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Fuel Burns The Soul

Mobs of young, star struck girls overwhelmed the sold out audience at the House of Blues in Hollywood on the fourth of July. But it wasn’t because of the hundreds of shrieking faces radiating excruciating volumes of high pitched wails and screams, but more by the dancing, shaking, and vibing usually found at a dance club gig. But with the magnificent presence of a rock star in the making, a jawdropping rockout overall group performance, and a stable of badass hits, the Pennsylvania quartet, Fuel, burned right through this LA crowd with solar flare intensity - and no one left with out screaming for more.

It’s not perfect timing for a group like Fuel, with the scene (what scene!) drowning in a sea of "campy" sludge; they arguably should be a lot bigger than they are. There is certainly something special about these four guys but it’s somewhat difficult to pin down. Is it the grueling yet soothing voice of lead vocalist, Brett Scallions? Or is it the driving, throbbing guitar swings of guitarist and writer, Carl Bell; who by the way was sporting a black skin tight shirt with the words, "Honky" blazing the front. Or, maybe it’s Jeff Abercrombie’s phenomenal bass plucking that does it? No, it must be the skins of drummer - ultra buffed Kevin Miller that just melts the audiences’ heart.

A good guess is the universally compelling and far reaching songs that they have composed like the mid-show fan favorite, Shimmer, where it seems we’ve all but been at this point of no return:

She called me from the cold / just when I was low / feeling short of stable /
all that she intends / and all she keeps inside / isn’t on the label
she says she’s ashamed / and can she take me for awhile / and can I be a friend, we’ll forget the past / But maybe I’m not able / And I - break at the bend

The answer probably lies in the more obvious reality that these guys are just too good looking to ignore. When you have a lead singer, like Scallions, emerging on stage, clad in black leather pants, embracing a black silvery top, eyes adorned with small dabs of eyeliner and glitter, and loosely configured golden Caesar style locks, this is someone bigger than life. A star has been born.

It was quite a contrast to the 2nd billing-hardrockers Buckcherry that also performed that evening. But it’s not that Buckcherry doesn’t sport the look - quite the contrary. It’s that Fuel doesn’t sport that type hard core rock star look: tats, long hair, and all the cliches. For Fuel, it’s all heart and soul, and that’s what girls and boys love in an artist. Add some cool tunes, and you have commercial success waiting too erupt.