Location: Omaha, NE
The Fonzarellies are a wildly exciting four-piece band from Omaha, Nebraska that mixes energetic pop-punk, 80s cockrock, and straight-ahead rock n' roll to get a sound that seems to appeal to everyone. Forming in 1997, the Fonzarellies self released a 7” record and a CD while climbing to the top of the Omaha punk scene. The band toured regionally, playing with acts like AFI, The Queers, Dillinger Four, Mr. T Experience, and more, as they also enjoyed local radio success. In 2001, they joined the Nice Guy Records family, releasing a 5-song gem entitled “Beautiful.” The band toured all summer in support of it, including one Warped Tour date. “On stage they play off each other, bouncing off the drum platform like skateboarders doing tricks, saluting each other, leaning their backs against each other, even performing the occasional back flip,” reports a feature article in the Omaha World-Herald. Their full length “Sweet Velvet Runaway” was released in May of 2002 on Nice Guy Records in the USA and on Big Mouth in Japan, and the band toured Japan in 2004. The Fonzarellies are no longer an active band, however they remain a very welcome listen, putting the “rock” back into punk rock. Many must agree, as even after their breakup, songs from "Sweet Velvet Runaway" have been featured in such TV programs as Fox's The North Shore, ABC's Joan Of Arcadia, and HBO's Big Love. Lead singer Keith Fonzarelli now plays in The Ammunition Affair.
