Chuk Fowler Memorial Celebration Show H-D Tribute

Photo: Justin Steele

It’s been two years since Chuk Fowler passed away, and to celebrate his life the V Club is hosting a memorial celebration show Saturday night. The Herald-Dispatch approached a few of those who knew him best to share stories and talk about the singer, musician, artist, joker, but most importantly, friend.


It was on a Monday six years ago when I met Chuk for the very first time. I was a bartender at Echo, the bar that would later become The Ale House, and Chuk was the DJ for Doom Room, a weekly event that consisted of cheap booze, heavy music, and a rowdy good time.

We became acquainted over Mickey’s and shots of whiskey. As I went to grab another for him, I felt a small glass explosion at my feet from the grenade-shaped bottle. I knew exactly who did it, and jokingly shook the baseball bat that was kept behind the bar in his face as profanities were expressed. He laughed at me and we were friends ever since.

We went on to be roommates, and even fought like brother and sister from time to time, but I’ve never had a more unique or staunch friend. I’ll still randomly run into a stranger every once in a while who recognizes him from my stories. He made a lasting impression on anyone he met. A truly larger-than-life kind of person.

--- Melanie Dawn Walker

_____
I guess one thing I could say is Chuk lived very much on the edge. What I mean by that is, he had no problem saying and doing whatever he wanted just to get a laugh/shock/angry feeling out of people. Things normal people wouldn’t do because they saw it as very much socially unacceptable, he did with no shame. Pretty honest and real trait if you ask me.

It reminds me of when he lived in a small cottage style house behind Tat-Nice. His landlord at one point told Chuk he was going to raise the rent and Chuk could either pay it or move. No room for debate. Chuk decided to move and it was a decision all the rest of us being friends of his told him he should make.

He decided to have one last party there. Plenty of friends and liquor and of course a keg of beer. Great time, and of course as the night got later and later and people would filter out. There were about four or six of us left. We got rowdy and started smashing glass on the sidewalk in his yard and the parking lot in front of his house. Took one of the living room chairs and threw it in a tree. Broke the hammock. Playing Slayer as loud as we could and screaming as loud as we could -- at 5 in the morning.

Some of the details are fuzzy as this was seven or so years ago and we partied a lot back then. However, the cops arrived at around 6:30 a.m. They didn’t say much, but “What the hell is wrong with you guys?!” with a look of shock on their faces as they saw all the destruction and chaos around them. Pretty sure something was on fire too.

All they did was tell us to clean it up and go inside -- and I swear we didn’t get arrested cause they wanted to get as far away from us as possible.

--- Matt Pauley

_____
I first met Chuk in 1996, I was 14. I met him his usual way around that time, he grabbed me and began to dry hump me while his bellowing machine laugh was shared with the other elder punx as he did his signature bridge of the nose finger blast, a sure sign he was amused.

During the rest of the 90’s I frequented his various apartments around downtown Huntington hanging out and when I wasn’t skateboarding. Playing music and going to concerts together well into the 00’s, he was the cool big brother I didn’t have but always wanted. I think he filled that role for many people too. He was kind of a misfit magnet.

His peaceful aura and ability to listen, actually listen, and return a unique perspective was a part of his sincerity. He was always sincere, or insincere, either way it was very apparent. All our friends parents loved him and a few of them grocery shopped specifically for him too! My mom lovingly called him “Grape Juice.” His charisma combined with a natural gift of gab and life experience was a very key element in how closely people felt to him. I’d say dozens of people (probably more) considered him a best friend and confidant.

I have many, many great memories to share but I think something a lot of folks don’t know about him, besides his great visual talent and excellent penmanship, is that he lived in Las Vegas for a short time. He and some friends drove out to visit while I was living there and he decided to stay. We walked almost everywhere doing the casino hospitality thing so he inevitably lost around 50 pounds instantly despite us crushing those infamous buffets on the regular. He took up residency at a busted down motel in the Old Freemont district for $100 a week, this place was grimy. Within three days he had a black market phone sales gig and was the singer for a classic rock band. Half Ozzy, half Biggie, 100% amazing.

