Hey yall… I’m trying to get back in the swing of things… so I’m sticking with Fuel this week… and probably the next one too… then I’ll move on down the road to something super special.
Today I have two more hidden gems for you…
Die Like This… Natural Selection 2oo3 🎶
Won’t Back Down… Natural Selection 2oo3 🎶
Also… “Won’t Back Down” was written by Carl Bell specifically for the 2oo3 superhero movie Daredevil… starring Ben Affleck… most songs on movie soundtracks are borrowed after the fact… not this one… so that’s pretty neat…
Also Fuel songs have ended up all over movie/game culture…
“Won’t Back Down” → Daredevil
“Walk the Sky” → Godzilla (also written specifically)
So… it’s 3am… here at my spot on earth… and I’ve been listening to Fuel for the past hour… figuring out which songs I want to use…
I decided on the album “Angels & Devils” from 2oO7… it’s the first album featuring lead singer Toryn Green… instead of Brett Scallions… and honestly… it’s a great one… loaded with badass songs…
I chose two for you…
🎶 “I Should Have Told You” 🎶 “Angels Take a Soul”
Former Godsmack drummer Tommy Stewart was announced as the band’s new drummer… but was unable to perform on the album due to other commitments… so Josh Freese and Tommy Lee performed drums in his place.
Also it’s cool how Toryn joined the band… there’s a bonus video about it below… check it out…
Also I have a famous friend who’s friends with Tommy Lee… well… he used to be my friend… we don’t talk anymore… story for another time…
When I was a kid… I wore Superman underwear— ’cause he was my hero… 🦸♂️
Then I got older— and found out Superman wears Chuck Norris underwear 😄
But here’s one most people don’t know…
Many of your favorite artists— across every genre—
they’re secretly wearing Elton John underwear.
…
I’ve been a fan of Elton since I first picked up a guitar as a teenager… and over time—I started noticing something…
the greats… they all love him too.
…
I saw an interview with Axl Rose once— they asked what he listens to… no pause— he says “Elton John.”
Then one night… I was watching one of the late night shows… I believe it was Letterman…
Dave Grohl walks out solo with an acoustic guitar…
starts playing “Tiny Dancer”… He gets the audience to sing along…
one of those moments you don’t forget.
And later… I found out Dave Grohl loves him some Elton.
…
So I started paying attention… and it’s everywhere. Across all genres… many have Elton in common.
His music is loved… admired… and listened to by his peers…
Fuel’s no different. Brett and Carl… they feel the same.
…
Elton… bruh… you’re the man! 🙌…
…
So today—
I’ve got two for you.
…
🎵 Innocent Something Like Human — 2oO0
🎵 Daniel (Elton John cover) Something Like Human — 2oO0
…
I love this cover of Daniel… it’s great… and it holds a deep place for me… I sang it on my guitar earlier tonight
But back in 2o12… I was hanging out with my friend Nathan… We were roommates… he was younger than me… like my little brother… so anyway… this song started playing…
Nathan told me how much it meant to him… said it reminded him of his older brother, Daniel… who had passed a few years earlier from a drug overdose…
Well… in 2o14… I lost Nathan… also to drugs…
I knew his brother too…
So now… when I hear this song… I don’t just hear it—
…
I remember them both…
…
Also “Innocent” is one of my all-time favorite songs… I’m not sure what it is about it… but it just gets better and better every time for me… and I love when the drums kick in around the 1-minute mark…
Also I’ve included a bonus interview with Carl & Brett… it’s really cool… I think…
So before Fuel was even Fuel… they moved through a couple early names like… “ReelTooReal”… and “Small the Joy”… before everything finally settled into place.
…
And right at the center of it all—
was Carl Bell.
Lead guitarist… but more than that—the architect.
The one writing the songs… lyrics… music… structure… building the sound from the ground up…
and even producing along the way.
…
Because Fuel… was never just a band…
it was Carl Bell’s vision— brought to life through the voice of Brett Scallions.
…
Today—I’ve got two good ones for you 🎧🔥
🎵 Falls On Me — Natural Selection (2003) 🎵 Sunburn — Sunburn (1998)
…
I’ll be here a while with these guys… hope yall enjoy 🔥
Hemorrhage (In My Hands) 🎵 Leave the Memories Alone
More Fuel… just for you…
I’m gonna be here a while… because… they’re incredible… and there’s just too many great songs… honestly… they’re one of my favorites… top 3 easy…
So here’s a cool recent story…
My uncle… he’s one of a kind… musician… singer… painter… writer… pilot… great cook… tells the best jokes… haha… super funny… just a straight up… Rockstar Renaissance dude…
He’s dealing with a rare form of cancer… and he calls me most every day…
So last time we were talking… music… bands… he asks me— “you know that band DIESEL?”
