Sweet Nasty began as collaboration between Anthony Fusco and Johnny Low, veteran musicians who at the time were working on Prescott’s Whiskey Row. Their intention: to push beyond their comfort zones and strive to write, as Fusco describes, “those sweet ballads that tear you apart and those nasty grooves that get you moving.” From this they drew their name and motivation, recruiting flamenco musician Anton Teschner, drummer and certified pyro-technician Mike Kreidel and bassist Lorin McLain. While they have migrated to the mountains of Northern Arizona from Seattle, Southern California, St. Louis, Tucson, and Cincinnati, their music is largely a product of the Southwest music scene with nods to their incredibly diverse backgrounds.

Between the five, their collective number of years as musicians spans over a century. Anthony Fusco began his career with classical piano training and today boasts knowledge of electric, lap, steel, and slide guitar, harmonium, ukulele, mandolin, mandola, baritone guitar, and sitar, the first seven of which he plays in Sweet Nasty. Being primarily influenced by classical and jazz, Fusco brings honed technical skills and a prominent groove to the group.

JJohnny Low, the Seattle transplant, sticks to what he does excellently: “I play guitar and sing… that is what I have always done.” It’s no surprise then that he incorporates the indie-songwriter element in the vein of M Ward into his chord structuring and arranging. For lyrics and attitude, however, Low finds himself gravitating towards alternative country bands like The Old 97s. Because of his optimistic life outlook and hard-working spirit, he has become “the glue” that holds the band together.

AAnthony and Johnny, when forming Sweet Nasty, were able to collect a group of diverse and hardworking musicians who have molded Sweet Nasty into the eclectic rock group that it is. Mike Kreidel, the drummer of the band, is a musical “Renaissance Man” by profession. Being an audio engineer and producer (don’t forget licensed pyro-technician) allows him the opportunity to be influenced by all musical genres, although he’s recently leaned towards a more pop, vocal-heavy sound. Anton Teschner adds the spice to the Sweet Nasty sound with firm roots in Flamenco music. He plays the saxophone and jazz guitar and between the two, he approximates that he’s played on over 50 recordings as studio musician. After giving his drum set away, Lorin McLain resolved that his calling was to be a bass musician. He’s dabbled in a number of genres, growing up listening to classical music, formed a punk band, and hosted acoustic open mic nights. In Sweet Nasty he plays bass and sings harmonies, but he is also hard-working and determined to do “what it takes to make things happen” for the band.

WWith each bringing his perspective to the mix, the five of them began writing their sophomore album Life On Fire in January 2009. Heading into the studio in the fall of 2009, the recording, mixing, and production was all done within the band. The final product is a cohesive fusion of elements of all their musical backgrounds, with a genre that’s a bit difficult to pin down. A bit of Southwest indie rock, a bit of alt country rock, some have even called it “funky Americana,” but McLain responds, “I wouldn’t necessarily call us that, but as far as I’m concerned, we’re basically a rock band.” Kreidel seconds that, “Sweet Nasty is so diverse and all songs sound different, but all of our fans seem to love it.”

SSome of the stand-out tracks on the album are “Midnight Train to Austin,” “The Killing Machine,” and “Big Blue Star.” “Midnight Train” is a simple song with a great hook. Johnny doesn’t miss a beat in recounting that this “alt country hit” “really seems to strike a chord with the ladies.” The story is about a (very real) wayward groupie that travels around taking bands down with her corruption. Fortunately Sweet Nasty was spared. “The Killing Machine” is an in-your-face rock song about loving a sadistic woman. The antithesis of these two tracks is “Big Blue Star,” which is a call to humanity to fight for unity and oppose war.

Sweet Nasty hopes to one day share the stage with bands like Dave Matthews Band, Phish, Calexico, Drive By Truckers, The Black Crowes, and Lady Gaga (if only because Anthony wants to “have her babies”). It’s no doubt that with riffs like these, they will soon.



- Planetary Group 2010