It has been a long time since I’ve freaked out over a Fayetteville band the way I did the first time I saw Fauxnz.
The band features Zack Wait, Sam King, Brian Abel, and Charlie Rausch, all veterans of the Fayetteville music scene, who have come together to produce some of the most inspiring music that I’ve seen in town in a really long time.
Wait, King, and Abel have all fronted local bands individually, and they share songwriting duties in Fauxnz with a dissonant, dirty, three-guitar attack that somehow captures an uneasy, nervous energy that is difficult to explain.
Imagine the feeling you get seconds before you’re about to be in a car accident. Then, imagine the relief that comes when you know you’ve avoided it. Combine those two feelings. You get Fauxnz.
If you’ve seen them, you know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, you can find out what all the fuss is about for yourself tonight at Smoke & Barrel, when the band plays with The Wicked Good, Hosannas, and Listen Listen.
We got in touch with them recently, and they were nice enough to answer some questions for us.
Fayetteville Flyer: What have you been listening to lately?
Brian Abel: Ennio Morricone, Torche, Propergol.
Zack Wait: Karp, Gyorgy Ligeti, Albert Ayler, Scratch Acid, Conlon Nancarrow, AIDS Wolf, Snakefinger, Thelonious Monk, Charles Stern, Keefe Jackson’s Fast Citizens, US Maple, Twin Stumps.
Sam King: Minutemen, Uke of Spaces Corners, old Sonic Youth, Captain Beefheart, Contortions, The Fall, Roberta Flack, Will Oldham.
Charlie Rausch: Russian Circles, Isis, Nick Cave
FF: You don’t have to name them all, but what are some other bands you guys have been in?
Zack: Dora Maar, Candle School, Egyptr
Brian: Dig, Mister Guilty, H.P. Lovecrusher
Charlie: Auger
Sam: Fire Don’t Care, Egyptr
FF: You guys played one of the first shows at JR’s the other night since The Hugo’s Allstars (I’m pretty sure that was not the band name) played the Christmas party a few years ago. How was that?
ZW: JR’s ruled and they rule for having us.
SK: Saved the day.
FF: By the way, wasn’t Brian in that band (the one that played the Hugo’s Christmas party at JR’s)?
SK: Yep.
BA: The Hugos band was called Go Time. Brock Mitchell, the original drummer for Fauxnz, was also a member.
FF: I know Zack has used some pretty unconventional tunings in other bands. Does he still do that?
Fauxnz: Tuning?
FF: Fauxnz have basically three people who’ve been principal songwriters in bands before. How do you guys write together?
BA: This band feels like a hive mind to me at times.
ZW: I vote hive mind.
FF: I still have a hard time spelling your band name. How did you guys come up with that? (It’s badass)
ZW: Lots of references to phones in our songs. We try to look cool by spelling things cool.
SK: Originally we thought the band was just going to play one show.
FF: How do you perceive the music scene in Fayetteville right now?
BA: So many good bands.
SK: The shows have been really good lately. Downtown venues are really friendly, too. Maxine’s, S&B, and maybe now JR’s too…
CR: Scene is mean and lean like a polish dog with kraut and relish.
ZW: We’re all freezing in the shadow of Perpetual Werewolf.