--- Kris Hillen

_____
I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what to write about Chuk. There is just so much I can think of. To encompass everything about him -- his incredible brimming-with-life personality, his genuine friendship, incredible talent for writing and music -- would take a novel, easily.

I first met Chuk in passing at an all-ages gig in Charleston around 2000 or 2001. He had come down for the show, which if memory serves with either the Wartime Criminals or Human Racist. He was rocking out to all the bands and getting along with everyone, like he always did.

Fast forward quite a few years to Huntington. My band had broken up and I had begun attending Chuk’s Doom Room DJ nights, which jumped back and forth from Shamrock’s to the V Club, to I believe Club Echo? He was playing all this incredible music and turned me onto a lot of the doom and stoner stuff I listen to now. The first time I heard Torche, Harvey Milk or Big Business was thanks to Chuk.

He told me he wanted to start a heavy project. Asked me if I wanted to drum in it. I asked what he wanted to call it. “Wizards of Ghetto Mountain.” I immediately accepted and began one of the more exciting musical projects I can count among those I have worked on.

Along with Luke Belville, Garrett Babb, Matthew Walters, and Greg Gilbert, we wrote some really great stuff, always with Chuk at the forefront lyrically, and with plenty of ideas for riffs and rhythms. Chuk was the driving creative force. We all chipped in, but we had day jobs, other things going on. I don’t think he ever stopped thinking about the music.

Chuk was a wordsmith. An amazing musician. He played guitar upside down and left-handed. I still can’t wrap my mind around that, but I guess that’s how he learned. Still boggles to think about it.

I count myself among the incredibly lucky folk who got to know him through music, art, and his ability to craft words. He was also, as many can attest, a joker of the highest order. Whether it was partying, writing music, or just chilling on his porch drinking a beer, being able to spend time with and get to know Chuk is a gift from the universe I will always treasure.

Ride the frequencies aligned, brother. See you in the ether.

--- Bob Morris



_____
I first met Chuk Fowler at Punk Rock movie night back in 2003. I have no idea what movie we watched that night but I remember the exact moment I became friends with Chuk: the moment I met him.

Chuk had this huge personality that seemed to creep inside you and made you a part of him whether you wanted it or not. To me being friends with Chuk was a privilege and I would have done anything for the guy. I even bought a van so we could go on adventures together since he couldn’t fit in my tiny car.

I want people to know Chuk as I knew him and that’s why Chris Woodall and I are making our comic, Chuk: Dawn of the Defiler.

I know Chuk is drifting through space right now with an iPod full of Black Sabbath in one hand and a big hunk of the moon in the other laughing at me for being sappy and crying as I write this. “Crumple.”

--- Justin Steele

_____
I had the pleasure of getting to know Chuk and the other members of Wizards of Ghetto Mountain back after I had started doing flyers for the V Club. I did some flyers featuring them, then they asked me to take some photos of them in front of my Hunter S. Thompson mural, and after that we started becoming friends.

Chuk was one of those immediately likeable people. He wasn’t afraid to talk to anybody about anything and he usually used humor as the great equalizer. He had the ability to get anybody to laugh about the crudest/grossest things, riffing jokes into hilariously dark places, and he was usually the one laughing the loudest.

Not only was Chuk a hilarious, imaginative, and intelligent human, he was also a talented musician who could sing, play the guitar, and the drums. He was a huge fan of music in general, and loved making it as much as he loved listening to it.

A formidable front man in Wizards of Ghetto Mountain (among others), a rapper under the name of DJ Gilbert Grape’s Mom, and even I was lucky enough to jam with him (and Garrett, Luke, and Blair) for the summer of 2012 in our project “Siege Perilous” in which he played drums. We all mainly just hung out and made mighty space jams, which none of us could remember from week to week. Chuk would always say “Alright, I’m gonna do some big Dale Crover s*** on this” and then he would just go into disco beats. His sense of humor definitely spilled over into his musical endeavors. The project never did get to play out live, but I am eternally grateful to have those experiences.

In the large scheme of things, we weren’t really friends that long and I know I didn’t know him as well as others did, but I truly loved that dude. He just made you feel better when you were around him. Frowning was impossible. Before he passed, I didn’t get to see him for a while, but I heard he was doing well, trying to go back to school and recording a rap album. He genuinely seemed excited for the future.

