frank fontsere fozzy

Interview by: Marcus Jervis

Date: 18 October 2010

Venue: Waterfront, Norwich, UK

Photos by: Fozzy

As the house lights fade, the familiar beat of We Will Rock You booms from the PA and several hundred fists reach skywards, quickly joining in the Mercury-approved call and response handclap. It’s not quite Queen live at Wembley, but there is little doubt we are witnessing something spectacular and that, yes, we are most definitely ready, Freddie.

Bang on cue and hitting the ground running, Fozzy explode onto stage with their own brand of big noise, bouncing and banging their way through the opening triple treat of Under Blackened Skies, Martyr No More and Grail. The band is a whirlwind of energy and look like they are having the time of their lives; no more so than frontman Chris Jericho who is all aviator shades and smiles as he stalks the stage with the Hollywood bravado of a David Lee Roth and the confidence of a man who has learnt the art of entertainment from his many years as a world wrestling superstar. Get in the ring indeed.

Rewind a couple of hours and I’m in the somewhat less chaotic surroundings of Fozzy’s tour bus sat opposite the bands powerhouse drummer Frank Fontsere, to chew the fat as the quintet tear around the UK in support of the current album Chasing the Grail.

With the UK leg of the tour well underway, how have the dates been?

“It’s been going really well.” says Frank. “We’ve had good crowds and Fozzy has a really good following here which is why we like coming here. Apparently we’ve done really good on presales for tonight’s show. Good venues, good crowds and the band energy levels have been real high.”

Frank is understandably chuffed with the all-round response to the shows, but is there any difference in audience reaction from city to city?

“As far as the crowds go, they’ve all been really good.” he says. ”Some have been crazier than others, but it’s hard to say if that is down to the town, city or what have you. Being in England, I don’t know if I should say this but the two Irish shows were great. Sometimes crowds are crazier, but we’ve had great shows everywhere.”

The band is on the road in the UK supporting the current album Chasing the Grail. The album has been well-received critically and it seems the fans are loving it too.

“Oh, it’s great.” Frank states enthusiastically. ”People love it. There’s tracks in particular like Martyr No More that people sing along to. As soon as we launch into that song, it’s kinda like playing a hit song. People know the material and it all goes over good. A lot of people who come to Fozzy shows come to see Chris because he’s a celebrity in his own right, but when we go into a song or a riff people know, you can tell they know the material. On this tour more than previous tours, it’s felt more like a band and not a celebrity singing with four other guys playing instruments.”

It’s an interesting point confirmed by the show later the same night, that Fozzy looks and sounds very much like a band now. It feels like a band. After a couple of years out of the Fozzy spotlight, Frank is quick to agree.

“I came back into the band at the start of the process for this album. I had to find my way back in but Rich (Ward - guitar) and Chris have worked together for so long so consistently, and Sean (Delson - bass) has been a part of the band since 2004, so that certainly makes it feel like more of a band project.”

“You know,” Frank continues, “I was thinking about it the other day and it surprised me, this is only really the second serious album we’ve done with no cover material. The first two records were, I don’t wanna say a joke, but more of a novelty you know, which was what Fozzy was known for. With this album now, it feels like a band that should be about more than two albums.”

Speaking of a renewed ‘band vibe’, Frank is unsure as to what degree it has contributed to the darker, slightly edgier feel of the record.

“It’s hard to say. It’s a dark record, at least compared to what we’ve done before. But I just think of it as a classical metal album that people can listen to years from now and it won’t sound like a product of the times. That comes from the influences everyone has, Maiden and bands like that, so it’s not really a conscious thing, more of an evolution that we wanna take forward. I know we wanna do another album soon, not with a five year gap, and I think you’ll see a natural progression. We want to keep it fresh and have some surprises, but I like to hear an album that feels like a natural next step.”

Frank goes on to shed some light on the Fozzy creative process, explaining that it’s definitely not done the old school way with a bunch of guys throwing around riffs in the practice room.

“Rich is the kind of guy who likes to present material almost completely done. He is open to other ideas and interpretations but it’s the type of songwriter he is and he’s so good at it. Chris does the lyrics and comes up with conceptual ideas so it’s a collaborative process, but a collaborative finishing process you could say.”

Is it a challenge then for another musician to step up and play those already fully realised songs, particularly when they have as many moods as textures as the tracks on the current album do?

“This record is very, very challenging,” Frank agrees. “Even now, playing these songs live is always a challenge. As a drummer, I’ve never been a devotee of speed metal. I don’t play 250bpm with intricate double-kick patterns on each song. I’m more of a John Bonham-style rock drummer. That’s where I’m most comfortable, but I enjoy stretching out and doing different things. Physically, it’s a challenge and I like that.”

Chris Jericho obviously has a wrestling schedule to keep him – and his opponents – occupied, but the rest of Fozzy are to be far from idle. After wrapping up this tour with a couple of French dates, Frank will be hitting the road again, still alongside Rich and Sean, but this time under the Stuck Mojo banner. Then in 2011, we can expect some more action on the Fozzy front.

“Next year,” Frank informs us, “we want to concentrate on getting a new record out and probably playing festivals. We’ve done a few and enjoy playing in front of a crowd that can be a bit hostile to start with as they have pre-conceived ideas about the band. To turn that round is a great feeling.”

The man is clearly in demand, so we conclude with Frank’s message to UK fans.

“The UK has always been a home away from home for us. We always love coming here because Fozzy is so well received. The fans are great and after the last time we were here it took us a long time to put out a new record and tour. I can promise it won’t take that long again. Thanks to all the UK fans, we appreciate it.”

With that, we go our separate ways – Frank to prepare for the show later that night and me to the far less challenging setting of the Waterfront bar. After a couple of beers and a couple of uneventful support sets, the house lights fade....