Centre Daily Times

by Tyler Michael

February 1999

Band Members - Brett Scallions, lead vocals, guitar; Carl Bell, guitar, vocals; Jeff Abercrombie, bass; Kevin Miller, drums

Home Base - Harrisburg

CDs - "Sunburn" (1998)

Label - Sony/550

Website - www.fuelweb.com & www.550music.com

The route to rock'n'roll stardom usually doesn't pass through Harrisburg.

But that's certainly worked for Tennessee transplants Fuel, which is winning both fans and heavyweight critical acclaim for its major label debut album, "Sunburn."

No less than the New York Times has praised the quartet's "passion and precision." Rolling Stone magazine lauded the band's "breezy melodies (and) full-out metallic aggression."

The album's first single, "Shimmer," rose to No. 2 on Billboard's and Radio and Record's Modern Rock national charts, while the song's video aired on MTV.

"Bittersweet" the band's current single, has cracked the Top 20 on the mainstream rock charts and its video also is being embraced by MTV.

Fuel recorded a new song "Walk the Sky" with Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien for the platinum soundtrack, "Godzilla."

Along the way, the group has shared stages with Aerosmith, Foo Fighters, and Green Day. Fuel also has been showcased on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and has returned from its first European and Australian tour.

"You always hope for this kind of attention, but you never build a lot of trust that it will happen. I'm glad it's working this way. It's a tough business and so hard to get started," says lyricist and lead guitarist Carl Bell in a recent telephone interview.

But why start in Harrisburg?

"There's not a whole lot going on in Tennessee. We're from a real small town. The musician-as-occupation pretty much doesn't exist," he explains, laughing.

The band played in Harrisburg and found it liked a lot of things about the state capital, including its proximity to New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and other music markets. Fuel started to get work in Harrisburg and was impressed by the support of local radio and rock fans. So the band stayed.

Part of that support comes from State College, Bell says, "It's a good town for us. State College has always been fun. Crowbar is a really good club to play."

Bell theorizes that "Shimmer" was a success because a lot of people can relate to the situation talked about in the song. "They have been at least close to that situation in their own lives," he says.

"A song for me has to encompass a lot of different areas. Music has to have a good hook and be engaging lyrically as well. I hope people dig our music and the lyrics are something that makes them think or touches them personally."

He believes Fuel is at its best live.

"When we play live, that's kind of where the whole Fuel experience comes together," he says. "If we feel we come off stage and people go 'that was OK,' then we think we failed. We want people to come out and pretty much be as floored as they can be."

Influences: Various rock music. Bell is a major fan of 70's rock groups, especially Queen and Led Zeppelin. Scallions was influenced early by the vocals of the Cult's Ian Astbury.

Style: Rock