My last experience with him was one day I was walking down 8th Street in Huntington. I was walking about 20 steps behind this unassuming middle age lady and all of a sudden I hear someone yell (over my earbuds, mind you) “SEX DOLPHIIIIIN!” from a moving car. I immediately knew who it was and looked up to this woman looking at me very awkwardly on the sidewalk. All I could do was cackle and keep on walking.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see him again after that, but strangely enough this was the perfect coda to our friendship.

--- Jimbo Valentine

_____
I couldn’t exactly pinpoint where I first met Chuk. What I am certain of is at that time we were both human versions of the film “Runaway Train.” It was whatever, whenever, wherever 24/7. We bonded over a shared love of the absurd as well as various intoxicants. Things were more innocent back then. The false safety blanket of youthful naiveté. The idea of immortality that comes with young age.

Chuk was a mountain of a man but it was his personality that made him truly larger than life. His sense of humor, that barreling laughter, his warmth and true blue heart emanated from him a way that could only make you wanna love the guy. He affected so many through those attributes. Being at his memorial was literally like being at a rock concert. I have never seen so many people come out to pay their respects and I’ve been to more funeral homes than I care to count. They were there because of his warmth. They had been touched. All of them and for only the best reasons.

I do remember the last time I saw Chuk. He and Melanie came to visit me at this old, super f***ed up house I lived in. we spent a large portion of the evening drinking beers and discussing a music video I was set to direct for his project DJ Gilbert Grape’s Mom. A week later he was gone. I was at a friend’s house playing music when we stopped for a break. I picked up my phone and was worried when I had received some 40 odd text and/or missed calls. The news hit me hard and I only remember feeling numb and shaky.

The void he left is as big as his personality was and he won’t be missed as long as he isn’t forgotten. So, there is no worry as to forget Chuk is a true impossibility.

Rest easy, brother and don’t drink all the beer before I get there.

--- Christopher Lusher

_____
Writing from the place I still consider you the most, my love, an empty subway station at 1 in the morning half lit on wine I can’t afford. Sometimes I still feel pangs of guilt for staying here in the city you once told me not to move to -- “I can’t protect you there, and I don’t f*****g like it.”

Remember the times we drank dollar beers and rot-gut whiskey in the Pig and filled the jukebox with Kyuss and Fiona Apple, only keeping ourselves from getting kicked out by throwing on some Sabbath hits? That’s what we did together. We held hands and let ourselves cry when it hurt, then we’d bang our heads in communal forgetfulness and celebrate the moments we had that weren’t steeped in worry and fear.

I’m sorry for the times we fought over dumb stuff, like me being too boy-crazy or you messing around with girls I thought were trouble. I’m sorry I told you to quit screwing around and get your life together, but I’m more sorry that I didn’t get to hug you so hard when you went back to school. I was, and am, so proud of you and what you were and could have been.

I’m not sorry the last time I saw you was while I was wearing King Diamond corpse paint, but the last text I ever got from you was “I’m listening to King Diamond and wish you were!” so I guess it was fitting after all.

I miss you every single day, I tell everyone I can about how wonderful you were, and I’m happy that even in death, you’re the phoenix I knew you were. I hope someday when I walk into a sleazy bar in Valhalla, you run over and pick me up and shake me like a rag doll again.

Yours truly with the heaviest heart forever,

Kelsey

--- Kelsey Zimmerman


IF YOU GO
Chuk Fowler Memorial Celebration Show
w/Sangoma, Horseburner, Dinosaur Burps, Sweatband
WHERE: The V Club, 741 6th Ave., Huntington (304) 781-0680
WHEN: 9 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 24
COST: $7
INFO: www.vclublive.com

They Put a Spell on You: Wizards of Ghetto Mountain land recording spot with Steve Albini

Huntington-based Doom band Wizards of Ghetto Mountain (L-R: Garrett Babb, Chuk Fowlord, Bob Caution, Jim E. Toledo) play the V Club Friday night. Reposted from the Huntington Herald-Dispatch

Fear. Shock. Relief. Excitement.

All of these words describe the response the guys in Wizards of Ghetto Mountain had when hearing that renowned producer and engineer Steve Albini would be recording their debut album in July.

