By Jessica Brant:
Boy bands are like Furbies. At one point we may have forgotten about them, but they’re so gosh darn cute that they somehow found a comeback within the fluffy fringes of pop culture. And with comebacks come reinvention. Today we have groups like the English-Irish pop rock invasion One Direction and the Nickelodeon-born, R&B infused pop sensation Big Time Rush, both fashioned to some degree after the ghosts of boy bands past.
The spunky young heartthrobs of the Buffalo-based pop punk band Faith and Fiction, however, aren’t afraid to cause a ruckus at this fluff fest. Through an edgy blend of in your face, poppy punk-driven anthems, high energy drum rhythms, and killer acoustic prowess (as well as an unfiltered sense of humor), Faith and Fiction reworks the “boy band” label to their advantage.
Just don’t try pinpointing their sound. They’ll do that for you.
“I guess the very end product (of our sound) would be the baby Avril Lavigne and (Nickelback’s) Chad Kroeger are going to have. The music that baby makes is our music,” said guitarist Michael Montante, 18, as he struggled to suck yogurt balls through a straw at our Tea Leaf Café rendezvous.
Drummer Wyatt Kluckhohn, 19, a professional percussionist 10 years in the making, drifted off into dreamland for a minute, pondering another fittingly unique combination, “What about the baby of Lights and Beau Bokan? That’s going to be a beautiful f***** baby.”
An elated Montante let out a loud moan. Tables of college students turned in bewilderment.
“Ohhhh,ohhhh,” he announced with great pleasure.
After releasing their first single “Cloud Nine” in April of 2012, followed by their first EP, For Glory, the rambunctious 4-piece, whose musical style they brand as a combination of alternative pop rock giants Brand New and All Time Low, got their first (albeit modest) taste of fame. While they garnered a growing presence of YouTube followers online and fan recognition at shows, cloud nine didn’t seem too far away.
”We definitely had some momentum, but there were also a lot of things that we had to work out,”Montante said of their first official gig at the now closed Club Infinity. Lead guitarist and vocalist Tim MacDonald, 22, who rocked his “Rocko’s Modern Life” t-shirt at the interview, agreed. ”Our first show had a lot of touring acts come in, so it was kind of a big show for us. But then again it was our first show, and we weren’t really good at that point,” the UB engineering major said.
A year later and with a little more experience under their belt, the guys are determined to do things better this time around, starting their second EP, Kids in the Clouds, which will be released in June of 2014. “The EP we’re putting out is really going to be the base of whatever we do in the future from here on out,” Montante said. “We’re taking our time and trying to do it right.”
Downplaying talent may be MacDonald’s vice, but one thing he can’t shy away from are his inherently dashing good looks. The” eye candy” factor is essential to every successful boy band’s image, and according to Montante, the group’s response from both the ladies and the fellas has been…interesting, to say the least.
The Syracuse University music business major divulged some freaky details. ”I get the male action, actually,” Montante revealed. “It was really weird. Some dude in the crowd told me I had a hot mouth after one of our shows. I said thanks and it was done. I mean, that’s really the only action you can say I’ve ever gotten.” He veered out of bromance territory for a minute and turned to MacDonald. “I’ve seen some girls go crazy over you though, Tim,” Montante said.
McDonald flashed a nervous grin. ”Maybe when we’re on stage, but I don’t get any of that offstage,” he laughed.
Montante continued on with his tomfoolery, “It’s because they’re shy. You got to approach them. Just like swagger on over there. Bro, do you even Y.O.L.O? SWERVE. Turn down for what?!”
Kluckhohn intervened before someone had to go grab an urban dictionary. “Shut the f*** up.”
Shedding a tear on stage will almost always get you laid…said no member of Faith and Fiction ever. But, boy bands do have to have a sensitive side. The group has definitely had their fair share of heartbreak. “You Stole My Sweater,” the first leaked single off of Kids in the Clouds, deals with this dreaded reality through angelic vocals, haunting melodies, and a hopeful outlook. “I thought it was a unique name because it’s the idea that someone took this part of you that you can’t get back,” MacDonald, a former member of UB’s award-winning a capella group The Buffalo Chips, openly said.
Boy band tip #20: Don’t be afraid to be daring. You can steal from the best. Just add your own pizazz. Take the group’s unusually refreshing pop punk cover of Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie,” a fan favorite at shows and a personal favorite of MacDonald’s. Uncanny covers will most likely become a trend. ”There’s nothing new happening with pop punk,” Kluckhohn said, whose inspirations include Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy Sullivan and August Burns Red’s Matt Greiner. ”It seems like everybody’s trying to do the same thing. Same with upcoming pop punk. They’re all going for the same sound. We want to do something different.”
So with a new EP in the works and talks of a summer tour, what’s next for the boys from Buffalo, you ask? A rap album. “I actually have a newfound love for rap,” MacDonald said. “For the past year I’ve been listening to a lot of rap music… My rap name may be Tim Bit, but…I don’t know yet, I don’t know yet.” Kluckhohn has already put some thought into it. “My rap name is 1040EZ. 1040EZ is a tax return form,” the RIT finance major said. “I don’t know, it flows.”
And just when you think the interview couldn’t get any more bizarre, Montante whips out his phone. A large headshot of his idol, John Stamos, is set as his background. “Don’t I look like him?” he asks.
Uncle Jesse would be tickled.
For more information about Faith and Fiction, check out their YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCy6B2OnZxo and visit their Facebook page.
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NOTE: The fourth member of Faith and Fiction, bass player Konstantin Klimuk, could not make the interview, but would like to be shouted out by his band mates as the group’s “Road Russian.”