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	<< back \| interviews/fuck the facts Fuck The Facts 1. Brutal salutes, Topon, and welcome to Tempest Music! Thanx for having me. 2. You started Fuck The Facts in '99 as a one-man-project. Why? Why starting it as a project and not as a band? It was like a joke thing back then? Back then I played in other bands, but I didn?t have a band that I was really able to do what I wanted. Which was to experiment a lot more and take a more open-minded approach to creating music instead of just copying a formula that has already been proven to work. With FTF I was able to really try and do whatever the fuck I wanted, sometimes it worked and sometimes I didn?t, but this is all in the evolution of the band. FTF was never really a "joke" band. I always took it seriously for what it was, a recording project. Back then my focus was still on the bands that I played in, so not that much time was put into it in those early days. The reason FTF didn?t start off as a band is because let?s face it, starting a band sucks. It?s very difficult to get 4 or 5 people together and actually agree and have a similar vision. At least I?ve had bad experiences with it, so the only solution for me was to go solo. It turned into a band when I asked my bud Matt to play drums on the next recording. From that we just decided to make it a band and together enlisted our friends to fill the empty spots. If it was a good decision to make FTF a full band or not, I?ll never know. But, I would like to think that it?s the natural progression that I had to take. 3. In 2001 you released your debut album. What can you tell us about it? It was you alone back then or you were helped by some other guys? And talking about that, who was your producer, Black Hole and how did the deal came to life? "Discoing The Dead" was just me. It came together with me writing material for a split tape/CD with Skoda 120 to be released by Beer Is Not Drink Recs. in the Czech Republic. I also had a bunch of songs that I had recorded for compilations, so I had decided to just put it all together and make "Discoing?". It was also the first time I had used my computer in the recording process. I recorded mostly everything on an 8 track reel to reel and then I mixed down onto the computer. I then added a few extra samples, effect, other instruments, did all the editing on the computer and used it to make the final master. I originally released it myself on CDR and made about 200 copies. Then in 2002 Fernando from Black Hole offered to release our new full length, which was to be "Backstabber Etiquette". We already had a deal with GWN Records going that we were happy with, so I offered him to re-release "Discoing The Dead" instead. He agreed and my drummer at the time who was in school for audio recording re-mastered the whole thing and we added an unreleased bonus track. 4. In your bio it is stated that the positive feed-back on this album made you decide to do FTF a real band. What's that positive feed-back: how many copies were sold? First off I should say it doesn?t take a lot of positive feedback to get me going. I get very excited about music and especially about FTF. When I would get letters and orders from people who really liked what I was doing I got me all riled up and really kept me motivated. I?m sure there tons of underground bands that have sold way more CDs then us, but I think we?ve done alright for a band in our position. The pressing of "Discoing The Dead" through Black Hole was 1000 copies, and I think there?s maybe 100-200 left, so add that with the original 200 CDR copies of "Discoing?" and it?s basically reached a thousand. Probably our most know release is "Backstabber Etiquette" which has reached 2000 copies. 5. During 2001 and 2002 you toured a lot and even released your second album. Please talk a bit about those years and your activity back then. This is when FTF actually started as a band. We were killer motivated and would play anywhere and everywhere that we could. We used to tour around Ontario and Quebec in my dad?s Toyota mini-van and fuck it was crazy. We played a lot of empty rooms, and some awesome shows as well. Our original singer got tired of being on the road every weekend, so we had to parts ways with him. In this time we also recorded "Mullet Fever" as well as the "Four0ninE" 3" CDR and a few other little things for splits. This time definitely has it?s own sound if you compare it to the other phases of FTF. Brent?s voice probably had to do a lot with that, but also the music was more chaotic and unorganized in a way. 6. Some other split CDs followed, but I think one of the most important things was the release of a CD with you sharing it with Feeble Minded on Grodhaisn REC., thing that kinda brought you in the European scene's attention too. Am I right? What kind o f response did you sensed from the public form here? I hope you?re right. I personally thought that split never got around enough, but maybe it did just in Europe. We were really happy with our material on that split, and still think that?s a big step up from "Backstabber Etiquette". I never saw one review for that split and from what I know only 500 copies were pressed. I?m still happy we did it cause if we weren?t offered that split we never would of came up with those songs and still to this day it?s one of my favorite FTF recordings. 