Let’s share a crate of Focal Banger one day.
I can’t exactly date the first time I heard of Jeff Fuccillo. I will have read his name in some fanzine or music magazine, but for sure I found his name on the album covers of the Irving Klaw Trio of which I own almost the entire discography and certainly his name is linked to Union Pole, a seminal record label (the entire catalog is available online here.
Jeff is a member of Hockenheit and Helll (of the latter I should have released an unreleased cassingle), he recorded under the name of Wham-O and a few years ago he released an album entitled “ Disturbed Strings ” in which he duets with John Fahey (I have yet to find a physical copy of it).
Jeff told me he found out about my existence through ”I Hear Strange Music ”, the tribute page to the cassette labels and the hometapers I manage.
Distances have shortened thanks to social networks.
One day I called Jeff on Skype, he wanted to hear from my voice the pronunciation of his surname, of clear Italian origin. I went even further by finding a website that distributed the presence of the surname Fuccillo on a map in the various Italian regions.
From time to time I have helped Jeff find cassette covers from Union Pole. I have many, unfortunately not all.
Jeff and I have a common interest beyond music: the handcrafted bollard. We often exchange views or share information on recent discoveries. He once compared the world of craft beer to the cassette label scene, a reflection that I fully agree with. I once mailed him a can of Focal Banger, an American India Pale Ale from one of the best craft breweries in the world: The Alchemist. Yes, you read that right, by mail, in exchange for some Union Pole 7 “. When he sent me the picture of him drinking it, I was really happy.
Jeff has contributed several songs to compilations released for Almost Halloween Time Records, participates in the ” Road To ” project and the first cover I designed for ” Imaginary Donkey ” is inspired by the wonderful version of ” Beach House ” by Mountain Goats that Jeff recorded with his family. Extraordinary!
I discovered through his facebook post that Jeff makes websites. In one of these, I no longer remember which, instead of the classic arrow indicating the position of the mouse on the screen, there was a small face of Jeff. He won me over and I liked his work so much that I asked him to refresh my Almost Halloween Time website.
And so we come to today.
Thank you very much Jeff for your great work and your music.
