Stewart Thornton

Scott Hill clearly recalls the first time he saw the legendary Santa Cruz Bl’ast! and how the event changed the course of his life. The guitarist and singer for long running stoner rock band Fu Manchu witnessed the power of the boundary pushing punk meets metal act at the now defunct Balboa Theater in Los Angeles on a night in November 1985.

By Stuart Thornton In 2017, “Smoko,” an ode to smoke breaks paired with a cheaply made but effectively humorous video, rocketed the raucous Australian punk trio The Chats to international fame and made fans of music legends including Iggy Pop, Josh Homme, and Dave Grohl. With close to 20 million views on YouTube, the video has helped the band secure opening slots for some of the world’s best known rock acts including Guns N’ Roses, The Strokes, and Queens of the Stone Age.