7. During the years there were some line-up changes. Who is FTF now and what past-member is still playing (with another band) at the moment? Is Matt still with Exhumed? Are you still friends? The current line-up is Mel Mongeon, Steve Chartier, Mathieu Vilandré, Tim Olsen and I. As far as I know none of the past members are involved in any bands besides Matt who plays in Exhumed, and we?re still friends with. He just recorded 2 new songs for us a couple of weeks ago, for a couple of split 7"?s. I think some of the other ex-members play and record solo projects that they had before even playing in FTF. Pretty much everyone that has left the band is because they can?t handle our fairly hefty schedule. Line-up changes have become almost a part of life for us, and we?ve grown to embrace it. Every time we have had one it?s always been better for the band, and I?m not just saying that, It?s definitely true. We get more and more picky when we pick someone to join. Attitude is the main focus. It doesn?t matter how good the guy is, if he?s not willing to hit the road and make the sacrifices that need to be made, then he?s no good to me. We look for people that have a similar and compatible drive for music and it?s definitely needed that they be capable musicians as well. 8. How do you see the progress of the band's musical style and skills and how could you describe your music for the ones that still have no clue about it? That?s a tricky one. We?ve really changed a lot over the past 4 years and have become better musician for sure. Fuck we could barely play when we start this shit. The music we create is definitely effected by the people in the band, and because we?ve had so many line-up changes, it?s developed a lot over the years. I describe us as "Experimental Grindcore", but we?re definitely not a straight up grind band, I should emphasize "Experimental" more then grindcore. We have a lot of different things mixed in, like a very obvious metal influence with a bit of maybe tech shit, and a punk ethic that we live by. Basically, if you have an open mind and like bands that mix it up check us out and you might dig it. If you only like bands that play by the books and can easily be classified, you?ll hate us. 9. What's Deamon? I've seen you're their bassist... Preparing for a CD? Please tell us more. And since we're here, tell us a few words on Time Kills Everything, Troglodyte and Ghetto Blaster Distribution, too. Deamon is a death metal band that I play bass in. I?ve been in the band for about 3 years now, and it?s fun cause I get to jam with guys that I?ve been playing with for like 7 or 8 years in other bands. I also started off as a bass player, and switched to guitar when I started FTF. So it?s fun to play bass again as well. We finished recording the new full length earlier this year. We?re still looking for a label to release it, so hopefully that?ll get worked out and it?ll be out soon. TKE is a recording project that I started back in 2003. It was just some songs that I wrote goofing around in my basement. I liked the way that it turned out, so I asked Matt (He Broke & Of Human Bondage) if he felt like recording vocals on it. He agreed and got Mike (Malefaction & Of Human Bondage) involved as well. We finally released the material as a self-titled MCD in 2004, and recorded some new stuff for a split CD w/ Siege Of Hate which should be released soon through 2+2=5 Records as well. We also did our first live shows this past summer. Troglodyte was a humorous death metal project that I had with my brother. We did a recording about 10 years ago that I still really dig, but never got properly released. So I?ve just been getting the songs out in other ways. Ghetto Blaster is my little distro that I just started after doing so many trades over the years. I mainly just sell stuff at shows while we?re on the road. 10. "Mullet Fever" is like a phantom album for FTF... Why did you released it by yourselves back in 2003? Is it re-released at the moment we are speaking? Mullet Fever got re-released in June of this year through Sonic Deadline Records. We re-mastered the whole thing, as well as added tons of bonus tracks, video, pictures, etc? It was actually something that we had planned on doing a couple of years ago but we were in no rush and wanted to make sure that I got done properly. Initially, we released it ourselves because back then we didn?t really have labels interested in releasing our CDs. But soon after that we got an offer from Zas, so we took some tracks from Mullet Fever for what ended up being our first split 7". 