Fatso Jetson

by Vincent JeffriesFatso Jetson was formed in Palm Desert, CA, in 1994 and are often credited as the fathers of the desert strain of stoner rock made most famous by their slightly younger neighbors Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age. This might be strange considering that the genre was in full swing at the time of Fatso Jetson's inception. The reason for the group's immense stoner credibility is that key members of the group played in seminal local "desert" bands Across the River, Englenook, Yawning Man, and the Sort of Quartet: each of them being groups that the high school aged Kyuss members would frequently see perform at parties. While musically similar to some of their stoner brethren, Fatso Jetson incorporate a broader variety of musical influences that includes punk and surf. That is not to say that the band isn't capable of dishing out supremely heavy riffs and Black Sabbath-influenced guitar soloing. Certainly grounded in dense hard rock, Fatso Jetson experiment with many musical textures, instrumental epics, and bizarre lyrics to create a punky art rock all their own.When guitarist/vocalist Mario Lalli and his bassist brother Larry kept bumping into drummer Tony Tornay at desert parties and at the Lallis' own club, Rhythm & Brews, the trio decided to start playing together and have remained as a unit since. After opening for former Black Flag guitarist and SST Records' owner Greg Ginn's band, Fatso Jetson were offered a chance to record Ginn's label. In 1995, the group recorded their debut Stinky Little Gods and followed that up in 1997 with Power of Three -- both discs appeared on SST. Kyuss and Fu Manchu drummer Brant Bjork briefly joined up as second guitarist and appeared on two 7" releases before leaving the group to focus on his duties in Fu Manchu and a solo project. The band left SST and quickly hooked up with Bongload Records, who then released Fatso Jetson's third full-length disc, Toasted, in 1998. The album was recorded at Palm Desert's Munkey Studios: the undisputed center of the stoner rock universe. Guitarist and old friend Gary Arce joined the band briefly to support Toasted on tour with Queens of the Stone Age in 1999. Arce then departed in 2000. The Lalli brothers also contributed to the Desert Sessions releases that feature friends from outfits like Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, and Earthlings.