The story of how the Huntington-based “Doom” metal band, together for than less than a year, fresh off making a two-song demo for their Pittsburgh-based label and preparing to record a full-length with Bud Carroll, got studio time with Albini, who has famously worked with bands like The Pixies, Slayer and Nirvana, has to be read.

“I suggested it to our label rep just as a complete shot in the dark,” Singer Chuk Fowlord explained over phone. “He was like ‘Why would Steve Albini want to record your band?’ And I said ‘One; we’re from West Virginia, two; we’re awesome, and three; we’re called Wizards of Ghetto Mountain. Sounds like a winner.’”

Montage of the band rocking out in doom fashion; slower tempos, deeper guitar tunings and fuzzier tones, with heads, of course, banging.

“A couple of weeks went by, and he calls me,” Fowlord went on, “and I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s a go.’ And I’m, like, ‘What?’ And he says, ‘We’re going to do the record with Albini.’ And I dropped the phone and almost passed out.”

The Wizards (Fowlord: vocals; Garrett Babb: guitar; Jim E. Toledo: bass; Bobby Caution: drums) are scheduled to take their version of stoner rock and doom metal into Albini’s Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago in July. Wow.

Drummer Bob Caution recounted getting the phone call.

“When Chuk called me at school with the news, he was in such hysterics I thought either Garrett or Jim had been killed in some horrible accident,” Caution said. “So I was greatly relieved and then massively excited when I found out that we were gonna be recording with Albini.”

“Like Bobby said,” Babb followed. “Chuk called me in hysterics, gasping for air, freaking out; he sounded like he was crying. I thought something terrible had happened to Jim or Bob. Then he told me about Albini. I didn’t believe him…it still rattles me that we have this amazing opportunity.”

The Wizards have been making moves at whiplash speed. They’ve got on Ulja Factory, a Pittsburgh-based label, played several shows with bigger-name, regionally touring stoner and hard rock acts, mainly in Huntington, made a few fans, and now, landed a highly coveted recording session with one of rock’s best producers.

Keep in mind this band hasn’t been together for roughly eight or nine months, and has played maybe twenty shows. They practice every Sunday at a friend’s house, maybe a nod to Black Sabbath, one of their biggest influences.

Toledo said that, regardless who produces their record, people who will like their version of music would probably like it anyway.

“[Albini] isn’t going to make people like your music who aren’t already predisposed to liking that sort of thing.”

“If you’re great, that’s going to come through, whether it’s Steve Albini, Phil Spector, or one of your friends on a 4-Track. It’s on us to be a great band in the studio when it comes time to record, and if that happens, then the music will sell itself regardless of who produced it.”

And Caution said that, regardless of who records the Wizards, they’re still going to rock.

“People who like stoner rock and doom metal are gonna like this album,” he said. “We’ve crafted an appealing sound.”

“I don’t like to brag, but we’ve got a really powerful thing going on here…it shows every time we hit the stage. I think Ulja Factory did help speed the process, and I’m eternally grateful, but this band is going places no matter what the circumstances.”

Babb kind of summed up the shock value of how fast things appear to be moving for the Wizards. “If you would have asked me about this stuff going on when this band started, I would have said you were a nutbag. I suppose we’re doing something right!”

“Honestly I feel this is the best music I’ve ever made,” Fowlord said. “I’ve been in bands for 10 years. There’s something special with this band; each time we play live we’re getting better. Good things are happening.”

“I can’t wait to see what this is going to sound like,” Toledo said of the debut record. “As for now, we’re saving and planning. That’s the only way off Ghetto Mountain.”

--- photo: Jimbo Valentine

--- Related: Our chat with the Wizards from January

Wizards of Ghetto Mountain: special magic going on in Huntington

Together for just a few months, having played about a dozen shows, the Huntington-based doom band Wizards of Ghetto Mountain prepare to record their debut and play the V Club 1.29 with fellow Huntington rockers Satchell and Beast in the Field from Michigan.

We caught up with the band -- singer Chuk Fowlord (aka Tip Kissinger), guitarist Garrett Babb (aka Lindsey Slohan), bassist Luke Belville (aka Dr. William Weird) and drummer Bob Caution (aka Chong) -- to see where they are as a band and what is up in general...

