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Friday, March 29, 2024
The independent student publication of The University at Buffalo, since 1950

"Fake Problems, Real Music"

There are two foolproof ways to beat the frigid Buffalo winter: Florida sunshine and punk music. Fake Problems combines both of these cures and delivers it directly to the listener's ear buds.

This Naples, Fla. quartet possesses a potential that is unmatched by most bands. With songs that are danceable, while also having exquisitely crafted lyrics, Fake Problems has a sound that people won't be able to ignore for long.

Fusing various sounds ranging from indie to punk, Fake Problems has taken on the title of "Beach Punk." This new trail-blazing band can be best described as Vampire Weekend meets The Gaslight Anthem

Fake Problems' latest release, Real Ghosts Caught on Tape, presents a cleaner sound than the band's previous two records.

"We made a conscious effort to not use distortion, on our guitars at least. All the tones were just straight from the amps," said lead singer and guitarist Chris Farren. "The only thing going on in there is reverb. There are few touches of distortion in a few places, but for the most part we wanted a kind of a cleaner, smoother sounding record."

Accompanying Farren in Fake Problems is Casey Lee on guitar, Sean Stevenson on drums, and Derek Perry on bass. All being from Naples, the members of Fake Problems met while participating in other bands.

"We were all involved in the small, but active, Naples music scene, which was pretty much high school bands playing in garages, maybe a community center once in a while," Farren said. "We were all in different bands, doing different things, and we met like that. And once all of those bands broke up, there was just us left there in the dust."

While the band was formed when the members were young, it was still obvious that the band had to leave the sunshine in order to gain the spotlight.

"As far as growing up in Naples, when we first started our band, it helped us in that we were so isolated that we knew that we couldn't just play around town and play around Florida," Farren said. "We had to tour and we had to get out. We had to go to New York City and go to Chicago and L.A. and Boston and everywhere. It drove us to tour and get our name out there."

During the dawn of their career, veteran Florida punk rockers Against Me! took Fake Problems under their wing and gave the band a foundation for what has become an impressive young career.

"We booked a show for Against Me! … and we kind of started our friendship there. Then Sabot [Records] put out our first seven inch, and then they put out our first full length and Against Me! took us on tour," Farren said. "We were already touring and stuff on our own and booked things ourselves, but that step and support from them kind of put us into some sort of small underground light. We started getting our records reviewed in Punknews.org and other publications like that. Them vouching for us really helped us at the beginning."

Much like their friends in Against Me!, Fake Problems combines a folk tune with their punk core to create an Americana sound.

What sets Fake Problems apart from most bands is their heartfelt lyrics. Almost every song hits close to home with the listener as Farren belts out lyrics about life and all the pain that goes along with it.

"It's always real. I have never really been able to…write a song that wasn't about anything or write a song that doesn't mean anything to me. I can't write a kind of fiction narrative," Farren said. "It doesn't mean the same to me when I write a song like that. I feel that it drives the song a lot further when it really means something to you and your saying things that have happened or you really believe in."

On Dec. 20, Fake Problems will be bringing their sunny punk to gloomy Downtown Buffalo. They will be performing at the intimate Mohawk Place. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

"We aren't trying to change the world, we are just trying to entertain people and have a good time," Farren said.

E-mail: arts@ubspectrum.com


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