Thursday, April 18, 2024

Skuzz

 
ORIGINS: Blue Mountains, NSW
GENRE: Alternative, Grunge
YEARS ACTIVE: 1997-2002
 
MEMBERS:
  • Mark Graham (Vocals)
  • Jeremy Brown (Guitar)
  • Wesley von Grabill (Bass) [1999-2000]
  • Lucas Coe (Drums) [1997-2000]
  • Luke Bartolo (Bass) [2001-2002]
  • Cameron (Drums) [2001]
  • Jay (Drums) [2001-2002]
  • James Hirst (Guitar) [2002]
RELEASES: 
 
  • Self-Titled (1999) - Download Here.
    • 1. U Suck Jellyfish
    • 2. Yesterdays Turned Tomorrow
    • 3. I Am Who I Am
    • 4. Tidal Wave
    • 5. D.C. Diver
    • 6. Plead to You
SUMMARY: Forming as 'Rarest Bloom' in 1997, the band changed its name to Skuzz (short for Skuzzlebutt, a character from South Park) in 1998 and recorded an EP shortly afterwards, then playing a range of shows in Western Sydney and the Lower Blue Mountains. The lineup changed after Von-Grabill and Coe left in 2000, with the band moving through two drummers, a new bassist, and an additional guitarist. The second lineup of the band only played one show before calling it a day.
 
SHOWS: 


ORAL HISTORY:
MARK: Back at school, Jeremy and I had started a band called 'Rarest Bloom'. It became Skuzz a couple of years later when we had others join the band. The music came from artists that we were into. We all loved a bit of punk, but I loved the Seattle sound whereas some of the other guys were Seattle, punk, heavy. We all had our different styles. 
Mark Graham (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JEREMY: The idea behind Skuzz was complex solos, DIY punk sensibility, and being bored in Year 10 Science classes. It started with me and Mark Graham, word got out an Lucas came onboard for drums, followed by Wesley. Word of mouth was key. 
Jeremy Brown (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
WESLEY: I was new to the school, with no friends, so I went to the music room, grabbed this big red heavy bass, stood next to Jeremy, and followed his fingers. We were a humble band from the Blue Mountains who won a random band comp at our tiny Christian high school one afternoon... as a result of winning this competition we were rewarded with free studio recording time. 
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
ARTICLE: "Skuzz's music is an upbeat blend of hard rock, grunge and punk, and the band is working on a recording to be released next year."
'Skuzz Creates Buzz at Hypo '98', Penrith Press: Time Out, 11th December, 1998
 

 
WESLEY: Our EP was everyone's first recording experience and it was that experience that made us feel like an official band. We all about 16 or 17 and were lucky enough to play gigs with Clobassi, Beaverloop, Room 101, and others, thanks to my friendship with Craig McVea. Otherwise we probably never would have played another gig outside of school campus.   
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JEREMY: The first show was playing support at Vertx Skate Park for Clobassi and Beaverloop. Lots of random skating and mega nerves; we got much better in time. Our first good show was with The Hassle Brigade and Clobassi at Melrose Hall. We smashed it.  
Jeremy Brown (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
MARK: Vertx was a pretty unique show - playing on the ramps as skaters skated around you. Pretty cool gig. 
Mark Graham (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

WESLEY: Craig (McVea) was actively putting on events for bands. Except for the lame city council-funded events, no one else in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains was doing anything to support musicians or the arts for underage kids or late teens... During this time I was working with Craig on these events and learning on the job. As well as a couple of bass lessons, he showed me how to book a venue, hire a PA, submit a press release, go to the printer store, and beg the graphic designer to make us a band poster. Suddenly it became as much fun organising and planning for a gig as the actual gig was... (Craig and I) didn't want to just sit around and wait for shit to happen, we wanted to make it happen. 
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JEREMY: The biggest challenges faced by the band was overzealous parents seeking to control the band's events after they overreacted to some wild gigs, disorder from girlfriends (think The Beatles...), and trying to keep Mark from breaking some limbs. Me and Wes had a falling out too... pretty lame in hindsight really. Wes was great at helping bring me out of my shell and 'front up' on my solos. I've got positive memories of his friendship and encouragement.
Jeremy Brown (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 

