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All Music Guide:
Fatso 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.
Wikipedia:
Fatso Jetson is an American desert rock band from the Palm Desert, California area, formed in 1994 by ex-Yawning Man members Mario and Larry Lalli, along with Tony Tornay. The Lalli cousins are often credited as the fathers of the desert strain of stoner rock later made famous by bands such as Kyuss, Fu Manchu, and Queens of the Stone Age. While musically similar to some of their stoner brethren, Fatso Jetson incorporate a broader variety of musical influences that includes punk and surf.
Biography
Fatso Jetson hail from the Palm Desert area, California. Living in the desert, secluded away from the trendy "scenes" in Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego, the only places for original music to be played have been pool halls, Mexican restaurants (after hours) and the occasional struggling bar looking to make some fast cash. On many occasions, the only place for a band to play has been in secluded desert canyons powered by a generator. Then in 1994, Mario and Larry Lalli opened the desert's first "rock club". It was at this club that the three decided to form a band.
Fatso Jetson formed after Tony, Mario and Larry spent way too much time together playing pool, drinking beer and watching TV after hours at Mario and Larry's nightclub, "Rhythm & Brews". They decided that since they already played the appropriate instruments, that their time would be better spent playing music.
They played their first show in September 1994, opening for former Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. On the basis of this show, Greg decided he wanted to release an album with the band on his record label SST. The band then went on to play as many shows as possible including a small 6 show tour with fellow desert dwellers Kyuss.
Then, in August 1995, Fatso Jetson's first record, "Stinky Little Gods" was released. Just over 2 years later in November 1997, the band released their second full length opus, "Power Of Three", again on SST. It was around this time that the band hooked up with Brant Bjork (ex-Kyuss, ex-Fu Manchu skinsman) who played rhythm guitar. Brant stayed in this capacity until touring with Fu Manchu forced him to leave the band, though he did appear on two 7" releases. One a split with The Bloodshot, and the other a split with Fu Manchu.
In late 1997 Fatso Jetson started to look for another record label and found themselves in the company of Bongload Custom Records. In April 1998, Tony, Mario and Larry entered Monkey Studios in Palm Springs to record their 3rd full length offering for Bongload, "Toasted", produced by Chris Goss (Masters of Reality). Then in August 1998, Gary Arce joined the band as a rhythm guitarist for a tour up the coast with Queens of the Stone Age and continued in this role for a while playing on the 'Flames For All' record and toured with the band for a European tour and an appearance at the Dynamo festival in 1999 until he finally departed in April 2000.
In 2001, Fatso Jetson headed back in the studios to record their 5th album 'Cruel & Delicious.' It was recorded by Schneebie of Earthlings? and released on Josh Homme's record label 'Rekords Rekords'. It features 13 songs including a cover of Devo's 'Ton O' Love'.
The band continues today as a 4 piece, adding Vince Meghrouni on the saxophone and harmonica. They still write new material and play as many shows as possible.
In addition to playing shows in and around Los Angeles, Mario and Larry own and operate a small restaurant and club in Sierra Madre, California called Café 322, located at 322 West Sierra Madre Boulevard. They often have jazz and blues artists, as well as occasionally performing themselves.
