Fuzzy wuz a band

“We started a new project called Freak the Mighty with a new rhythm section when we got off the road last October,” says guitarist Adam Baez of the now-defunct Fuzz-Huzzi, which was already splintering before starting an 80-date tour last year. “A couple of months before the first leg, Pete [Abdou, drummer] informed us that he had to take an opportunity to drum tech for the Danish band Volbeat. We started the tour with fill-in drummers and, on the turnaround before the last leg, Ivan [English, bass] quit the band due to exhaustion and family matters he had to attend to.”

The new project includes Fuzz-Huzzi singer/guitarist Allen Camp, the Fuzzy’s sole remaining founder when they split. “Allen and I never gave up on each other,” says Baez, who made his Fuzzy debut at the P.B. Block Party in May 2004. “I grew up in Imperial Beach, and I met Allen when I was in high school. My parents are drug addicts, so my grandparents raised me. Allen had a similar upbringing, and he really helped me through a tough time I was going through. Over time, we became family.”

The Mighty lineup also includes local bassist Tim Tseng and drummer Tim Duff, whose uncle once drove him from his home in Phoenix to Durango, Colorado, to man the skins for Fuzz-Huzzi during that final 2012 tour. “He relocated to San Diego,” says Baez. “He’s sleeping on my couch.”

Despite two former Fuzzies manning the helm, Baez says the new group has “A different sound and energy to it. [We] took some of the funk roots out and replaced it with a heartfelt, solid-rock rhythm section, giving the music a heavier Southern California rock sound.”

Already signed to Fuzz-Huzzi’s label Kings Ransom Records, Freak the Mighty’s first show happens May 17 at the Kensington Club. “We won’t be playing any Fuzz material,” says Baez. “We had our goodbye show last October, and it makes you a little sad to revisit the music.”