Fused By Defiance, also known as FxD, is a five-piece band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2012. They incorporate sounds of rock, metal, rap, and funk, coupled with socially conscious lyrics, to create songs that will move both your body and your mind. Add in their naturally energetic performance and the live shows become an event to remember, or as one fan put it, “Poetry In Motion.” Check out our interview with the band’s guitarist, Arnold Quezada!

Beginnings:

Most band members met through mutual friends. But Kevin (lead guitar) and Arnold (rhythm guitar) knew each other by playing together in previous bands since their High School days which is how FxD was formed by the two of them.

Behind the name:

The name came in a little after the band was formed. We didn’t really know if we were going to be a metal, reggae, or funk band. We were experimenting and fusing different genres together and defining our sound. Then one day it just clicked and our guitarist Kevin threw in the idea of Fused By Defiance and we loved it. Plus sounds really cool when the fans chant “F.X.D.” at concerts. (smiles)

Inspiration:

The cool thing about the band is that every member has different inspirations. It can range from Van Halen, KoRn, Rage Against The Machine, Tool, Zendaya, Arch Enemy or Bring Me The Horizon.

It all depends on the mood of the day. For example, maybe a bandmate heard a song and instantly got hooked and an idea popped in. Or maybe it could be something that he or she saw on TV or social media that sparked inspiration and grabs a paper and pencil and start writing. We just released our newest single/video “Cancel Culture” and it’s doing pretty well. But we are already started working on the next batch of songs. Since the pandemic started we released two singles but this time around we’re planning on releasing an EP sometime this year.

Inspiration behind the songs

Teamwork:

Everyone puts in their two cents when it comes to writing. And with technology these days we can easily send ideas via email and once we’re all together in the rehearsal studio makes the writing process much easier.

Each member does their part. If something lands on our table, the first one to pick it up will send it to the rest of the group and everyone gets to work. Like the old saying “There’s no I in team.”

COVID-19:

It has affected us like any other band or artist and by that, we mean playing concerts. We miss them so much. We’re hoping this year we can somehow bring them back!

Online concerts:

We actually did a couple of online concerts. It was our first time doing them. It was fun but weird playing in front of just a camera and no people. But we knew our fans would at least enjoy it and get some entertainment during these tough times.

One funny story was when our ex-vocalist Ryan Cheek was on an internet game show called “I Want My Phone Back” and the host asked if she could look through his phone and asked if she could change the band name on Facebook to “The Ryan Cheek Experience” and send a picture of his genitals to the band’s group chat for $350. Which of course he agreed to it.

Fun fact