Since they were kids born in Buffalo, New York brothers Ben, Edward, Joe, and Kurt Doerfel, collectively known as Fuel on Fire have defied the ordinary.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Edward Doerfel - Lead vocals, Mandolin, Keys
Joe Doerfel - Bass, Background vocals
Ben Doerfel - Lead vocals, Guitar
Kurt Doerfel - Drums
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Fuel on Fire? How long has the band been around?
Our story is unique because we’re all brothers, and we’ve got six other siblings. The band really started in 2000 with our older brother TJ, our older sister Kim, our mom and dad. It was a bluegrass band called “The Doerfels.” We all just sort of joined in as we got old enough to play. Kim and TJ are raising families now, and our tastes really moved away from bluegrass as we started picking up electric instruments several years ago.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
We changed the name from “The Doerfels” to “Fuel on Fire” at the beginning of 2017. The new name came out of the lyrics to a song called “What We Are” on our Think EP. We had a lot of fun making a video about the name change to let fans know about it. You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/IU4h2byQug4
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
We all write together, mainly about our own experiences or situations we are close to. We haven’t found ourselves sticking with a main theme, but we do write about girls a lot!
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
So many! Empire Of the Sun, Switchfoot, Relient K, Coldplay, Muse, Mutemath, Tom Misch, Ryan Fonda…
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
Our mom started everything with an old banjo she found in a barn and taught our brother TJ to play. How about that?! Hi mom!!!!
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc …
We usually are setting up gear right up until show time, so yeah we exercise hard before our shows! We try to focus in together and remember why we are there and what we want to do. Sometimes we hug.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Nashville radio station Lightning 100 played our version of “Eleanor Rigby” from our Them EP that we just dropped! That was a huge honor. We played at Dale Earnhardt Jr’s wedding, too!
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Twentyone Pilots because we all love their sick production and amazing songs.
Empire Of the Sun, but we’d probably get kicked off the tour for stealing their costumes.
Switchfoot , so we could say thanks for inspiring us…now let us take the stage!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Anything else to add…Yes. Just. 4. Words.