WVRS: How long have you guys been together as a band?
Chuk Fowlord: Oh man not long. I don’t remember exactly, lol. When the Wizards of Ghetto Mountain started we were originally gonna call ourselves wizzzardhedd. Bobby asked myself to start a doom stoner band. I told him I was down. I suggested Luke Belville because of my work with him in Killbot, another doom band we were in called Thick Mistress, and my graveyard gypsy folk project Sister Scripture. We set out to find a guitarist. We had one practice with Travis Lemon. It was great. He’s an awesome guitarist but, his job prevented him from joining on a full-time basis.

We then auditioned Garrett Babb from local punk rock band Beer for Blood. He fit like a glove and we asked him to join. We then auditioned a second guitarist, Bob Burrito. I was in a thrash crust band called Warhel with him. Our styles clashed so we told him we were going to find somebody else. I suggested Matthew Walters, former guitarist of the Black Knots. Garrett and Walters clicked and he was asked to join the band. Walters played a few shows with us but, it didn’t work out…now we’re gonna stick with just Garrett on guitar and record our debut album for Ulja Factory records outta Pittsburgh

Garrett Babb: I’d have to say we’ve been together for a solid 4-5 months now. I was playing guitar in a small project with Bobby; a quirky, cartoonish punk sounding outfit and it was fun, but wasn’t really heading in any solid direction. So, I run into Bob downtown one day and he asks if I would like to jam with Chuk and Luke and himself that following weekend to see what we could create. I agreed, showed up drunk, and started writing. Our first practice was a blast and we agreed to meet again the following week. Been doing it ever since.

Bob Caution: Chuk and I had talked about doing this since February of last year, and finally found some players that were interested in jamming.

WVRS: How have your shows gone so far; how have you been received?
CF: The shows have been amazing and the reception to the band has been great since our first show. Each show has gotten bigger and more people have been coming to check us out. We haven’t even played 20 shows yet but, we have a three record deal, have shared the stage with national acts Black Tusk on Relapse Records, Black Cobra on Southern Lord, Treasure Cat, who has the guitarist from Karma to Burn, and we’re playing Jan 29th with an awesome doom band, Beast in the Field. We were on the bill to play with Weedeater February 4th, but Dixie Collins blew his toe off cleaning his shotgun, so that’s cancelled. I dunno man but, we seem to be doing great for an up and coming band.

GB: Our shows have gone over pretty well. We haven’t played 10 shows yet, but we’re getting there. Some nights have been sloppy, but we are getting tighter and more into our niche as musicians performing as a sonic force. Our first show was excellent. We weren’t really ready to play but we agreed to play for a friend’s birthday bash. It was at Shamrock’s here in Huntington with Beyond All Hope, The Transmissions, and my old punk band from college, Beer for Blood. Our set was recorded and it still gives me goosebumps when I hear it. I think to myself, ‘Wow. This is exactly what I’m inspired to do with music right now in my life.’

I hope audiences like us. After our last show, an older fellow came up to me, I could tell he was a huge ZZ Top fan. You know how some people have that look? Anyway, he says to me after a firm handshake: “Man! Great set, brother! A lot of your guitar shit reminds me of Randy Rhoads!” That made my night. I bought the guy a shot.

BC: Shows have all been stellar. We’ve already gotten to open up for a couple of national stoner rock acts, which has really been great. People seem to really dig us, we get a fair crowd at shows. Let’s hope that continues!

WVRS: How often do you guys get to rehearse?
CF: Bob lives in St. Albans but he commutes to Huntington to jam with the Wizards. We practice at Castle Brownskull studios and I would like to thank Paul “the sex viper” Weaver for making sure we have a place to jam. He’s been an asset to the scene here and in Charleston for years and is a great dude. We practice and get together to write every sabbath bloody sabbath. Hahaha. We just think it’s the right day of the week to jam.

BC: At the moment, we’re rehearsing at Paul’s house, (y’know from the Dig-Its), and so I drive up each weekend. Not so bad, I got a fuel efficient car!

