Stuck Mojo

Infobox musical artist
Name =Stuck Mojo


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Background =group_or_band
Origin =Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genre =Alternative metal
Rap metal

Years_active =1989-2000
2005 - present
Label =Century Media Records
(1995 - 2000)
Napalm Records
(2007 - present)
Associated_acts =Fozzy
Sick Speed
URL = [http://www.stuckmojo.us/ StuckMojo.us]
Current_members =Lord Nelson
Rich "The Duke" Ward
Sean Delson
Mike Martin
Steve Underwood
Past_members =see below

Stuck Mojo is a rap metal group from Atlanta, Georgia. They were formed in 1989 by guitarist Rich Ward and original bassist Dwayne Fowler. Lead vocalist Bonz joined later in the year. Together with the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Urban Dance Squad, they are considered by many, to be one of the key bands in the creation of rap metal. Stuck Mojo is currently signed to Napalm Records.

History

Early years

The band was formed in 1989 when bassist Dwane Fowler invited guitarist and friend Rich Ward to come over and jam with his drummer Richard Farmer. The band cycled through a number of vocalists before settling on rapper Bonz. Each member of the band came from a different musical background; Fowler was best described by guitarist Ward as being 'P-Funk All-Stars meets Burning Spear'. Ward himself was influenced by the early works of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne. Bonz came from a rap and hip hop background, being heavily influenced by the early works of RUN-DMC and Faith No More.

The band recorded and released their first untitled demo in 1991, followed by a 3-song demo the next year. Around this time, Farmer left the group and the band went through a number of drummers before settling on Benjamin Reed. With Reed, the band recorded and released "The Mojo Seven" demo in 1992.

After acquiring management, the band started playing in dozens of clubs around the west coast which eventually earned the band a fan following. Before the tour, the band decided to fire drummer Benjamin Reed for his many personal commitments would only slow the band down. Fact|date=June 2008The band replaced Reed with drummer Brent Payne for their first independent tour.

In 1993, under the guidance of their new management team of Mark Willis and Nancy Camp, Stuck Mojo went on the road hitting dozens of cities such as Chicago, Tampa , Charlotte, Columbia, South Carolina , Macon, Georgia, and Tallahassee. [cite web|url=http://stuckmojo.de/index.php?tid=2 |title=Official biography page]

Century Media Records (1995 - 2000)

The band recorded their fourth demo, a three-song record that they sent to different record labels. The record eventually attracted the attention of Century Media Records who signed the band in 1994.

The band released their first album, "Snappin' Necks", in March 1995, with Century Media Records. The album was followed with a three month tour opening for Machine Head. Following the tour, both Fowler and Payne left the band amidst the rigors of touring and tensions in the band.

In 1996 they released the "Pigwalk" alongside new bassist Corey Lowery and drummer Frank "Bud" Fontseré. This album was supported by the band's first tour of Europe in the "Crossover 2000 Tour" and tours opening for Life of Agony, Testament and Type O Negative. The same year the band released a Europe only EP called "Violated".

1997 was highlighted by tours with Type O Negative, Life of Agony, Testament and a second tour of Europe. For the third consecutive year, Stuck Mojo performed over 250 shows.

In late 1997 through early 1998, the band was in the studio with producer Andy Sneap to recording sessions for their third release "Rising". The band's enjoyment of professional wrestling was exhibited through this album, as World Championship Wrestling's United States Heavyweight Championship belt was prominently featured on the cover. Also, the video for the song "Rising" featured then-WCW stars Diamond Dallas Page, Raven, and The Flock. The video was also directed by Page.

Thanks to the airing of the "Rising" video on MTV and WCW Monday Nitro on the eve of the album's release, Mojo experienced their highest sales to date and become the first Century Media band to hit the Billboard charts. A headlining tour of Europe then followed in June and ended with another appearance on the main stage at Dynamo.Fact|date=August 2007

In 1999 Mojo headlined a six month tour with the last date being at their home venue, the Masquerade in Atlanta. During this performance the band recorded a live album. Titled "HVY1", the album also featured two new studio tracks. Released in September, the band followed up with a headlining tour to support it.Fact|date=August 2007

In 2000 Mojo released "Declaration Of A Headhunter", their final studio album. Despite critical praise and good sales of their albums, Stuck Mojo broke up later that year but continued to perform New Year's Eve reunion shows every year at the Masquerade Club in Atlanta. Bonz started the band 420 Monks and later Dead Gospel. Ward, Fontseré, and former bassist Dan Dryden, together with (World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestler) Chris Jericho, formed the band Fozzy and another band called Sick Speed, and Corey Lowery joined Life of Agony, started Stereomud, and later Dark New Day. Ward released a solo album entitled "My Kung Foo Is Good", under the name "The Duke" on May 3, 2005.

Hiatus (2001 - 2004)

In 2001, in order to fulfill lingering contractual obligations and prevent Century Media from being able to exercise any ownership rights over future recorded materials, Ward agreed to enter the studio once more. Recording two new tracks taken from his archive of unused material, the songs were added to an album of rarities and B-sides titled "Violate This". However, Bonz did not participate in the sessions.

