Introduce yourself…
Brenna Red on vocals and rhythm, Aaron Chabak on lead, Tom Clark on bass, and Danny Baeza on drums.
How did the band start?
A couple years back Danny and Aaron collaborated with our manager and label owner Chuck Dietrich (Basement Records) to form a group of experienced musicians that could actually make a dent in the now over saturated So Cal punk scene. After auditioning several vocalist, both male and female, Aaron suggested my name to the guys. We had crossed paths from our previous bands in the past decade a few times. They gave me a cd of the songs for then nameless "Revelation In The Palms Of The Weak" album and I came up with the hook to the namesake of that album. Once I "auditioned" for them in the front seat of Danny's car, blasting the radio and belting out the chorus, we were formed. Tom came along little later on bass to take the place of the first bassist that tracked the album. Tom was the final piece to our puzzle.
How did you come up with the name?
A melting pot of ideas, words, and rhythms were thrown back and forth between us. Fiction Reform and the meaning behind the name was the one that described us to a tee. It's the concept of a band who's prime directive isn't to create a fantasy image and play roles on stage. It's just simply to play raucous hooks, write deeper lyrics, and to perform as hard as one possibly can on stage. To make a difference in the scene based on the music, not an image.
Who would you say are your influences?
We go anywhere from Foo Fighters to Bad Religion to The Avengers to Angelic Upstarts. We have a broad spectrum between the four of us. We all have real eclectic tastes. Funk, soul, punk, big band, and weird South Africanee rap is in one of our stereos right now, guaranteed.
What is the punk scene like in California?
Meh, it's up and down. You get what you put into it. We work our asses off to promote and make as many friends as possible. We just wanna have fun. But it's still over saturated and band that has a great thing going has a high probability that they'll be looked over and forgotten after a few years of pouring their hearts out. But on the positive side of the high saturation, there is ALWAYS a show happening almost every night. I can go see The Dickies at the Slidebar at 10pm and then Eddie and the Hot Rods at the Juke Joint at 11pm all in one night. It's a BLAST!
Describe the song writing process...
Chords, rhythm, bass licks, vocals, then sprinkles. One of us will start with a chord progression and tighten it up with drums and bass. Once the song has been musically created, I come in and find the melody and personality of that song. Throw in a few pauses, leads, and diddles and a song is born.
You first released a single 'Small Silhouette', tell us about the single...
It developed into one of our more hooky songs and all of our friends/fans agreed. At every show, that became the sing along song. So once it came time to give ESPN a song for Sports Center to use, this was the natural choice. After that, it snowballed into our "official" single.
You have also released an album 'Revelation in the Palms of the Weak', tell us about the album...
I came in when the album was already musically finished. I laid in the lyrics and melodies to the songs that were obvious for each. It was a simple joy for me, but poor Danny, Aaron, and Chuck had put a lot of elbow grease into the first half. They spent so much time and energy pulling their hair out to make sure that they had songs that were in the right key for some mysterious singer, that the tempos weren't too fast, that the tones we're right on..... This time around, everything has become more organic now that the four of us all are creating this project from our own heads. The songs we have so far done in pre production are gold. We nailed it on the head this time around.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Adolescents, Riverboat Gamblers, The Misfits.... PLUS, we've got a whole slew of bands that we're taking stage with at the Seattle Sounds Fest. In one night alone, you have Fiction Reform, The Vandals, Exene and John Doe, Angelic Upstarts, The Dickies, Paul Collins, and the U.S. Bombs. Also playing the same fest is Lucero, Jello Biofra, The Avengers, Reagan Youth, Stiff Little Fingers, Swinging Utters, Zero Boys, and Cro Mags. Needles to say this August 17th to August 21st in Seattle is going to be quite a big deal.
Have you toured?
Yeah, we've done simple west coast tours and to New Mexico and back. Nothing major with a headlining band. Just DIY'ing throughout our familiar cities. We've got another west coast planned right before we head to Seattle. Starting August 4th, we'll be headed to Sacramento and back for about 5 dates. For more details, go to www.fictionreform.com.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We love our locals boyos. The Sparring is always a blast to play with, especially at the Slidebar. Between the two of us the place becomes shoulder to shoulder. It's become like a second home to us thanks to Old Shoe Records.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
See above
Do you see is the future of Fiction Reform?
This new album is going to get us in the door of a bigger world. Bigger tours, bigger label support, bigger promotions. This next year, a lot more people will be hearing the Fiction Reform. The future feels good.
How can people contact the band?
We're really personable. You can email us thru facebook.com/fictionreformand we'll always respond. We love making new friends and family, which is what most of our fans end up becoming.
www.myspace.com/fictionreform
www.twitter.com/missbrennared
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