After five years of playing fundraisers, car shows, chili cook-offs, and business parties, local band FKB has officially released their first CD.
The five-song EP titled “123 FKB” was launched at a CD release party at Le Rendezvous on Main this past Friday night. Around 50 people attended the show, which saw the band perform original songs like Crystal Ball and 123FKB with some covers of songs by The Beatles and other bands mixed in.
Drew Shalka, 19, and Derek Chalut, 17, started the band in 2009 after randomly meeting up and deciding to play together.
“We met somewhere at school and he told me to call him on a rainy Tuesday, so I did,” said Chalut. “So I guess I started the band. I made the phone call. Then me and Drew started jamming.”
Shalka is the lead singer and bassist, while Chalut plays the drums. The band went through a few different guitarists over the years before finding 20-year-old Zach Fontaine, the band's current guitarist. Then, in February the band added a second guitarist in 18-year-old Travis Topylki. The CD release party show was Topylki's first live show with the band.
“We started by playing a cancer fundraiser in 2010. That was our first show,” said Shalka.
Since then the band has played company parties, local car shows, a few bars and even played at the Rexall Centre in Edmonton during a Western Hockey League (WHL) Oil Kings game.
“We do whatever we can to get some exposure and have some fun,” said Fontaine. “Last year we had a great year. This year we have been through a lot of stuff. I broke a hand so we turned a lot of shows down.”
Two years ago, while playing the Gear Grabbers Show and Shine event, the band bumped into country singer and Bonnyville native Clayton Bellamy. He pitched them an opportunity they couldn't refuse.
“I saw them playing and really, really dug what they were doing,” said Bellamy. “I went and spoke to them and mentioned that if they ever thought of making a record to give me a call. Lo and behold a few months later they called me.”
The band met at an Edmonton studio and began writing songs with Bellamy two days a week for a few months; hashing out a number of songs in an attempt to record their first CD.
“There is a lot to learn, especially with writing,” said Fontaine. “We just had to keep pounding out the songs. We wrote probably about 15 to 20 songs for a five song EP.”
“We found out it was a lot harder than we thought it would be,” added Chalut. “To get everything together and have it all ready to release it on a certain date is hard.”
The bulk of the recording and studio work was done at Sound Extractor studio in Edmonton, with the mixing and mastering done at the Electric Sandbox in Nashville. Bellamy hooked up with The Roadhammers' (his band's) producer Scott Baggett who mixed and mastered the final product. Bellamy even played a little guitar and provided some background vocals for the CD.
“I think creating an EP was always kind of in the vision. We just didn't expect to do it as legit as it ended up,” said Fontaine. “Working with Clayton Bellamy, it was a much better quality than we expected for our first CD.”
When asked about their musical influences every member of the band had a different response.
“We all have our own influences and like different types of music,” said Chalut. “I am more of a light rock, Kings of Leon type of guy.”
Shalka mentioned The Beatles, Fontaine said The Black Keys and Travis was showing his metal side in the form of an Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt.
Bellamy said their sound and influences were definitely aspects that drew him to the band.
“I never met a bunch of teenagers whose favourite bands were The Beatles and The Beach Boys,” said Bellamy. “I loved how they mixed contemporary rock and roll with old, classic rock and roll. I love that and I loved their harmonies and the way they played just emulated that. When we went into the studio the goal was to capture the sound of those two things; contemporary rock and old school music.”
The three band members spent September through to February in the studio writing and recording the EP and are now focusing on promoting the product.
“We have a campus radio campaign going on right now,” said Shalka. “We want to build our fan base and then start playing shows. Stations are playing us all over the place. I know they have been playing us at the University of Toronto and the University of Victoria.”
Fans might soon here some new songs from FKB as the band mentioned being ready to write some new material.
“We wrote it a year and a half ago so we are almost tired of hearing it. We are ready for some new stuff,” said Fontaine.
“We can no longer listen to the songs in our cars,” added Shalka.
While writing the CD the band wrote over a dozen songs that didn't make the EP. A couple of those songs might find their way onto a future CD, said Shalka.
The EP 123FKB is available for download on iTunes.
