BAND OF THE WEEK: False Fed
A "supergroup" that really slays. Amebix/Discharge/Nausea/Ministry-related. Need we say more?
Yada yada yada supergroups. Yeah, they mostly suck, because expectations/cashgrab etc, but then on some rare occasions they don’t and it’s amazing when that happens. That should neatly sum up the whole pointless reflection that could occupy these first few paragraphs, but won’t, because we’d rather be enjoying False Fed’s frankly kickass music instead. Here you go:
Much better, isn’t it? They don’t strike me as the sort of people who would idly sit around waxing lyrical either. Discharge frontman Jeff Janiak, Amebix guitarist Stig C. Miller, plus Nausea, Ministry and Amebix drummer Roy Mayorga and bassist JP Parsons feel - and have proved so throughout their careers, too - more like action people. Such is reflected in the absolutely instantaneous impact of this new music they’re doing together under the False Fed guise, as well as in the no-bullshit reality gut-punch that are the lyrics to the songs on their debut album, ‘Let Them Eat Fake’. Which is not to say that any of this is simplistic or easy listening in any way. No, the impact is immediate, but the lasting value and the nuance is equally strong.
The delivery of both goes straight to your brain, heart and stomach all at the same time, achieving pretty much everything we need from relevant new bands right now - depth, meaning and a damn healthy dose of rocking out. Sure, there are shards of everything else these guys have done and still do, here and there, mainly of Amebix’s scintillating swansong ‘Sonic Mass’ where both Stig and Mayorga featured, but never to the point sounding like anything else. False Fed’s old-school-sounding yet never retro or rehashed take on metallic, aggresive, post-punk (with emphasis on the punk bit of it) sounds fresh, vital and absolutely honest. Not that many so-called supergroups that you can say that about. Hell not many currently active bands of any kind formed by people of this age and experience that you can say that about, period.
The world is fucking burning and they not only know and acknowledge it, but they know who to point the finger at, as is clear by the lyrical content and even these two awesome videos they’ve published so far. That the air of menace, revolt and disgust translates to the music itself in several shades of nasty grey is the great achievement of ’Let Them Eat Fake’. Not only one of the best debuts of the year, but one of the best albums of the year tout court. And hey, not that they’re even especially similar or anything, but this feels like it’s finally something that can occupy - and transcend! - the void left by that other related band that unfortunately disappeared from view for the very worst reasons. If you don’t know what we’re talking about, don’t worry, it doesn’t matter. But if you do, you’ll surely agree once you give ‘Let Them Eat Fake’ the first spin of certainly many to come.
We managed to get to drummer Roy Mayorga for a great chat that you can now read after the jump. Enjoy!
FALSE FED are:
Jeff Janiak - vocals
Stig C. Miller - guitar
JP Parsons - bass
Roy Mayorga - drums
‘Let Them Eat Fake’ is out now via Neurot Recordings.
You can find False Fed on Bandcamp, Instagram, Facebook and Spotify.
“The cool thing about this band is that it doesn’t sound like any of the bands we were a part of before.”
- Roy Mayorga
Can you tell us a bit more about the origins of False Fed?
Roy Mayorga: Stig was the initial spark putting this all together. Starting it with a kick ass demo and a Zoom call with the four of us. I’ve known Stig for a very long time through working together in Amebix, he's a great musician and a great friend and I always jump at the chance to work with him. Stig had JJ of Discharge and Jonathan Parsons already on board when he contacted me, I was the last piece of the puzzle.
Was the current state of the world also a motivation to put together a new band like this? All of you have your history with rebellious, anti-establishment music that is not afraid to speak uncomfortable truths.
Roy: No doubt, in the last couple years, that was absolutely an influence. I mean, this band was put together during lockdown, and thankfully, having the internet, we were able to work together virtually. This is the first time I’ve ever made a record like this. Not being in the same room together writing and recording was such an odd set up, but it worked out great.
Did you have any discussions regarding your actual musical style as a band? And since that weird lockdown recording, have you had the opportunity to actually write some more songs together?
Roy: We never really sat down and decided how we were going to sound. I think we all come from the school of play for the song and give it what it needs. Basically, I had rough demos to play to, that Stig put together. The songs had the structures already but once I added drums, that’s where things started to have a bit more of a foundation for everyone else to build upon. So once I was finished with what I was doing, I would email it all back to the band and they would do their process of recording and rewriting parts and whatnot, and then they’d send it all back to me and I would mix it here at my studio.
I love how most of the songs on the album are very immediate and in-your-face, but at the same time have a lot of subtlety to them. It’s actually not easy to try and pigeonhole the album into a particular genre, or even connect it with any of your present or past bands specifically.
Roy: For me, the cool thing about this band is that it doesn’t sound like any of the bands we were a part of before. Though you can hear characteristics of Amebix, obviously, because of Stig who wrote all the songs, and maybe a little bit of Discharge vocally at times, but that’s about it. Everything else in between is completely new and organic. The fact that we came from four similar but different styles of bands is what brings the diversity naturally.
Are there any songs on the album that are a bit more special to you?
Roy: I truly love all the songs on the record and can’t wait to play them as a live band. But I have to say my favorite songs to play and listen to are ‘Superficial’ and ‘Dreadful Necessities’.
What are your overall plans, if any, for False Fed now? I’m sure it’s a challenge to get you all available, but are you planning live shows and eventual tours with this band?
Roy: We’re still working on that and around schedules of some of us that are in other bands. But we’re definitely going to make that happen.