11. Tell us about the new album, which, if I'm not mistaking, was supposed to be released this spring, but is delayed a year. Why is that? What we will get on this album? It got delayed due to the line-up changes basically. I won?t get into all the details, but ya, it should have been recorded in 2005 or maybe even late 2004. Luckily, right now we got some really motivated and dedicated folks in the band so things are running a lot smoother with finally completing this album. I?ve also put my foot down in frustration about this whole thing. It has to get done, and even if it means me going into the studio myself and doing it "Discoing The Dead" style, there will be a new FTF full length in 2006. That?s not gonna happen, but that?s how serious I am about actually getting this shit finished and getting back on track. A couple of weeks ago we recorded 2 new songs as pre-production for the next full length. We should be posting those soon, and it will give people an idea of where the next full length is going. We?ll also be releasing these 2 songs on a couple of split 7"?s. One with Pleasant Valley through Reprocreate Records and the other with Mesrine through Sonic Deadline Records. We?re still finishing up the writing, but everything is going well and we plan on hitting the studio in Feb 2006. 12. I think you writes all the lyrics. What are they about? Actually Mel pretty much does them all. I help a bit here and there just cause Mel is french and sometimes needs help with some of the english phrases to make sure it makes sense. We have lots of different lyrical themes, but it pretty much all comes down to our perceptions of the world discussing certain issues like religion, consumerism, human greed and selfishness, etc? We try and put it all into a story kind of format though and not just stating statistics or something. Sometimes Mel will ask me for a subject and we?ll go from there or even just a working title can get things rolling sometimes. We definitely have been putting more and more effort into our lyrical content. 13. July was a full month for you as you had a new tour, playing almost every night. Aren't you tired? Which other bands supported you and how were the places you giged? What's the best memory and the worst one from this tour? We love being on the road and are looking forward to some heavy touring in 2006. Sure a month can seem long sometimes, but right after we did our last show in Winnipeg (which was one of the highlights), we were pretty bummed about it being done and having to go back home to "real" life. Out east we had support from Brief Respite and The Mass, and then out west it was Tugnut. In general all the shows went really well and everytime we go back it keeps getting better and better. Some of the highlights were definitely Halifax, Rimouski, Montreal, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Calgary and a house show we did in Winnipeg. We also had a great time hanging out with the bands and all the people we met. I could go on forever with all the stories from just that tour. There wasn?t any real low point. There were 2 shows that fell though which sucked, and a couple of not so greatly organized shows. But all in all I have no complaints and can?t wait to do it again. 14. Is it easy for a grind band to set up a month tour through Canada? How did you do it? Is a tour like that expensive for FTF or you get your money (used for transport/food/drinks/sleep) back from playing and selling merch? Is it important for a band to have their own merch to be selled on concerts? GWN Records set up the first half of the tour and I did the second with the help of Tugnut. It wasn?t so bad, we?ve got a bit of a name going so it helps make it easier to get the dates you need. The more you tour the easier it gets, at least from my experience. Touring is expensive, and with gas prices going up we felt it even more. But we managed to do ok and it didn?t cost us personally anything for the tour. We managed to do very well with merch sales, so we even came home with a few bucks for the band. We?re total merch fiends and anyone that knows us will attest to that. I think it?s very important for bands to have merch to sell, especially on tour if you want to leave your mark. 15. OK, Topon, we are aproaching the end of this chat, so please tell us about the end of this year for FTF, what it is planned to happen. We have a few shows left to end the year. But like I said, we?re gonna finish writing the next full length and focus and making sure it?s gonna be killer. We?re also putting together a CD that will have all the material from the splits we recorded 2002-2004. That should be coming out in December or early next year through GWN Records. Also, keep an eye out for a couple of new split 7"?s like I mentioned before. We?re also gonna be doing some live recordings for a "live" 7" and a split CD to boot. Basically, we?re keeping busy. You should be hear more from us in the near future. 16, Thanks for your answers and hope we'll have the chance to talk again soon. Tell our readers where they can contact you and say your closing comments. Good luck! Thank you very much for the interview. You can check our site www.fuckthefacts.com for all the up to date information on FTF. Cheers to everyone that has supported us over the years and we hope to see you in 2006!

