Punchy is a study in vice, folly, and bad decision making. After all, in a musical world with only one record company (Universal) and one radio station (Clear Channel), who in their right minds would try to work in this business. Who in their right minds? Guys with names like these: Fritz Beer, a known reprobate. Daniel Bull, Beer's oldest friend and leukemia victim kept alive by creative medication. Errol Siegel, a hell bent music freak / workaholic whose adopted motto is "what's behind me doesn't matter." In a climate soon to bear Britney Spears, The Back Street Boys, and a whole lot of one hit wonders, these three decided to embark on music. It all started when Beer chose Austin, TX in 1997, and hooked up with his old grade school friend and bass player, Daniel Bull. They had played loud rock together in several bands, but now wanted to emphasize melody and lyrics over noise and swagger. They wanted to be songwriters. As Beer put it, "We wanted to take some cock out of the rock and put in some thought." Of course their professed influences still had plenty of balls: The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Husker Du, Soundgarden and even Aerosmith. On the other hand, in the background, both their musical palettes contained shades of Elvis Costello, Gram Parsons, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and The Clash. A real postmodern melange. Interesting, yes. Marketable? Good luck. Beer moved to Austin with a truck, two guitars, a bunch of songs, and a few credentials. In St. Louis he had won several local and regional song writing awards and achieved a modicum of success with a group called The Bishops. He had songs featured on various compilation discs, and The Bishops put out two CDs on Grinder Records. The Bishops also toured extensively, opening for Uncle Tupelo, Smashing Pumpkins, Soul Asylum, The Posies, The Connells, and others. But The Bishops eventually stalled, and as interest within the group waned, Beer began looking for others crazy enough to stay in the business. Austin and Dan Bull seemed the obvious choice. In Austin Beer and Bull put an ad in the paper for a drummer, which was immediately answered guitar player, Errol Siegel. Beer explains, "I went to meet Errol and he had already learned all 20 songs I’d sent him, and in a barrage of 'I can do this' and 'this is what we ought to dos,' he talked his way in. Suddenly we were a band - albeit drummerless." Siegel stressed the notion that this would be the only group the three would be in - unlike most Austin musicians who play in 3 or 4 groups. It was agreed, and within a month Siegel had the trio playing acoustic coffee houses and happy hours. At two months drummer Harvey Giblin joined, they started hitting the road, and the dizzy, sleepless four began calling themselves Punchy. Giblin was eventually replaced on drums by Armando Reyes who still resides there, but a more profound change was about to take place. Daniel Bull, who had beaten Leukemia 10 years prior to Punchy, had become gravely ill again and was forced to leave the band. Beer had to fire his oldest friend. "It's true," Beer says, "I had to fire Daniel, sort of, but in reality he knew it was dangerous for him to continue at the bizarre pace we had chosen." Punchy played about 150 gigs the year following Bull's departure. The brain child of the original trio was beginning to develop. Unfortunately, Bull had to watch it from the side. Lee Abramson replaced Bull and got Punchy through a year of hard touring before quitting - also for health reasons. Abramson helped the group establish their present touring routine of about 200 gigs a year, and he recorded on the first Punchy CD which came out in 1999. Touring aside, this CD was Punchy's introduction to the world - and a dubious one at that. From the coffee can fidelity of its opening strains to the live, mono, radio broadcast of the closing acoustic number, it's an eclectic mix of rockin', brooding, happy, weird shit. And it was received that way. Some said, 'Fritz Beer is a bad-ass,' others thought it was just plain 'stupid' (see the Press section of this website for reviews of Punchy). Punchy was more concerned about staying on the road and ducking the Elvis Presley Foundation, since the CD cover contained an unlicensed picture of Elvis Presley's body with Fritz Beer's head on it. Matt Hunke replaced Abramson, joining just in time for the group to sell the single, Keep Turning Right, to MusicBlitz.com, then sign an album deal with Pinch Hit Records and begin work on their second CD. That CD, Just My Type was released in May 2001, and was supported with an unlikely slot on The Charlie Daniels Band summer tour. 38 Special and were also on that bill, and while Punchy felt out of place at first, they soon realized it was just an American rock show. "We didn’t think we’d fly on this Southern rock tour," said Siegel, "but we had a great time and sold a lot of CDs. Of course everybody had all the other groups records, so ours was the only new thing to get. "Just My Type," is much more cohesive than Punchy’s first CD. The group plays Beer’s songs like they’d helped him write them. Actually they did. "I like being the singer songwriter," says Beer, "but I like the group aesthetic; I like when everybody adds something. With a group, it’s that element of barely being able to stand each other that brings out the best music as opposed to hiring ringers." (see the Press section of this website for reviews of Just My Type). Stand each other or not, after a difficult birthing the group has been solid for over a year now. That bodes well for the CD they are currently working on. But what’s the point, Universal owns the music, Clear Channel owns the airwaves. What are good baby bands supposed to do when it’s all about money these days? Lucky for Punchy they’ve chosen the vice and folly of the road, and as one good Texan noted, "the road goes on forever."