Fuel is a Pennsylvania-based alternative rock/post-grunge band formed by Carl Bell, Jeff Abercrombie and Brett Scallions in 1989.
Fuel | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Tennessee, US |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Members | Jeff Abercrombie Carl Bell |
History
The band Fuel was originally formed in 1989 in Kenton, Tennessee, but moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1994 where they played local Pennsylvania bars and nightclubs. Their first EP Porcelin was released in 1996, and sold well locally, spawning a small radio hit with "Shimmer." The popularity of the EP brought them to the attention of Sony's 550 imprint, which released their second EP, Hazelton, the following year.
The band's full length debut, Sunburn, came out in 1998. "Shimmer" was again included, and almost became a Top 40 hit, while the other singles ("Bittersweet," "Jesus or a Gun," "Sunburn") received some airplay.
After laying low for two and a half years, Fuel came back with their second album, Something Like Human, in 2000 and scored a Top 40 hit with "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" (#17), as well as going platinum with the album. A third album, Natural Selection, came out in 2003, and was another big seller.
Fuel released its greatest hits album, The Best of Fuel on December 13, 2005.
On February 7, 2006, Fuel announced through their website that singer Brett Scallions had left the band. The band (now just Carl Bell and Jeff Abercrombie) said that he left on friendly terms. "We will all miss him and we wish him the best", Bell wrote in a letter on their website.
Fuel had already laid down the instrumental tracks for their fourth album and soon started auditioning singers so the band could move forward. Abercrombie and Bell took notice of American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry, after he performed "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on the show and the single shot up to the Top 10 download list on iTunes and stayed there for a number of days. This also sparked interest in other Fuel songs, which began to appear the Top 100 download chart on iTunes. On March 3, 2006, judge Randy Jackson stated in an interview that Daughtry had been offered the opportunity to become Fuel's new lead singer.[1] Fuel confirmed their interest on their official website. On May 11, 2006, Abercrombie and Bell appeared on the TV show Extra to officially offer Daughtry the job.[2]
Trivia
- Fuel was forced to call off tour dates after an on-stage accident led to lead singer Brett Scallions' nose being broken. Forced to have surgery, he had to relearn how to sing for the recording of Natural Selection.
- Notably, one of their songs ("Won't Back Down") features on the soundtrack to the film Daredevil.
- Fuel performs many cover songs of other rock bands; one of its favorites to perform is an acoustic version of "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin, which they also recorded for their Something Like Human album.
- After disagreements (both public and private), drummer Kevin Miller was dismissed from the band in 2004.
Current Line-Up
- Carl Bell: guitar, vocals, primary songwriter
- Jeff Abercrombie: bass
Former members
- Brett Scallions: Vocals (1989 - 2006)
- Kevin Miller: Drums (December 1997 - 2004)
- Jody Abbott: Drums (1989-November 1997)
- Erik Avakian: Keyboards (1989- 1994)
Discography
Full-Lengths:
- Sunburn (1998)
- Something Like Human (2000)
- Natural Selection (2003)
- The Best of Fuel (2005)
EPs:
Singles
From Sunburn
- "Shimmer" (1998) #42 US, #16 AU
- "Bittersweet" (1998)
- "Jesus or a Gun" (1999)
- "Sunburn" (1999)
From Something Like Human
- "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" - (2000) #30 US, #46 AU
- "Innocent" - (2001)
- "Bad Day" - (2001) #64 US
- "Last Time" - (2002)
From Natural Selection
- "Falls on Me" - (2003) #52 US
- "Won't Back Down" - (2003)
- "Million Miles" - (2004)