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Fuck The Facts

1. Brutal salutes, Topon, and welcome to Tempest Music!
Thanx for having me.

2. You started Fuck The Facts in '99 as a one-man-project. Why? Why starting it as a project and not as a band? It was like a joke thing back then?
Back then I played in other bands, but I didn?t have a band that I was really able to do what I wanted. Which was to experiment a lot more and take a more open-minded approach to creating music instead of just copying a formula that has already been proven to work. With FTF I was able to really try and do whatever the fuck I wanted, sometimes it worked and sometimes I didn?t, but this is all in the evolution of the band. FTF was never really a "joke" band. I always took it seriously for what it was, a recording project. Back then my focus was still on the bands that I played in, so not that much time was put into it in those early days. The reason FTF didn?t start off as a band is because let?s face it, starting a band sucks. It?s very difficult to get 4 or 5 people together and actually agree and have a similar vision. At least I?ve had bad experiences with it, so the only solution for me was to go solo. It turned into a band when I asked my bud Matt to play drums on the next recording. From that we just decided to make it a band and together enlisted our friends to fill the empty spots. If it was a good decision to make FTF a full band or not, I?ll never know. But, I would like to think that it?s the natural progression that I had to take.

3. In 2001 you released your debut album. What can you tell us about it? It was you alone back then or you were helped by some other guys? And talking about that, who was your producer, Black Hole and how did the deal came to life?
"Discoing The Dead" was just me. It came together with me writing material for a split tape/CD with Skoda 120 to be released by Beer Is Not Drink Recs. in the Czech Republic. I also had a bunch of songs that I had recorded for compilations, so I had decided to just put it all together and make "Discoing?". It was also the first time I had used my computer in the recording process. I recorded mostly everything on an 8 track reel to reel and then I mixed down onto the computer. I then added a few extra samples, effect, other instruments, did all the editing on the computer and used it to make the final master. I originally released it myself on CDR and made about 200 copies. Then in 2002 Fernando from Black Hole offered to release our new full length, which was to be "Backstabber Etiquette". We already had a deal with GWN Records going that we were happy with, so I offered him to re-release "Discoing The Dead" instead. He agreed and my drummer at the time who was in school for audio recording re-mastered the whole thing and we added an unreleased bonus track.

4. In your bio it is stated that the positive feed-back on this album made you decide to do FTF a real band. What's that positive feed-back: how many copies were sold?
First off I should say it doesn?t take a lot of positive feedback to get me going. I get very excited about music and especially about FTF. When I would get letters and orders from people who really liked what I was doing I got me all riled up and really kept me motivated. I?m sure there tons of underground bands that have sold way more CDs then us, but I think we?ve done alright for a band in our position. The pressing of "Discoing The Dead" through Black Hole was 1000 copies, and I think there?s maybe 100-200 left, so add that with the original 200 CDR copies of "Discoing?" and it?s basically reached a thousand. Probably our most know release is "Backstabber Etiquette" which has reached 2000 copies.

5. During 2001 and 2002 you toured a lot and even released your second album. Please talk a bit about those years and your activity back then.
This is when FTF actually started as a band. We were killer motivated and would play anywhere and everywhere that we could. We used to tour around Ontario and Quebec in my dad?s Toyota mini-van and fuck it was crazy. We played a lot of empty rooms, and some awesome shows as well. Our original singer got tired of being on the road every weekend, so we had to parts ways with him. In this time we also recorded "Mullet Fever" as well as the "Four0ninE" 3" CDR and a few other little things for splits. This time definitely has it?s own sound if you compare it to the other phases of FTF. Brent?s voice probably had to do a lot with that, but also the music was more chaotic and unorganized in a way.

6. Some other split CDs followed, but I think one of the most important things was the release of a CD with you sharing it with Feeble Minded on Grodhaisn REC., thing that kinda brought you in the European scene's attention too. Am I right? What kind o f response did you sensed from the public form here?
I hope you?re right. I personally thought that split never got around enough, but maybe it did just in Europe. We were really happy with our material on that split, and still think that?s a big step up from "Backstabber Etiquette". I never saw one review for that split and from what I know only 500 copies were pressed. I?m still happy we did it cause if we weren?t offered that split we never would of came up with those songs and still to this day it?s one of my favorite FTF recordings.

