Biography
What began as a solo effort by vocalist and guitarist Chris Farren eventually became the four-piece Fake Problems, based in Naples, Florida, a resort community on the southern coast. The group merged alt-country, folk, and indie pop while embracing punk’s self-reliant spirit, with Farren enlisting his high-school friends—bassist and vocalist Derek Perry, guitarist Casey Lee, and drummer Sean Stevenson—to complete the lineup. They first performed in the area, manufacturing their own CDs and T-shirts before arranging shows farther from home. Their earliest recording, the 2005 album Watching the Bull Get the Matador, carried electronic textures that set it apart from the twangy country-folk-rock later associated with the band, a sound recalling early Against Me! and Whiskeytown alike.
During 2006 the quartet traveled with O Pioneers!!!, the same year Sabot Productions issued the Spurs & Spokes 7" in August. That autumn Sabot followed with the compilation EP Spurs & Spokes | Bull > Matador, which combined material from the summer 7" and four newly tracked selections from the now out-of-print debut. Fake Problems maintained a circuit of southeastern dates while preparing How Far Our Bodies Go under producer Rob McGregor of Hot Water Music and Against Me!. Early 2007 support slots for Against Me! preceded the album’s arrival that April.
During 2006 the quartet traveled with O Pioneers!!!, the same year Sabot Productions issued the Spurs & Spokes 7" in August. That autumn Sabot followed with the compilation EP Spurs & Spokes | Bull > Matador, which combined material from the summer 7" and four newly tracked selections from the now out-of-print debut. Fake Problems maintained a circuit of southeastern dates while preparing How Far Our Bodies Go under producer Rob McGregor of Hot Water Music and Against Me!. Early 2007 support slots for Against Me! preceded the album’s arrival that April.
Albums
