The Man Who Lived In the Most Rock ‘N Roll House in Sawtelle
Justin Fisher came to LA with his BFF Rivers right before Weezer took off and has achieved the California Dream
Justin Fisher is one of the nicest people you’ll meet in Los Angeles — or anywhere. This podcast has done a pretty great job of presenting some top-notch gentlemen, but this chap may take the cake.
Originally from Connecticut, Justin moved to LA with his best friend Rivers to make it big in music. Since their teenage years the pair always had aspirations of creating beautiful rock music and touring the world.
Against all odds, both of them pulled it off. First Rivers did it with his little band, Weezer, and Justin has done it in a different way through a series of bands including Shufflepuck who were signed by Interscope Records in the mid-’90s.
Maybe one day Rivers’ story will be told by someone but today we are getting to know Justin who has been the secret ingredient in several bands you love — as well as in TV and movie production.
Justin and I have known each other since the turn of the century when I was working with his beautiful wife Shannon at a start-up in Westwood. They were just bf/gf at the time.
Not far away in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West LA, they were living in the back house of the main house near Bundy and Pico over by the Taco Bell near the 10.
It was at 2226 Amherst. I know the address because at some point Justin took the address sign before the house was demolished along with the entire block.
No one knows why.
The house is significant because it was the place Justin and Rivers found, along with Matt Sharp when they were looking for homes where they could set up a rock room and reside in.
The Amherst House had three bedrooms, one bathroom, and most importantly a one-car garage in the back where they could rock out. Something Justin says they did almost every day.
It is where Weezer was born.
On their million selling debut, The Blue Album, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, there’s a song about the practice room garage called “In The Garage,” and it’s featured prominently in another song off that classic LP, “Say It Ain’t So.”
One day Shannon invited me to the Amherst House for a party because it was 2000, Weezer had bought homes of their own, and it was a good time for the rest of them to skedaddle. So a party.
I’d never been there before, but as a giant Weezer fan I was blown away to be in the garage and whattya know there was Rivers. We had a very short conversation where I told him how much I loved the Blue album and Pinkerton even more and he said thanks and because life is beautiful sometimes… I heard people playing on the instruments in the garage and the drummer was worse than I was so I asked if I could take over.
Justin was on bass and we started jamming and then whattya know Rivers showed up with a three ring binder with Nirvana songs in them.
“Do you know Nirvana?” Rivers asked, strapping on his guitar.
“Who?” I asked sarcastically, picking up a beer and not believing one thing that was happening. I adored Nirvana. Still do. Always will.
We played about three songs and I was terrible and some other bad drummer took my place and I floated home on the hugest high that I still can’t even thank Shannon and Justin enough for.
Back when they were kids in Connecticut, Justin and Rivers were in mostly metal bands back home. They played Dungeons and Dragons, read comic books, and listened to music.
They were both really into KISS and progressive metal. So naturally in this picture below they are in one of their first bands, Fury, sporting that ‘80s metal look, while doing KISS covers.
On a tiny cut of one of Rivers’ solo albums there’s a short recording of Rivers telling Justin he wants him to get an Ax guitar and he wants them all to look like KISS. It’s cute.
And ironic because Weezer turned into the kings of normcore where they look like they all just got out of Chess Club.
While Weezer was taking off, Justin’s band Shufflepuck was doing pretty damn well themselves.
After playing around the clubs for a while, they got signed to Interscope Records and even played the Interscope Christmas party in ’96 and none other than Mr. KISS himself, Gene Simmons got on stage with the boys and they did a cover of “Strutter.”
But because life is often unfair and terrible, after Sufflepuck made their debut album, Interscope sat on it. The label which was home of No Doubt, Bush, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg, kept delaying the release of their album.
And then one day they just handed them the masters and said let’s call it even, and dropped them.
Devastated, they tried to shop the finished record around, but once one label gives up on you, it’s hard to find others with courage.
And the record never came out.
Until now.
The indie record label out of Burbank, Big Stir Records, who have released records by our pals The Brothers Steve, among others, is finally putting out Shufflepuck’s never before heard debut.
It fits perfectly with the Limited-Edition Vinyl LP Compilation and Oral History Book curated and edited by Brother Steve drummer, S.W. Lauden, called Generation Blue.
“The album and book together explore the Hollywood Geek Rock scene of the ’90s and early 2000s, featuring key bands NERF HERDER, OZMA, BABY LEMONADE, PSOMA and many others,” the label says.
“Previewed by the hit indie single ‘Where The Hell Is She,’ a lost Geek Rock nugget by the band SHUFFLEPUCK, the album features eleven rare or exclusive vintage tracks while the book tells the story of the scene in the words of those who were there — including Lauden who played drums for the band RIDEL HIGH.”
The best way to tie the whole thing together, naturally, is a rock show, which will happen in a couple weeks, there in Monrovia. And it’s free.
Justin will be playing in a few of the bands (Psoma and Shufflepuck), also in attendance will be The Campfire Girls, members of Nerf Herder, and Ridel High.
Why have you heard of Psoma, the band Justin fronted?
Maybe because their big single “No Ones To Blame” starred Audrina Patridge of The Hills?
If any of this interests you even in the slightest you should go to the show on April 28 — you’ll get to meet Justin, S.W., and who knows what other special guests may appear.
How great was Justin? When you stoke us, you’re saying — “How do you keep introducing us to cool ppl in LA? It must not be as vapid and lame as the national news tells us it is. Please, allow me to put you in my will.”
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Music and music supervision by Jordan Katz.
Songs by Orgone, Psoma, Fury, Weezer, Wax, Zoom, Avant Garde, The Dedicated Project (a dead cover band Justin is in), Fuzz, Shufflepuck, The Brothers Steve, The Rentals and Popsicko.
RIP Keith Brown
Special thanks to Cindy for creating the logo
and Jen for inspiring this
And parents of aspiring musicians: God Bless You.
