L-R:
Jeffrey Hatcher (guitar/vocals), Paul
Hatcher (drums/vocals),
Don Hatcher (guitar), David Briggs
(bass/guitar/keyboards/vocals)
FUSE
LIGHTS FIRE FOR NO-FRILLS ROCK 'N'
ROLL
It took rock's New Wave a considerable
time to establish any sort of beachhead in
Winnipeg. Much of the credit for s belated
acceptance in this city belongs to The
Fuse, the highly entertaining young
quartet whose passion for playing
no-frills rock 'n' roll has earned it a
large and loyal following of New Wave
devotees and rock 'n' roll fans like.
The Fuse's ascension to the top of the
local rockpile has been accomplished in
just a few short months, an impressive
achievement for four young musicians with
no performing experience to speak of.
During its brief existence, the group as
turned a number of people on to songs by
such New Wave stalwarts as Elvis Costello
and Nick Lowe, and has sparked a
resurgence of interest in the sort of
hard-driving rock 'n' roll that's been
absent from the Winnipeg scene for much
too long.
Armed with confidence, some excellent
original songs and the personal seal of
approval of none other than Elvis
Costello, The Fuse definitely appears to
be going places, and in a hurry. The funny
thing is, none of the group's members was
even aware of what the New Wave was all
about when the group began to take shape
last year.
"When we started the band, none of us had
ever heard of the New Wave," lead
guitarist and singer Jeff Hatcher (Henry
to his friends), said in an interview.
"I've wanted to play rock 'n' roll ever
since I got my first guitar. went to the
bars for years hoping to hear some rock
'n' roll, and all the bands ever played
was hard rock. I could never understand
why there weren't any bands into playing
good old greasy rock 'n' roll."
Rock 'n' roil has been Jeff's lifeblood
since he got his first guitar at age 14
and Immediately set about "learning all of
the Chuck Berry licks I could."
Once he got the money together to buy a
second guitar, he sold the first one to
his friend David Briggs. They began
practising together "wherever we could
find a place to set up our amps —
basements, attics, garages, you name it."
Several years and hundreds of sessions
later, Jeff's younger brother Paul was
recruited to play drums with the two
guitarists.
Bassist Johnny Loiselle joined up shortly
thereafter, at which time the aspiring
musicians began rehearsing in earnest.
It was nearly a year later that the group
finally made its debut. The Fuse's first
couple of gigs were River Heights
Community Centre dances which proved to
the quartet that there really was an
audience for the kind of music they wanted
to play.
"The response was just great, people were
dancing like crazy and really getting into
the music. We knew right then that we had
the right idea."
It didn't take long for the word to get
around. The band quickly developed a
reputation as a hard-working, no-nonsense
band playing the Winnipeg social and bar
circuit. The clincher came on an
unforgettable November night when Elvis
Costello himself dropped by the St. Vital
Hotel to check out the group and wound up
doing an impromptu set.
"It was an unbelievable experience." Jeff
said, his face lighting up at the mere
mention of the Costello gig. "Everyone was
telling us that Elvis would show up after
his concert but we never figured it would
happen. We were really amazed when he and
the band showed up."
After listening to The Fuse's second set,
Costello along with drummer Pete Thomas
and bassist Bruce Thomas of his band The
Attractions started running through a
bunch of songs they wanted to do.
"It was just sort of understood that they
would do a set. Elvis wanted to do some
stuff he hadn't played at the Playhouse
show and wanted an extra guitar player for
'Heart Of The City'. Naturally, I
volunteered."
What followed was a once-in-a-lifetime
thrill for both Jeff and several hundred
fans as Costello took the stage for a
wildly received four-song set which has
already earned The Fuse Canada-wide media
attention.
After the performance, The Fuse's manager
Steve Warden spent several hours
conversing with the King of the New Wave.
"Both Elvis and Bruce (Thomas) thought the
group was one of the best they've heard
outside of England," Steve said. "They're
both interested in doing a recording
session with the band, although nothing
definite has been set. They have such a
busy recording and touring schedule that
it's hard to say when they'll have the
time to work with us."
It's easy to understand Costello's
interest in The Fuse. The group's youthful
enthusiasm shines through everything it
plays, from covers of rock 'n' roll
classics by The Who, Chuck Berry and The
Rolling Stones to its promising original
songs.
Onstage, the band is all business, playing
the music it knows and loves. It's real
rock 'n' roll, stripped right down to the
essentials and complete with the short,
concise solos and ringing dual guitars
which keep people coming back for more.
The group's own songs constitute an
increasingly large part of its repertoire.
It plays more than a dozen songs
co-written by Jeff and David Briggs, who
doubles on guitar and keyboards.
"We have a lot of confidence in our
songs," Jeff said, pausing to light
another Rothman's. "At most gigs, our
stuff gets as much response as the old
songs, which has been very encouraging."
The Fuse has taken its show on the road
for the first time -- a 10-day tour
Saskatchewan. It will be back in time to
play a social here on New Year's Eve
before beginning preparations for more
dates in Western Canada.
There is a good chance the group will
record an extended play early in the new
year to tide over those fans already
anxious to hear The Fuse's songs vinyl.
"We plan to go into the studio sometime in
January to get an idea what it's like to
record," Jeff said. "I'd like to release a
four-song EP if things work out OK."
Andy Mellen As published in the Winnipeg Free
Press, December 27, 1978
Poster to the left for
the event at West End Cultural
Centre designed by Stu Reid of Winnipeg
Gig Poster Art