7. During the years there were some line-up changes. Who is FTF now and what past-member is still playing (with another band) at the moment? Is Matt still with Exhumed? Are you still friends?
The current line-up is Mel Mongeon, Steve Chartier, Mathieu Vilandré, Tim Olsen and I. As far as I know none of the past members are involved in any bands besides Matt who plays in Exhumed, and we?re still friends with. He just recorded 2 new songs for us a couple of weeks ago, for a couple of split 7"?s. I think some of the other ex-members play and record solo projects that they had before even playing in FTF. Pretty much everyone that has left the band is because they can?t handle our fairly hefty schedule. Line-up changes have become almost a part of life for us, and we?ve grown to embrace it. Every time we have had one it?s always been better for the band, and I?m not just saying that, It?s definitely true. We get more and more picky when we pick someone to join. Attitude is the main focus. It doesn?t matter how good the guy is, if he?s not willing to hit the road and make the sacrifices that need to be made, then he?s no good to me. We look for people that have a similar and compatible drive for music and it?s definitely needed that they be capable musicians as well.

8. How do you see the progress of the band's musical style and skills and how could you describe your music for the ones that still have no clue about it?
That?s a tricky one. We?ve really changed a lot over the past 4 years and have become better musician for sure. Fuck we could barely play when we start this shit. The music we create is definitely effected by the people in the band, and because we?ve had so many line-up changes, it?s developed a lot over the years. I describe us as "Experimental Grindcore", but we?re definitely not a straight up grind band, I should emphasize "Experimental" more then grindcore. We have a lot of different things mixed in, like a very obvious metal influence with a bit of maybe tech shit, and a punk ethic that we live by. Basically, if you have an open mind and like bands that mix it up check us out and you might dig it. If you only like bands that play by the books and can easily be classified, you?ll hate us.

9. What's Deamon? I've seen you're their bassist... Preparing for a CD? Please tell us more. And since we're here, tell us a few words on Time Kills Everything, Troglodyte and Ghetto Blaster Distribution, too.
Deamon is a death metal band that I play bass in. I?ve been in the band for about 3 years now, and it?s fun cause I get to jam with guys that I?ve been playing with for like 7 or 8 years in other bands. I also started off as a bass player, and switched to guitar when I started FTF. So it?s fun to play bass again as well. We finished recording the new full length earlier this year. We?re still looking for a label to release it, so hopefully that?ll get worked out and it?ll be out soon. TKE is a recording project that I started back in 2003. It was just some songs that I wrote goofing around in my basement. I liked the way that it turned out, so I asked Matt (He Broke & Of Human Bondage) if he felt like recording vocals on it. He agreed and got Mike (Malefaction & Of Human Bondage) involved as well. We finally released the material as a self-titled MCD in 2004, and recorded some new stuff for a split CD w/ Siege Of Hate which should be released soon through 2+2=5 Records as well. We also did our first live shows this past summer. Troglodyte was a humorous death metal project that I had with my brother. We did a recording about 10 years ago that I still really dig, but never got properly released. So I?ve just been getting the songs out in other ways. Ghetto Blaster is my little distro that I just started after doing so many trades over the years. I mainly just sell stuff at shows while we?re on the road.

10. "Mullet Fever" is like a phantom album for FTF... Why did you released it by yourselves back in 2003? Is it re-released at the moment we are speaking?
Mullet Fever got re-released in June of this year through Sonic Deadline Records. We re-mastered the whole thing, as well as added tons of bonus tracks, video, pictures, etc? It was actually something that we had planned on doing a couple of years ago but we were in no rush and wanted to make sure that I got done properly. Initially, we released it ourselves because back then we didn?t really have labels interested in releasing our CDs. But soon after that we got an offer from Zas, so we took some tracks from Mullet Fever for what ended up being our first split 7".

