Biography
Exhibiting a mod aesthetic evocative of the 1960s, the Fad arose within New York City’s early-2000s neo-garage rock milieu, a circle that also spawned outfits such as the Blam and the widely recognized Strokes. Although numerous participants in this movement hailed from Brooklyn, the same borough served as home base for this energetic yet tuneful trio, whose sound draws heavily on 1960s sources including the Who, the Beatles, the Kinks, the Animals, and the Rolling Stones—particularly the group’s initial recordings. None of the Fad’s members, who should not be mistaken for the female pop-rap act J.J. Fad, experienced the 1960s firsthand; vocalist-guitarist John Laurence, bassist-background vocalist Michael Pisano, and drummer Anthony DeCarlo were each born in the late 1970s or early 1980s and were still in their late teens or early twenties when the band formed in the early 2000s. Their evident fondness for 1960s garage rock and power pop does not preclude additional influences, however: the trio has also cited the Jam, the celebrated British punk and new-wave band of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Such cross-generational tastes typify the city’s twenty-first-century neo-garage community, whose members often move seamlessly between the Kinks or the Beatles and the Jam or the Romantics. Because that scene prizes melodic songcraft and emphasizes strong hooks, the Fad integrate naturally within it. The Brooklyn musicians committed their self-titled debut EP to tape in 2002; the independent label Lo-Fi Records issued the recording in early 2003.
Albums