Scott Hill - vocals/guitar
Bob Balch - lead guitar
Brad Davis - bass
Brant Bjork - drums

Fu Manchu has always been about the ride -- windows down, stereo cranked, beach on the passenger side, headin' down the Pacific Coast Highway with beer in the cooler and surfboards on the roof. And on their latest journey, the new California Crossing, their destination is, as usual, unknown. California Crossing is a never-ending process of discovery, as intoxicating for the band as it is for their growing legion of fans. Like such frontiersmen as Lewis and Clark, who helped discover and settle the Wild West, Fu are charting new territory, boldly going where no band has gone before.

No, Fu haven't lost their love for all things guitar-, surf- and skate-driven. And titles like "Squash That Fly," "Mongoose," and "The Wasteoid" make clear that the band's tunes are still as irreverent as their playing is heavy, and that their vibe is pure SoCal. But a decade into their career, Fu's attitude and sonic approach have changed. The heavy guitars still erupt (though not always blanketed by the band's previously ubiquitous fuzz), and the rhythm section still jackhammers away, but their sonic blasts are often shot with refreshingly hooky melodies.

To help guide them into this welcome new territory, the band chose as a collaborator producer/engineer/mixer Matt Hyde, best known for his production on albums by Porno for Pyros and Monster Magnet. "One day we decided we needed a producer, 'cause we had new songs, but not a new perspective," remembers vocalist/guitarist Scott Hill of the album's origins. "We were up for input and into shaking things up, so we wanted a producer who would really dig into the songs. We told Matt we wanted to have more melodies in our songs." And Hyde, was the ideal pick. "We had good demo versions of 20 songs, and Matt listened carefully and had suggestions for every song that we'd ever even considered. We'd be in a circle playing and he'd sit in the middle and toss out suggestions and we'd try them," Hill explains. "We really worked a lot on the arrangements with him. Matt worked with me on vocals, too--and we have more choruses, with all of us doing a lot of back up singing on this record." Fu's guitar sound, too, is a bit cleaner, with Hill and Balch now playing Ampeg Dan Armstrong guitars often without their trusty fuzz pedals. Though the trend may have started when a fan ripped off Hill's pedal from the stage, the sound stuck and rocks just as hard. "It was a bummer that it got stolen," relates Scott. "But I ended up really digging the cleaner sound."

Recording commenced at Sound City (where they'd tracked some of 1997's The Action is Go) in May, with mixing done at the former A&M Studios, which is now owned by Henson Productions, creators of the Muppets. "There was a big Kermit on the roof," laughs Hill, "but more exciting, Paul McCartney was in the room across the hall from us. He'd say 'hello,' but I'm sure we were just a bunch of punk kids to him." Though Sir Paul does not guest on California Crossing, there are a couple cool surprises on the CD. First, Keith Morris from the Circle Jerks sang on "Bultaco." "The Circle Jerks were the first band I ever saw live in 1981," says Hill. "And he'd come to our shows, and we thought how cool it would be if he could sing with us. He was like, 'whatever you want, I'll do.'" And for those not schooled in two-wheeled vehicles: "Bultaco is an old motocross motorcycle, all chrome. They were made for a limited time. It has nothing to do with the song, but I just love the word!" Also on California Crossing is another musical friend, in Rodney Skelton, the bassist for Speedealer, who wrote most of the lyrics to the album's title track. "He's a super cool-guy from a great band who has all these hysterical Texas sayings, and we were happy he helped us out with the song," explains Hill.

The music on California Crossing, the mix of heavy ass guitars and catchy pop hooks, will easily earn Fu Manchu new fans. But it will also thrill the very hardcore following that they've earned the hard way: via playing, playing and more playing. Since the release of their previous Mammoth opus, 2000's King of the Road, they trekked the globe for a year straight, from New Zealand and Japan to every corner of the U.S. Fu took their heavy 'n' hip Cali cool the world over, winning fans and inciting slo-mo headbanging frenzies.

The last few years have already seen plenty of growth for the band. First, Fu's tunes were used by the staid and venerable A&E channel for a documentary on legendary motorcycle customizer Jesse James, of the West Coast Choppers. (James insisted.) Then the band's passion for skateboarding helped get Fu Manchu invited to the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. California Crossing's "Downtown In Dogtown " is about the infamous 70's skateboarding era and Tony Alva (whose picture graced The Action is Go) and to celebrate a Dogtown documentary debut at Sundance, Fu Manchu were chosen to play the star-studded party at the posh ski resort.

Just because they're breaking new ground doesn't mean the Fu of yore is gone, however. While the melodies now match the heaviness, longtime Fu fans needn't fear. With this quartet, some things never change, notably the band's hangin'-out attitude and their love for making some of the heaviest music on the planet. And there are plenty of songs, topically and musically, that are classic Fu. "Ampin'" was the first track written for California Crossing, "Separate Kingdom" addresses one of the band's fave topics, UFOs, while Hill's personal favorite is "Squash That Fly," "because I dig playing it live and especially love Brant's drums," grins Hill.

Fu Manchu have risen above the stoner-rock- meets-Sabbath tag (which is at once accurate and too limiting) and proven themselves to be in a category of their own, touring with the likes of P.O.D. and Sevendust, opening new eyes and ears to Fu's myriad charms. Of course, while on those tours, the twisted times prevail within the funky Fu kingdom: "We watch the worst movies possible on tour," chuckles Hill. "We buy stupid teenage movies, like 'Airborne,' about a surfer kid from California who moves to Cleveland. We watched it everyday. ["Tilt," the pinball flick starring Brooke Shields is another oddball favorite.] I mean, we watch 'Scarface,' too, and listen to everything from ZZ Top to Devo to the Cars to Black Flag," he adds. Toss all that together and you begin to comprehend the unique sound that belongs only to Fu Manchu. And with California Crossing, its commercial cool will undoubtedly open and astound more unsuspecting eardrums.

There are precious few things you can count on - or look forward to - in rock 'n' roll. But like a great wave, Fu Manchu's California Crossing is a rare and welcome find: cool, refreshing and thrilling. But perhaps Fu's own website puts it most succinctly: "Welcome to the official shrine of the heaviest... groovin'ist...ass rockin'ist band who ever did live."