11. Tell us about the new album, which, if I'm not mistaking, was supposed to be released this spring, but is delayed a year. Why is that? What we will get on this album?
It got delayed due to the line-up changes basically. I won?t get into all the details, but ya, it should have been recorded in 2005 or maybe even late 2004. Luckily, right now we got some really motivated and dedicated folks in the band so things are running a lot smoother with finally completing this album. I?ve also put my foot down in frustration about this whole thing. It has to get done, and even if it means me going into the studio myself and doing it "Discoing The Dead" style, there will be a new FTF full length in 2006. That?s not gonna happen, but that?s how serious I am about actually getting this shit finished and getting back on track. A couple of weeks ago we recorded 2 new songs as pre-production for the next full length. We should be posting those soon, and it will give people an idea of where the next full length is going. We?ll also be releasing these 2 songs on a couple of split 7"?s. One with Pleasant Valley through Reprocreate Records and the other with Mesrine through Sonic Deadline Records. We?re still finishing up the writing, but everything is going well and we plan on hitting the studio in Feb 2006.

12. I think you writes all the lyrics. What are they about?
Actually Mel pretty much does them all. I help a bit here and there just cause Mel is french and sometimes needs help with some of the english phrases to make sure it makes sense. We have lots of different lyrical themes, but it pretty much all comes down to our perceptions of the world discussing certain issues like religion, consumerism, human greed and selfishness, etc? We try and put it all into a story kind of format though and not just stating statistics or something. Sometimes Mel will ask me for a subject and we?ll go from there or even just a working title can get things rolling sometimes. We definitely have been putting more and more effort into our lyrical content.

13. July was a full month for you as you had a new tour, playing almost every night. Aren't you tired? Which other bands supported you and how were the places you giged? What's the best memory and the worst one from this tour?
We love being on the road and are looking forward to some heavy touring in 2006. Sure a month can seem long sometimes, but right after we did our last show in Winnipeg (which was one of the highlights), we were pretty bummed about it being done and having to go back home to "real" life. Out east we had support from Brief Respite and The Mass, and then out west it was Tugnut. In general all the shows went really well and everytime we go back it keeps getting better and better. Some of the highlights were definitely Halifax, Rimouski, Montreal, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Calgary and a house show we did in Winnipeg. We also had a great time hanging out with the bands and all the people we met. I could go on forever with all the stories from just that tour. There wasn?t any real low point. There were 2 shows that fell though which sucked, and a couple of not so greatly organized shows. But all in all I have no complaints and can?t wait to do it again.

14. Is it easy for a grind band to set up a month tour through Canada? How did you do it? Is a tour like that expensive for FTF or you get your money (used for transport/food/drinks/sleep) back from playing and selling merch? Is it important for a band to have their own merch to be selled on concerts?
GWN Records set up the first half of the tour and I did the second with the help of Tugnut. It wasn?t so bad, we?ve got a bit of a name going so it helps make it easier to get the dates you need. The more you tour the easier it gets, at least from my experience. Touring is expensive, and with gas prices going up we felt it even more. But we managed to do ok and it didn?t cost us personally anything for the tour. We managed to do very well with merch sales, so we even came home with a few bucks for the band. We?re total merch fiends and anyone that knows us will attest to that. I think it?s very important for bands to have merch to sell, especially on tour if you want to leave your mark.

15. OK, Topon, we are aproaching the end of this chat, so please tell us about the end of this year for FTF, what it is planned to happen.
We have a few shows left to end the year. But like I said, we?re gonna finish writing the next full length and focus and making sure it?s gonna be killer. We?re also putting together a CD that will have all the material from the splits we recorded 2002-2004. That should be coming out in December or early next year through GWN Records. Also, keep an eye out for a couple of new split 7"?s like I mentioned before. We?re also gonna be doing some live recordings for a "live" 7" and a split CD to boot. Basically, we?re keeping busy. You should be hear more from us in the near future.

16, Thanks for your answers and hope we'll have the chance to talk again soon. Tell our readers where they can contact you and say your closing comments. Good luck!
Thank you very much for the interview. You can check our site www.fuckthefacts.com for all the up to date information on FTF. Cheers to everyone that has supported us over the years and we hope to see you in 2006!