Fuzz-Huzzi Revival

Based in Imperial Beach, Fuzz-Huzzi is fronted by singer/guitarist Allen Camp. His late-’80s hardcore punk band Misguided Children was once booked by Eddie Vedder when the future Pearl Jam singer was organizing local shows.

“We play Southern California rock with an indie feel and a classic-rock approach, with a funky, bluesy alt-vibe,” says Camp. After 15 years of gigging, he is the band’s sole founding member.

“In summer 2009, our rhythm section quit after our first two-week tour. It was amazing how quickly we hooked up with our current lineup. We toured about six months and got offered to do a record with Kings Ransom Studios in Lakeside.”

With current recruits Adam Baez (guitar), Ivan English (bass), and Pete Abdou (drums), Fuzz-Huzzi’s newest album Revival was released in September. The group is spending more time on the road, though Camp says touring isn’t always the adventure they’d hoped.

“We once had three dates canceled in a row in Medford and Eugene, Oregon, during a three-month tour. I just remember us being in a Laundromat with a local mag, looking for places to play. We wound up playing at a club in downtown Eugene during their bar-bingo night. We won all the bingo money and scored a gig for the next night, too. The downside is that we were on a budget and spent the night in our Astro van outside the Walmart, where it was about 25 degrees.

“Oh, yeah, and that time our drummer almost got us shot in Texas was pretty gnarly.”

Fuzz-Huzzi appears January 21 at Brick by Brick.

WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?

Allen Camp:

1) P.O.D., The Fundamental Elements of Southtown. “They’re a band that came from my area and blew up, representing everything I’ve struggled to do in music.”

2) Social Distortion, Prison Bound. “I can relate to Mike Ness more every day.”

3) Rock Star Club, Bienvenidos a Grand y Western. “They’re a band from Chicago with Paul Kasprzak, who’s a genius.”

4) Wayne Kramer, Citizen Wayne. “I love his approach to songwriting.”

Adam Baez:

1) Ben Harper and the Relentless7, Live from Montreal International Jazz Festival. “It reminds me of good times on the road.”

2) Big Boi, Speakerboxxx. “One of my favorite hip-hop albums ever.”

3) Elvis Costello, My Aim Is True. “To get me through the day.”

4) Operation Ivy, Energy. “Why not?”

Ivan English:

1) Grover Washington Jr., Time out of Mind. “I really like the song ‘Jamaica.’”

2) Weather Report, Heavy Weather. “As a bassist, I look up to Jaco Pastorius’s melodies.”

3) Michael Jackson, Number Ones. “Real feel-good music.”

Pete Abdou:

1) Foo Fighters, Wasting Light. “It’s a diverse Foo album, and they never disappoint me.”

2) Marvelous 3, Math and Other Problems. “Butch Walker’s genius project, before he went solo.”

3) Cheap Trick, The Latest. “One of the best bands ever. They’re always in my rotation.”

GUILTY PLEASURE MUSIC?

Camp: “Sorry, I love Kings of Leon.”

Baez: “Jets to Brazil, "Further North," because I like to think I’m a tough rocker, but I’m really just a big old sensitive softy.”

Abdou: “The Outfield, Play Deep.”

FAVORITE CONCERT?

Camp: “Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Open Air Amphitheater in 1985, with the Beat Farmers opening. It changed my life. When I saw that, I wanted to play music in a band.”

Baez: “Rock Star Club in Chesterton, Indiana. It was in this smoky little bar that was wall-to-wall packed, and I had only seen the band once before. It’s an epic memory.”

English: “Friends took me to see Velvet Revolver and Alice in Chains in 2004. Before that, my concert experience was limited to chamber ensembles and choirs.”

Abdou: “Colin Hay, the lead singer from Men at Work. I saw him in a dingy club in Worcester, Massachusetts years ago, and his presence just floored me. Not only were the songs great, but he was a funny bastard.”

EVER BEEN FIRED?

Baez: “No, but I’ve left a few jobs to travel in the band. Not a good thing to have on a résumé.”

English: “I was fired from a tax company for sagging pants.”

Abdou: “I worked third shift at Cumberland Farms convenience store. I locked up the front to go visit a girl for a few hours, but I left the back door unlocked so I could get back in. The cops found it open and were there waiting for me. I was terminated.”

FIRST TIME DRUNK?

Baez: “I was 14, and my friend brought some tequila in an apple juice bottle while we were walking to school. I remember it was raining, and we drank it in an alley in Imperial Beach. I felt nasty all morning and ended up falling asleep in class.”

ANY FEARS OR PHOBIAS?

English: “Anatidaephobia, the fear that, somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching.”

WHERE DO YOU TAKE OUT-OF-TOWN GUESTS?

Camp: “Old Town.”

Baez: “Fish taco cart in the ’hood.”

English: “The zoo.”

Abdou: “The Midway aircraft carrier.”

ANY REGRETS?

Baez: “Being a jerk.”

Abdou: “That I didn’t make wiser financial decisions early in life.” ■