Necks, in 1995, with Century Media Records. The album was followed with a support tour of Machine Head. Following the tour, bassist Dwane Fowler and drummer Brent Payne left the band amidst the rigors of the road and tensions in the band. In 1996 they released the Devin Townsend produced Pigwalk alongside new bassist Corey Lowery and drummer Bud Fontseré. This album was supported by the band's first tour of Europe in the Crossover 2000 Tour and support tours for Life of Agony, Testament and Type O Negative. Their mainstream fame was minimal until the release of their 3rd album, Rising. The band's love for professional wrestling was especially exhibited through this album, as World Championship Wrestling's U.S. Heavyweight Championship belt was prominently featured on the cover. Also, the video for the song "Rising" featured then-WCW stars Diamond Dallas Page, Raven, and The Flock.

Despite critical praise and good sales of their follow-up albums, Stuck Mojo broke up in 2000 but continued to perform New Year's Eve reunion shows every year at the Masquerade Club in Atlanta. Bonz started the band 420 Monks and later Dead Gospel. Ward, Fontseré, and former bassist Dan Dryden, together with (World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler) Chris Jericho, formed the band Fozzy and another band called Sick Speed, and Corey Lowery joined Life of Agony, started Stereomud, and later Dark New Day. Rich Ward released a solo album under the name "The Duke" on May 3, 2005.

In 2005, Stuck Mojo reunited, with Bonz, Ward, and Fontseré back in the lineup, with new bassist Sean Delson replacing Dan Dryden.[1] The reunion was short lived, however, as Stuck Mojo released their new album Southern Born Killers without Fontseré and Bonz, opting newcomers Rodney (from Dead Gospel) on drums and Lord Nelson spatting prose. Their song "Open Season" brought the band into the public spotlight.[citation needed]

[edit] Timeline

1989 - Guitarist/songwriter Rich Ward teamed up with bassist Dwayne Fowler and drummer Richard Farmer to form what would become the foundation for the band.[2]

1993 - Under the guidance of their new management team of Mark Willis and Nancy Camp, Stuck Mojo took their show on the road hitting dozens of cities such as Chicago, Tampa , Charlotte, Columbia , Macon, Tallahassee.[3]

1995 – Stuck Mojo's debut album, Snappin' Necks, was released in March. The band toured for three months as the main support for Machine Head. This exposure cemented their reputation as one of metal's best live acts. However, the rigors of the road produced some friction between band members and both Brent Payne (drummer) and Dwayne Fowler (bass) exited the band.[citation needed]

1996 - Bassist Corey Lowery joined the band and Frank Fontsere' took over on drums. The band immediately entered the studio. The result was Violated, a Europe-only EP on Century Media. The EP was meant to prime the fans overseas for Stuck Mojo's first tour of Europe. [4]

1997 - Highlighted by tours with Type O Negative, Life of Agony, Testament and a second tour of Europe, Stuck Mojo performed over 250 shows for the 3rd straight year. The band entered the studio with notable producer Andy Sneap at the helm to begin sessions for their third release Rising. A professional wrestling-themed video with appearances by Diamond Dallas Page and other WCW stars was filmed in support of Rising.[citation needed]

1998 - Rising was released in March. Thanks to the airing of the "Rising" video on MTV and “WCW Monday Nitro” on the eve of the album's release, Stuck Mojo experience their highest sales to date and become the first Century Media band to hit the Billboard charts. A headlining tour of Europe then followed in June and ended with another appearance on the main stage at Dynamo.[citation needed]

1999 - Stuck Mojo headlined a six month tour with the last date being at their home venue, the Masquerade in Atlanta. During this performance the band recorded a live album. Titled HVY 1, the album also featured two new studio tracks. Released in September, the band followed up with a headlining tour to support it.[citation needed]

2000 - Years of living out of suitcases, occasional substance abuse, and friction between Mojo's management and Century Media causes the band to fracture.[citation needed]

2001 - In order to fulfill lingering contractual obligations and prevent Century Media from being able to exercise any ownership rights over future recorded materials, Rich Ward agreed to enter the studio once more. Recording two new tracks taken from his archive of unused material, the songs were added to an album of rarities and B-sides titled Violate This. Bonz did not participate in the sessions.

2004 – The fans' demand for new material has not faded with the passage of time. In response to this demand, Rich Ward has collaborated with Ed Aborn of Intersonic Multimedia to compile the comprehensive DVD titled Inside the Monster: The Evilution of Stuck Mojo. Vol. 1.[citation needed]

2006 - New tracks from the upcoming album Southern Born Killers are available on the Official Stuck Mojo MySpace and the full album is available for download from their website.

2007 - Mike Martin was made an official member of Stuck Mojo making the band a 5 piece.

2008 - Rodney Beaubouef exits the band. The band embarks on a European tour and a tour of the UK in February 2008 with Ektomorf. Steve "Nailz" Underwood (Sandfrog) takes over drumming duties for the tour. The Band is also signed to Napalm Records and is re-releasing the album "Southern Born Killers" with 3 bonus tracks on March 4th in the U.S. and February 29 internationally. Stuck Mojo is in the writingmode for the 7th Album which will be released later this year.

[edit] Musical style

During the 90s, Stuck Mojo's sound was based around guitarist Rich Ward's heavily distorted and bass-enhanced guitar tone and former lead vocalist Bonz's aggressive rap style, which can be noted on the Pigwalk album. Early bassist Dwane Fowler's style was based around funk and hip hop, while later bassist Corey Lowery's sound was seen to be more remiscent of heavy metal. During 1990-2000, Rich Ward performed and recorded solidly with a 1976 Les Paul Standard. Ward's guitar tone is typical to the styles of nu metal, with bass heavily emphasized. Rich would normally perform with Marshall JCM 800 heads on top of Ampeg Cabinets. The drumming in Mojo's sound overall is straightforward, save a few double kick shows and progressive moments (e.g., verses on "Cake"), mainly on the Snappin' Necks and Pigwalk albums.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

[edit] Live albums

[edit] EPs

[edit] DVDs

  • Inside the Monster: The Evilution of Stuck Mojo Vol. I (DVD, 2004)

[edit] Current band members

[edit] Former band members

  • Bonz - Vocals (1989-2000, 2005-2006}
  • Richard Farmer (1989-1990)
  • Benjamin Reed - Drums (1990-1993)
  • Brent Payne - - Drums (1993-1995)
  • Corey Lowery - Bass/Backing Vocals (1996-1998)
  • Frank "Bud" Fontsere - Drums (1993, 1996-2005 Currently playing in Love Said No)
  • Dan Dryden - Bass (1998-2001)
  • Eric Sanders - Drums (2005)
  • Dwayne Fowler - Bass (1989-1995)
  • Will Hunt - Drums (1996 - filled in on a European tour for Pigwalk)
  • Rodney Beaubouef - Drums (2006-2008)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official biography page.
  2. ^ Official biography page.
  3. ^ Official biography page.
  4. ^ Official biography page.
  5. ^ billboard.com.
  6. ^ Official discography page.

[edit] External links

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Stuck Mojo
Lord Nelson · Rich Ward · Sean Delson · Rodney Beaubouef
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