CVNW October 2012

No matter what people say, bigger is always better – especially when we’re talking heavy metal. And heavy metal doesn’t get much bigger than Fozzy.

The band is the brainchild of Rich Ward and Chris Jericho, two largerthan-life, trailblazing personalities that have spent the past decade shaping their own brand of sonic splendor, Ward’s incendiary guitars forging a path for Jericho’s inimitable vocals atop a rhythmic foundation of earth-rattling proportions.

Fozzy has emerged as a worldwide force on the touring circuit, conquering stages from Los Angeles to Lichtenvoorde, and everywhere in between. Having spent the past decade sharing Jericho’s attention with his iconic professional wrestling career, the band is now the subject of the six-time WWE wrestling champion’s undivided focus, even earning the spotlight in Undisputed, his second New York Times best-selling book.

The staff at CV NorthWest were granted some ―private‖ time to interview the band, and honor for which we are very thankful. Lady Lightning & Sherry K from Mystic Photography spend some quality time with the boys.

How did you guys get together?

Rich and Frank were in Stuck Mojo in the late 80’s, and have been together since. Rich and Billy grew up in Charlotte, NC. Rich and Paul (boy, Rich gets around!) played together in Adrenaline Mob. Rich & Frank met Chris at WCW in Atlanta – the coming together wasn’t a sudden ―let’s do it‖ kind of thing, it was more like the rolling stone that gathered the moss as it traveled, and here we are today.

How would you describe your musical style?

We’d go with ―Metallica meets Journey‖. <Much grinning around the table> Where did you play your first show?

The Strand in Marietta, GA in the summer of 1999. We were Fozzy then, but of the current lineup only Rich, Frank, & Chris were in that incarnation.

Where would you say the craziest fans are?

Well, the eastern European bloc countries are always crazy, up for a rocking show. Hungary is a place where they bring it as fans. But we’d say that here in the states, mostly blue collar working-class towns are some of the craziest people and best places to play, those folks are ready for a good show, ready to cut loose. We think it’s mostly because in the ―big cities‖ like LA & NYC, you get great gigs all the time, sometimes multiples in a night; in those regular places, big gigs are fewer and far between, so the people appreciate the energy and show much more since it’s not an everyday occurrence. Pocatello, ID, sticks out in our minds.

Where is the coolest place you’ve played so far?

Well, the coolest places to play in general are the big venue shows, huge places with thousands of fans. The energy, the vibe, it’s incredible. We really have to mention the Download festival, where we played with Metallica & Black Sabbath, 25,000 screaming fans in the crowd, that was a major rush.

Who would you say are your most enthusiastic fans?

Portland, OR! (good answer boys!). Or Pocatello, ID. <laughs> Which song really speaks to you guys the most?

That’s like saying ―which child do you like the best‖, but if we had to choose a powerfully personal song, we’d go with the first track on our current album (Sin and Bones), Spider in My Mouth; it’s just fun to play and move to, you really feel the beat and rhythm. Enemy will always have a place in our hearts and our set, it’s our most successful single so far, and one of our pivotal songs that we’ll never exclude from a show – kind of like ―Rock n Roll All Nite‖ by KISS, they always do it, and probably always should.

Whose music and sound most influenced you?

Hands down, Van Halen – the first few VH records spend the most time on our turntable. Wait, the kids know what a turntable is, right?