After two decades, Feeble Fetus reflect on their chaotic punk origins, metal evolution, and the emotional journey of completing their late bandmate Josh Mogavero’s final work — a true farewell and tribute.
1.
Feeble Fetus began as a fierce Crust/Anarcho Punk band back in 2005. What
originally fueled the band’s formation, and what was the scene like in Southern
California at that time?
We were
mainly fueled by beer, weed, teenage angst, and the band Dystopia!
But for
real, I was jamming with our drummer, Jeff Chasey, in his garage when Casey
Occhino showed up randomly, and the rest is history. Casey was in a band called
Ryan Mudd & The Stuff, who were our big local legends in Temecula, CA. They
were on SOS Records with all of the big punk greats. He became our guitarist,
our mentor, and brother. It was then we became Feeble Fetus. We loved the
message of all the old Anarcho bands. Crust was obviously the evolution of
that, and from crust, we fell in love with Grind, Sludge, Black Metal, Thrash
etc.
The scene
was great! We had Showcase Theater in Corona, Soma in San Diego, dive bars in
L.A., and house shows—tons of house shows. In 2005, the music scene was like
different tribes. Some scenes didn't mesh with others, and punks didn't get
along with punx. Kinda kidding, but the shows were lively! There were always
fights and some gnarly story to bring home.
2. Your
early years were marked by intense energy and political urgency. Looking back,
what do you think defined Feeble Fetus’s voice during that first punk era?
A message
of peace and equality through chaotic music. A voice of the youth, fighting
against the system—or so we thought, in between the goofy, satirical songs we
wrote. Back then, I thought George W. Bush was the worst it could get. Funny
how I didn't know it could get way worse than that!
3. The
2009 transformation into a Thrash/Melodic Death Metal band was a bold move.
What led you to take that leap, and how did the change reshape your creative
process?
We were
working on an overly produced album at the time (Inside The Womb), and I was
listening to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" a little too much. I wanted a
concept album, and the outcome was far too different than what we even sounded
like. That kinda broke up the original band, I think.
I was asked
by Josh Mogavero to try out vocals for his band, and after a couple of months,
his band fell through. Instead, I pitched the idea of him being in Feeble
Fetus. He learned our songs, and next thing you know, we're writing some crazy,
thrashy riffs! Dude would stay up all night and come out with a 6-minute epic
finished by the morning. Shit was surreal!
4. How
did the dynamic between you, Josh Mogavero, and Shane Grimsley influence the
sound and direction of the band’s second phase?
None of it
could've been done without those dudes. Josh was a second mentor to me. Playing
bass to those songs was like homework; I hated it until I would get it down. I
owe much of my evolution to him. Shane Grimsley was in a few thrash/hardcore
bands around the area and complimented our songs perfectly! We would start with
something crazy Josh would write, I'd throw my little jazz riffs over it, and
Shane knew exactly where to come in and how aggressive to make it. It was a
solid, epic trio!
5. Josh
Mogavero’s lifestyle and personal journey—especially his travels by freight
train—seem to have deeply influenced his music. How did those experiences
translate into his songwriting and guitar work?
He began
taking an interest in that lifestyle when a few old friends would come around
toward the end of our era. We would drink, they would talk about how awesome
life on the road was, and Josh was always a wildcard, super adventurous, and
you never knew where he'd end up by the end of the night. It sounded like the
perfect life to him. So, he sold his guitar, gave away his SUV, and hit the
road. I moved to Washington State during that time and thought that he was
making a terrible decision. I kinda felt like it was my fault for leaving at
times. But if you ever hear his Nordic Netheren/Twilight's Bane material, he's
always written some adventurous epics. Goes hand in hand, I suppose!
6. Can
you tell us about the process of preparing and completing the final release
from Josh’s recorded material? What was it like emotionally and artistically to
bring that vision to life?
He sent me
his guitar tracks and his vocal whispers for me to practice to originally, and
they sat dormant in my inbox for years. I would always talk about how great our
songs were but would take no action. I did get to record a cover of one of our
songs, "Seeds Of Destruction," with my other band, Dark Visions of
Terror. I always wanted to recreate what we made, but I didn't know how. I
think the process actually began in 2022 when I began my sobriety. For once in
my life, I wasn't an all-talk drunkard. It made me realize what was important
and what wasn't. It then dawned on me that he could still be on an album, and
we could finish his final piece. And the idea turned into reality. It was
extremely emotional; something about working on those songs at 3 in the morning
gives me chills. I felt like he was right there, directing me on what to do
next.
7. How
would you describe the mood or themes running through this last release? Does
it feel like a farewell, a tribute, or perhaps both?
It
definitely feels like a giant send-off. It felt like the biggest burden had
been lifted. Everything he has worked on was epic, and the world needs to hear
all of his work. It's the sweetest farewell I could ask for. Even if nobody
ever listens to it, it's almost as if he came back to give us one more show.
8.
Feeble Fetus has existed in two distinct eras and sounds. Do you see a common
thread that connects your punk beginnings to your later metal evolution?
There are
definitely a lot of people who don't welcome the two under one roof, but to us,
we have always made what we wanted to make. "Fuck the rules, have
fun," you know? All music is emotion, and our emotion over time has gone
many different directions.
As long as
you're doing what you love, that's all that matters. The most important power
we all have in life is to create. I think, even as a punk band, we were all
metalheads anyway!
9. As
one of the founding members, how do you personally view the band’s legacy
within both the punk and metal communities?
We have
been lucky enough to play the venues we wanted to play with the bands we dreamt
of playing with. All of our band members are still my good friends, and you
can't put a price on the experiences that we have gathered along the way. Punk
and Metal doesn't pay the bills, but I wouldn't change it for the world!
10. Were
there any unreleased tracks or unfinished ideas that didn’t make it to the
final album, and if so, how do you plan to preserve them?
Luckily, there wasn't much left! I had to record the guitar for "Seeds Of Destruction" because we didn't have that recorded, but everything else was recorded by Josh. The only ones we could have put on there was our satirical pirate song, "Rum Ho!" But I've already recorded a shitty version of that one, or we could have re-recorded the old [Feeb] songs that Josh did learn.
But if you
want all that, there's a terribly recorded live album that Josh is on called
"Rebirth...Live! (The Age of Tarpu)."
11.
Beyond the music, what do you hope listeners take away from this final chapter
of Feeble Fetus?
I just hope
that whoever listens to it enjoys the holy hell out of it. What they will hear
is the legend, coming back from the dead, one last time, for a final farewell.
12.
Finally, if Josh could hear this record today, what do you think his reaction
would be—and what would you want him to know about how you carried his work
forward?
He would've
been proud of this record, that's for sure! It's been a long, tough three years
working on this. Scratch that, actually a long...13 years! He would totally
approve. These songs meant the world to him and to me. We had a full vision for
the band. And for everything he had gone through, his legacy will never be
forgotten!
I've
thought about getting in touch with his parents to show them his final work.
I'm hesitant to, but it's something that I feel needs to be done.
I would
like to remind him how he's influenced so many people around our town. I
remember a story some guy told me: he wanted to become a great guitarist, and
Josh came up to him and gave him the "Ride the Lightning" tab book.
He told him to learn it front to back, and that's all he would ever need. And
Josh was right; that guy's now a great guitarist. Josh taught me everything I
needed to become a better musician. He's affected so many people like this, in
such a positive way. The world lost one of the realest ones in 2018.
We will
carry his work forward, as we are currently working on his songs for an epic
and well-produced album.
Most of the
songs on "Watchers of the Night" will be featured on the upcoming
"...And Time Begins Again."
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