By 2004, the fans' demand for new material had not faded with the passage of time. In response to this demand, Ward collaborated with Ed Aborn of Intersonic Multimedia to compile the comprehensive DVD titled "Inside the Monster: The Evilution of Stuck Mojo. Vol. 1".

Reunion (2005 - present)

In 2005, Stuck Mojo reunited, with Bonz, Ward, and Fontseré back in the lineup, with new bassist Sean Delson replacing Dan Dryden. [cite web|url=http://fozzyrock.com/bio.htm|title=Official biography page] The reunion was short lived, however, as Stuck Mojo released their new album "Southern Born Killers" without Fontseré and Bonz, opting newcomers Rodney Beaubouef (from Dead Gospel) on drums and Lord Nelson on vocals. Their song "Open Season" brought the band into the public spotlight.Fact|date=August 2007

In 2006, new tracks from the upcoming album "Southern Born Killers" were made available on the bands MySpace page and the full album was madeavailable for download from their website, for free. If downloaded for free, each song was introduced by Ward, if purchased, there were no song intros from Ward.

In 2007, Mike Martin was made an official member of Stuck Mojo making the band a 5 piece.

In 2008, Beaubouef left the band. The band went on a European tour and a tour of the U.K. in February 2008 with Ektomorf. Steve "Nailz" Underwood (formerly of Sandfrog) took over as drummer for the tour. The band then signed to Napalm Records and re-released the album "Southern Born Killers" with 3 bonus tracks on March 4, 2008 in the U.S. and February 29, internationally.

Musical style

During the 1990s, Stuck Mojo's sound was based around guitarist Ward's heavily distorted and bass-enhanced guitar tone and former lead vocalist Bonz's aggressive rap style, which can be noted on the "Pigwalk" album. Early bassist Fowler's style was based around funk and hip hop, while later bassist Lowery's sound was seen to be more remiscent of heavy metal. During the 1990s, Ward performed and recorded with a 1976 Les Paul Standard. Ward's guitar tone is typical to the styles of nu metal, with bass heavily emphasized. Ward would normally perform with Marshall JCM 800 heads on top of Ampeg Cabinets. The drumming in Mojo's sound overall is straightforward, except for a few double kick shows and progressive moments (e.g., verses on "Cake"), mainly on the "Snappin' Necks" and "Pigwalk" albums.

Discography

Demos

* "The Mojo Seven" (1992)

tudio albums

* "Snappin' Necks" (1995)
* "Pigwalk" (1996)
* "Rising" (1998) (Top Chart Position: #48) [cite web |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/searchResult.jsp?configType=BBCOM_SIMPLEDEFAULT&pubList=Billboard&action=Submit&kw=&exposeNavigation=true&keyword=stuck+mojo&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Submit&searchType=ARTICLE_SEARCH |title=billboard.com]
* "Declaration Of A Headhunter" (2000)
* "Violate This" (2001)
* "Southern Born Killers" (Independent Release, 2007) (re-released on Napalm Records, 2008) [Cite web |url=http://www.stuckmojo.us/bio.html|title=Official discography page]

Live albums

* "HVY1" (Live, 1999)

EPs

* "Violated" (1996)

DVDs

* "Inside the Monster: The Evilution of Stuck Mojo Vol. I" (DVD, 2004)

Current band members

* Lord Nelson - Vocals (2006 - present)
* Rich Ward - Guitar and Backup Vocals (1989 - present)
* Mike Martin - Guitar (2007 - present)
* Sean Delson - Bass (2004 - present)
* Steve Underwood - (2008 - present)

Former band members

* Bonz - Vocals (1989 - 2000, 2005 - 2006)
* Richard Farmer (1989 - 1990)
* Benjamin Reed - Drums (1990 - 1993)
* Brent Payne - Drums (1993 - 1995)
* Corey Lowery - Bass/Backing Vocals (1996 - 1998)
* Frank "Bud" Fontsere - Drums (1993, 1996 - 2005: currently playing in Love Said No)
* Dan Dryden - Bass (1998 - 2001)
* Eric Sanders - Drums (2005)
* Dwayne Fowler - Bass (1989 - 1995)
* Will Hunt - Drums (1996 [European tour for Pigwalk] )
* Rodney Beaubouef - Drums (2006 - 2008)

Notes

External links

* [http://www.stuckmojo.us/ Official website]
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* [http://www.stuckmojomedia.com/ StuckMojoMedia.com]
* [http://www.blastwave.co.uk/reviews/arevs/show_album_review.asp?ID=439 Stuck Mojo at Blastwave]
* [http://www.pyromusic.net/index.php?p=reviews_review&review=Stuck_Mojo-Violate_This!_1991-2001&id=871 Stuck Mojo at Pyromusic]

Members websites

* [http://www.dukerocks.com/ "The Duke" Rich Ward official website]
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* [http://www.mikemartin.net Mike Martin's official website]
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