FUEL’s Carl Bell Talks Legacy, Persistence, and a New Chapter with Pendulum

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FUEL has always lived in that space between legacy and forward motion—where the songs become bigger than the moment they were written, and the story keeps evolving long after those charting moments.

This week, Carl Bell joins me to reflect on that long arc of the band: from the early days of “Shimmer” and “Hemorrhage” finding their way into the fabric of rock radio, to what it means to still be performing those songs with audiences who never stopped singing them back. We get into how those tracks change over time—not just for listeners, but for the person who wrote them—and why some songs seem to refuse expiration dates.

We also dig into the current chapter of FUEL. With new energy in the lineup and a renewed sense of purpose surrounding their new album, Pendulum (set to release on Oct. 30th), Carl talks about what it means to honor the past without being trapped by it. That balance comes through in everything from new material like “Want It,” to a reimagined studio version of the classic “Innocent,” featuring a different perspective and voice at the center, to the challenge of taking on a rock anthem like the Eagles’ “Hotel California.”

And in a My Weekly Mixtape first, both “Innocent” and “Hotel California” make their debut in this episode!

There’s also a broader conversation about identity and endurance—what actually defines a band like FUEL after lineup changes, industry shifts, and everything in between.

At its core, this is a conversation about staying in motion—about what it takes to keep creating, evolving, and showing up for the songs that never left.

🎙️ Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform—and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review to help more music fans find the show! Then, scroll down to hear all of the songs discussed in this episode! 👇