I said… nah… not ringing a bell…
He goes— “yeah… DIESEL… they sing that song Hemorrhage…”
I said— “Oooo… you mean FUEL bro…”
He pauses… “…yeah… FUEL!” 😂
He said they’re awesome…
I told him— yeah… you’re absolutely right… and started throwing him a few more songs to check out from them…
So… here’s two of them…
🎵 Hemorrhage (In My Hands) 🎵 Leave the Memories Alone
Hope you enjoy…
Also… I’m easing you into them… right now you’re getting milk from the baby’s bottle… later on… you can graduate to the red meat 🍖😋…
Also… Fuel had two different lead singers… over time… Brett Scallions and Toryn Green… Brett was first… Toryn came later… I’m a Brett fan… but Toryn is cool too… hemorrhage is Brett era… leave the memories alone is Toryn…
Man… I’m so loaded up with music and bands… sometimes I just sit there like… who’s next?… there’s just too many…
But yeah… Fuel… one of my favorites. They’re a little different… some songs are slower… easy… almost laid back… but when they decide to… they can come in hard and rock the absolute crap out of you.
I’ve seen them a few times… but here’s a cool one…
I lived in Leesburg, Florida from 2o16–2o21… little old house… about two blocks from downtown. Leesburg is known for Bikefest every year… bands playing all week long…
And I’m not kidding… I could always hear it all from inside my house… loud and clear.
So it’s 2o17… I’m laying on my bed one day… windows open… just chilling…
Then all of a sudden…
music cuts through the silence…
this band starts rocking… hard… sounding really good…
I’m laying there like… hold up… who is that?…
then it hits me…
duuuude… it’s Fuel !!! 😁🥳😎
So yeah… I just laid there… in my bed… and listened to their whole set that evening…
super cool.
…
I got two for you now…
🎧 Shimmer — Sunburn (1998)
🎧 Bad Day — Something Like Human (2oO0)
Shimmer is the song that put them on the map… these 2 are a little more chill… in coming weeks… I’ll let them rock harder for you… thought I’d take it easy on you for starters 😏…
For this week’s Hidden Gems from the B-Side, I’m digging into the catalog of Matthew Sweet.
Today’s picks come from two different moments in his career — 🎶 I’ve Been Waiting from the 1991 album Girlfriend, and 🎶 Walk Out from 100% Fun (1995). Both tracks show why Sweet became such a cult favorite in the alternative scene — melodic, guitar-driven songs that still sound just as good decades later.
As a bonus, I’m also sharing a video of Matthew during his recovery after suffering a stroke in 2024. Watching a musician fight their way back through therapy is powerful — a reminder that music isn’t just something we listen to… it’s something that lives deep inside a person. Seeing that strength and determination makes these songs hit even harder.
🎸 Matthew Sweet — Hidden Gems Two deep cuts worth the spotlight.. “Evangeline” and “Not When I Need It.” “Evangeline” comes from Girlfriend (1991), Sweet’s breakout power-pop classic. It wasn’t a single, but it became a fan favorite for its hooks and guitar fire—and it was inspired by the comic-book character Evangeline, blending sci-fi imagery with aching pop romance.
A few years later, 100% Fun (1995) kept the melodic magic rolling. “Not When I Need It” is one of those perfect deep cuts—bright, punchy, and emotionally honest. Together, these tracks show Sweet’s sweet spot: killer hooks with real heart.
Discovering Matthew Sweet in the early ’90s was a blast for me—cranking his CDs, guitar in hand, playing along in my room. Hope you enjoy this little trip back 🎸
Also, I love the guitar riffs in “Evangeline”… many of his songs have it like that.
As I was putting this piece together, I got raptured back to 1995 — on the edge of my bed by the window… that little apartment in Riverdale, GA… guitar in hand… as was always the case… learning these next two songs. The story behind this album’s title is heavier than the sound.
Matthew Sweet’s 100% Fun — the 1995 album that includes both “We’re the Same” and “I Almost Forgot” — gets its title from a surprisingly heavy rock history footnote. Sweet lifted the phrase “100% fun” from Kurt Cobain’s 1994 suicide note, where Cobain wrote: *“The worst crime I can think of would be to rip people off by faking it and pretending as if I’m having 100% fun.”*
That ironic origin gives the album title a bittersweet edge — a record full of bright hooks and jangly guitars, but named after a line born out of real emotional struggle. 100% Fun stands as one of Sweet’s most loved power-pop records — catchy, melodic, and quietly reflective beneath the shine.
We’re still digging into Tonic — and there is so much gold left to be found.. You know how it is… you’ve got to get to know someone before you marry them — believe you me 💯
So I’ve got two more sweet ones for you today…
🎶 “Take Me As I Am” Year released: 2o02 Album.. Head on Straight (Tonic’s third studio album) Album release date.. September 24.. 2o02
🎶 “Knock Down Walls” Year released.. 1999 Album.. Sugar (Tonic’s second studio album) Album release date.. November 9.. 1999
And just a cool little fact about me… Pretty much every song I’ve ever shared with yall on this blog — I also play and sing myself… me and my guitar 🎸
Hope you enjoy… I truly appreciate you…
This song has the F word in it.. just once.. at the 1:37 mark.. it’s not bad.. it’s quick.. 👇
Heart of Loia `'.,°~ 