FULL-BLOWN CHAOS: IN FINE METAL FORM

- Barbara Bales

Full-Blown Chaos(or FBC - as they are known in these parts)is a hard-hitting metal out­fit consisting of four teens from Queens with lots of 'tude. Together for a mere year and a half, the lads have been tearin' it up, gigging in clubs such as Castle Heights, Voodoo Lounge, and as they put it, "Just jamming in the neighborhood for lots of cool people." I was lucky enough to have checked out one of their recent performances (okay - it was an informal gig in their parents' basement!) and I was duly impressed.

FBC is equipped with some heavy artillery: wickedly aggressive and catchy tunes played with the finesse of seasoned pros. The band will soon finish recording a demo CD, a project which they state matter-of-factly, was "unfortunately put on hold for a short time. The scheduling wasn't right since some of us are still doing school, but we expect to go back to the studio within the next two weeks and lay down four to five tracks."

Fronted by a charismatic singer named Chris Morgan, the other members include Ed Conroy on bass, Michael Facci on guitar, and brother Jeffrey Facci on drums. Although Chris writes most of the lyrics, it's a collaborative effort when it comes to writ­ing the music. They describe themselves as "a heavy hardcore band. Our music is powerful. . . similar to Slayer, Hatebreed, 25 Ta Life and others."

Ed was putting together a band with Chris when they were introduced to Mike and Jeff. As Mike explains, "Jeff and I met them through people we knew. We just hit it off and have been together since January of '98. We mostly jam in my dad's basement, since he owns most of the equipment in it . . . and it's cheaper." "Dad" happens to be the Full-Blown Chaos wun­derkinds' manager, Angelo Facci, also a musician.

Regarding imminent goals, FBC admits to striving for a level of popularity experienced by other name bands. 'We love to play music, and the harder and louder, the better! We want to play clubs more often for smaller crowds who really like to hear what we have to offer." Other goals include "jamming a lot with E-Town, Mindset and 25 Ta Life, etc."

Two questions I direct towards Jeff and Mike Facci: How does it feel to have a totally happening dad who encourages you to pursue music and who books you at clubs which would otherwise be ver­

boten? Also, the other kids on the block - mustn't they be a tad jealous? The brothers reply proudly, "Dad has been a big influence, being a multi-talented musician. He's played drums as a main instrument since he was 11 years old, which rubbed off on Jeff at about the same age." Likewise, Angelo's rock/blues guitar playing rubbed off on Mike. Jeff and Mike add that they "are a family of self-taught musicians who play from our hearts and minds." As for the jealousy fac­tor, "There aren't too many neighborhood musicians, but one day real soon we will give them something to be jealous about. "

What kind of response has FBC gotten from audiences? Favorable ones, according to the group. 'We've only started playing shows like Voodoo Lounge and Castle Heights. We are getting our feet wet, but the response from everyone was how our band has everything together and we get compliments on the talent in the band. . . and there are a few hardcore dancers in the pit. "

As the saying goes: think globally, act locally. Locally, come September 24th at the Voodoo Lounge, Full-Blown Chaos will open for the bands Mindset, Tears of Frustration, E-Town, and Concrete. Globally, the band cites the group Vipa as an influence.

What advice do they have for musicians reading this article? Jeff and Mike Facci have listened to the wise words of dad Angelo, who practices what he preaches: "Don't ever give up!" His sons add, "Dad has been playing in bands for 32 years without stopping. When a musician in your band says he/she is leaving, go ahead and replace him/her and continue on. Music is healing for your body and soul, and if you know how to use it, go for it!"

If the teacher assigns one of those "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" essays, what will the students in Full-Blown Chaos write about? "We jammed, we played shows, we recorded, we wrote, we enjoyed. We want to play more and more."