WVRS: From the footage on your MySpace page, you guys sound hard and heavy; what bands have most influenced ghetto mountain?
CF: Oh man Black Sabbath, Witchfinder General, Sleep, Melvins, Saint Vitus to name a few.

GB: Kyuss. Weedeater. The Stooges. Tweak Bird. Black Sabbath.

Luke Belville: For me, personally, the influence comes from the progenitors of hard rock. You wouldn’t have to try very hard to hear a lot of Geezer Butler, John Entwistle, or John Paul Jones in my style.

BC: Well, definitely the harder-hitting classic stuff; Zep, The Who, MC5, The Stooges, and Black Sabbath of course. Also, stoner rock and sludge bands like Sleep, Boris, Weedeater, Nebula. Shit, Luke and myself like to throw some of our prog style in the breakdown parts of some tunes, and we dig Yes, King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra. We’ve all got influential bands we draw from.

WVRS: When/where are you guys going to record?
CF: We plan on recording a our first full length and having a 7-inch, CD package and a free downloadable EP. We are about to get into pre-production with Bud Carroll, who is producing our record this month at his studio.

BC: Bud Carroll is supposed to produce. Our label rep Darrell set us up with him and we’re stoked he’s gonna be involved. We plan on having nine songs on the initial CD, three or so available for free download. Also, the release of a vinyl 7-inch is in the future as well.

WVRS: Have any of you guys seen or heard Satchell?
CF: Yeah. Satchell rules. We’ve played with ‘em. Mr. Jude is cool as cool can be. Great drummer and you just can’t go wrong with a fat Orange stack. Satchell’s tone kills.

GB: We played with them once before and have a few shows coming up with them in the future. Super nice guys with amazing equipment and talent. VERY loud, just how we like it.

LB: We played with them when Black Tusk and Black Cobra came into town. I felt like a swing band or something because the other bands only had one or two members and we had five at the time.

WVRS: Looks like the 2.4 Weedeater show was cancelled, what happened?
CF: Dixie Collins was cleaning his favorite shotgun and blew his big toe off so the show got cancelled. I am soooooooooooooo bummed about not playing this show. So bummed.

WVRS: So you guys got on Ulja Factory records?
CF: Yes we are. They are an up and coming indie label outta Pittsburgh. Label rep Darrell Workman is an old friend of mine. He got ahold of me on Facebook and told me he heard I was doing some music. I sent him the link to the “Sabbothiom’s Ascent” video on YouTube and we went into negotiations with the label and eventually signed.

WVRS: If the Wizards had any hidden agenda in their lyrics, what might it be?
CF: If there was an hidden agenda in the wizards lyrics it would be bringing Chuk Fowlord weed and hot chicken nuggets to every show. I really enjoy chicken nuggets and would appreciate them being brought to me at shows. Hahahahahaha.

BC: Hahaha, what’s the old adage about sex, drugs and rock-n-roll? Oh yeah, that’s it. I dunno, I guess it’s all about the fun. That’s what music’s always been about for me. I ain’t in this business to make money. If I was, I’d have quit a long time ago.

GB: We are the smoke chalice conquerors.

LB: I’d like to think that the underlying philosophy of the Wizards is the elimination of worry and the elevation of the self through extremely loud sonic vibrations, but the lyrical content is more Chuk’s call.

WVRS: How does being in the Wizards compare so far to previous bands you guys have been in?
CF: Speaking for myself I have been in bands for the better part of 10 years. This band, these guys, are the coolest I have played with. There is a special magic going on and I have a feeling about this band that I have never felt in any other band I have been in. I really look forward to recording albums and touring the world with these guys. There’s no central authority figure in the band; it’s total freedom. We all write and contribute songs and song ideas. None of us is afraid to speak our minds. We have a great working relationship and these songs are amazing and seem to manifest themselves effortlessly.

LB: Not much of a difference for me, except this band’s instantly more productive.

BC: I love each and every project I’ve been in. This is the first one that’s been signed to a label, so that’s a great goal to have achieved! The ride ain’t over yet, ask me 10 years down the road!

--- The Wizards of Ghetto Mountain play The V Club in Huntington 1.29 with Beast in the Field and Satchell
--- Related: Weedeater press release on Dixie Collins shotgun accident

--- photo: Vanessa Bragdon