 
WESLEY: Sadly, Skuzz was a constant struggle. Not with the members of the band - who loved playing together, worked well together, and loved being in a band together - but due to the over-the-top, overly protective, almost cult-like parents of the band's members. Parents of the singer, guitarist, and drummer doing everything they could to try and stop the band like it was some '80s teen movie or a band version of Footloose. They were extremely religious and they felt that their kids' involvement in live music and bands would send them in the direction of drugs, alcohol, and 'being influenced by the devil'! I remember my parents having to go to a 'parent band meeting' because the three boys' parents were so worried about them being in a band... My family were coming from a totally different world. My stepdad was a jazz musician and is now a professor of music. My mother has been a singer all her life and was in musicals growing up. My father was a singer and guitarist, and a Beatles fanatic. He showed me all the good music of the '60s and '70s. My grandmother was a jazz and lounge singer her entire life... in fact, my great grandfather S Becker von Grabill was knighted by the King of Germany for being a famous piano player, giving us a family title! 
 
So you can imagine my parents going into this meeting to discuss their son's little band, knowing how happy and how much fun we were all having, and meanwhile, these other parents (who couldn't play an instrument, or do anything other than sing a couple of church songs out of key) had this hilarious agenda to discuss 'how evil non-Christian music was' and 'how dangerous it is for these teenagers to be playing music together'. Anyways, my poor parents must have thought these people were batshit crazy. And let's be clear, they were so over the top and not in any way supportive. These were good kids, I was there, and none of us did anything bad at all. For me, Skuzz was a great starting base. I knew what I wanted to do now - play music! I left the band. Skuzz was fun for about 10 months but the band never really got a chance in the end. No hard feelings, great memories.
Wesley von Grabill (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

JEREMY: We got James in on guitar and he was awesome. Top bloke, good with suggesting gear (my gear sucked at the time), and he helped fill my solos out. He also brought a more groove-based metal edge to our tacks. It was a solid move; I must say I miss him. Shout out to James! Luke also came in on bass and he knew the scene, played bass well, and taught me to keep it simple and have fun.
Jeremy Brown (Guitar), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

LUKE: I was looking to try my hand at playing bass after I'd been playing drums for a couple of years, so I answered an ad from Jeremy in Obzine. The first year of being in the band was kind of low-key as it was hard to hold down a drummer. Jeremy knew some 12 year old kid named Cameron, I think they were from the same church. He was an amazing drummer but his parents had issues with the band's music because it didn't seem very Christian. It was also a bit weird because the rest of us were all between the ages of 17 and 21.
Luke Bartolo (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024
 
JEREMY: Some of the stuff now has turned out pretty heavy, one guy was surprised cause he thought we'd sound like skate punk, but there's too many punk bands already, so we're a bit heavier, a bit different. If anyone's expecting the old Skuzz it's not gonna happen. We've had a few different drummers, and, you know, you change drummers and it completely changes your sound. 
Jeremy Brown (Guitar), Obzine Issue 22, September 2001

From Obzine Issue 22, 2001

LUKE: We used to practice in the Cricket Clubhouse next to Panthers Stadium because Mark played for the cricket team. We became a five piece band but we only played one show with this lineup before things just fizzled out. You couldn't find a group of five people who were more different... Jay was an old punk who had played drums with Frenzal very briefly in the early '90s. Jeremy and Mark were a tight duo with a shared church background and still living with their parents. I was very much not of a church background and was living in a chaotic share house. And then Jeremy found this guy James, who wanted to turn the band into a Korn-style nu-metal band... he was a bit out there and kept talking about 'jump metal', which is a genre I've never heard anyone else ever talk about. Anyway, I enjoyed playing with Skuzz - Jeremy and Mark were great songwriters and band practice was very chill and never stressful.
Luke Bartolo (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

MARK: Obviously when you get older the challenges are that you start working. Later on in life, when we had another band called Crucial Times, we were balancing families as well. Getting momentum with gigs was hard because you had to self-promote for a lot of the smaller venues. We played at Melrose Hall, Newtown RSL, the Oriental Hotel in Springwood. Once you started playing gigs at these places it was easier to get crowds because they liked what we were doing, but we did rely a lot on friends and the other bands' friends as well. 
Mark Graham (Vocals), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

RELATED BANDS: Clobassi, Fat Slinky, Endusk, Crucial Times, Keepsake, Superb Lyrebird, MCP, Demons to Diamonds, The Shenanigans, Earth to Nigel, The New Justice Team, The Bernie Lomax Five, Circle of Gin, Frenzal Rhomb

Mark (Vocals)

Jay (Drums)

Luke (Bass)

Jeremy (Guitar)

James and Jay

James (Guitar)
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