Fall from Grace (band)
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Fall from Grace | |
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| Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, alternative metal, hardcore punk |
| Years active | 2004–2012 |
| Labels | Bodog Music, Road to Hell Rekkids |
| Past members | Brian "Btown" Olson Jesse Smith Tryg Littlefield Cotton Ty Mcdonald Kenny "KennyB" Bates Ken "Big Ken" Olson |
| Website | fallfromgrace |
Fall from Grace was an American alternative rock band formed in 2004 in Seattle, Washington. Born in 2004, the original lineup "rose from the ashes" of 3 other local Seattle bands: The Highsiders, Capacity 3, and 3 Deuces.
Tryg and Brian (Btown) started working on the framework of Fall From Grace's (FFG's) first EP Rise From The Ashes in May 2004, and put together a makeshift practice space in the back room of a warehouse in Auburn, where Btown worked. Kenny Bates (KennyB) had just been discharged from the Army, and was looking for a band to hang his hat with. Tryg and KennyB went way back, and had always dreamed of playing together. Seemed like the time had come to make that dream a reality. Ken (Big Ken) was Btown's brother, and had been playing in bands with Btown since high school. It was the perfect lineup at the perfect time.
Upon their release of Rise From The Ashes, the band quickly gained steam by DIY (do it yourself) touring full time to start spreading the word of FFG. From the punk rock ethics of doing it themselves, they created their own merch, street teams, ran their own shows, paid the local bands in each market, and made tons of friends along the way.
In 2005 FFG began working on the first Full Length album Covered in Scars. This album was a culmination of several songs they'd been writing in the road and locally in Seattle. Covered in Scars was, what friends referred to as, "the album where FFG found their sound". Tryg had been writing poetry as a therapeutic coping mechanism to get through some hard times, and those writings are what became the lyrics for Covered in Scars. Quickly they saw venues filling up with friends to see them play, and before they knew it, people were even singing their songs. The 4-piece knew that something was clicking, and were having a blast growing their band and their following in the process.
In 2006, Tryg had added FFG into a Battle of the Bands as a joke when Bodog Music added him on Myspace. Tryg was well aware that battle of the bands usually consisted of a promoter who would "sell" young bands on a grand prize that was generally very unworthy of the income they'd make from attendance and alcohol sales at the club. However, with the buzz that was surrounding FFG at the time, he also thought it would be a lot of fun for him and the guys to blow the doors off of the other bands competing, while making some new fans as well. What he didn't know, was what was in store for the battle, nor what the grand prize was.
Just before the 3rd round of the Battle of the Bands was to commence, it was announced that the winner of this round would be going to star in a reality TV show! Nerves were high, the competition was strong, but in classic FFG style, they drank heavily, and enjoyed every second. Roughly 1,500 fans showed up for this round from all over Washington State, fighting 70 mph winds in the process, to see FFG give a stellar performance! KennyB proposed to his soon-to-be wife on stage, and Tryg called out the judges, telling the crowd to yell obscenities at them. Despite all Tryg's efforts, they still won and ended up going to Cleveland to be on Fuse TV's reality show Bodog Music's Battle of the Bands.
From there, the band traveled from Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to Memphis' Graceland and Gibson Guitar Factory, to New Orleans' Tipitina's and 9th Ward, to Austin's 6th Street, to Los Angeles then Canada and BACK to Los Angeles. FFG competed in immunity challenges like a photoshoot challenge, a music video challenge, raising money for charity, eating food and drink and playing songs while running and puking, etc.
FFG is best known for winning said Fuse TV's reality show Bodog Music Battle of the Bands and winning that $1mm dollar recording contract with Bodog Music. FFG beat out over 7,000 bands in the end, the top ten of which they toured with for the prize. Those 10 bands included Boston's "Fear Nuttin' Band", Miami's "Big Bang Radio", Dallas's "Ashmore", Houston's "Subversa", Atlanta's "The Mood", Minneapolis's "Leroy Smokes", Los Angeles's "Blaxmyth", Phoenix's "Idle Red", San Francisco's "Strifer", and Philadelphia's "Burn Down All Stars".
Upon returning home, FFG self-released Covered in Scars before they let the ink dry from signing their newfound record deal with Bodog Music and did what they do best: went on their last DIY tour.
The band released their first major label album, Sifting Through the Wreckage, in 2009, and toured with Alesana, Protest the Hero, CKY, and Graveyard to support the album. The album includes the singles "Burned", "Hated Youth", "King of Lies" and "Pictures on the Wall".
Upon returning from the 2009 tour, playing over 285 shows in 14 countries abroad, KennyB and Big Ken hung up their hats from FFG, and Tryg and Btown found themselves at the writing table, once again.
In 2010, Tryg and Btown spent the better part of that year writing and recording the framework for what would become The Romance Years, FFG's final album, while negotiating their release of Bodog Music. They started their own label, Road to Hell Rekkids, and put a new lineup together. The band now included brothers Cotton and Ty McDonald from another popular local band, The Jet City Fix and Jesse Smith, a local Seattle drummer who'd been friends with Tryg for a longstanding time.
FFG set out for their final tour in 2012 with Eve-6 and Saving Abel. They played the majority of the biggest cities in the lower 48 states, once again, and knew that it had been a great ride, with some of the greatest friends anyone could ask for.
Fall From Grace had never intended for the success they experienced, and certainly not to become TV celebrities. They just wanted to do it their way, from day 1. They accomplished that, and made some amazing relationships along the way.
On November 5, 2012, Fall From Grace announced their split after their final tour.
Discography
[edit]- Rise from the Ashes (2004, self-release)
- Covered in Scars (2006, self-release)
- Sifting Through the Wreckage (November 4, 2008, Bodog Music/Bunkrock Music)
- The Romance Years (January 24, 2012 Road 2 Hell Rekkids)
Singles
[edit]- "Covered in Scars" (from Covered in Scars)
- "Burned" (from Sifting Through the Wreckage)
- "Hated Youth" (from Sifting Through the Wreckage)
- "King of Lies" (from Sifting Through the Wreckage)
- "Pictures on the Wall" (from Sifting Through the Wreckage)
- "18 and Out" (from The Romance Years)
Band members
[edit]- Tryg Littlefield – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Brian Olson – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Ty McDonald – guitars
- Justin "Cotton" McDonald – bass, backing vocals
- Jesse Smith – drums, vocals
Former members
- Kenny Bates – drums
- Ken Olson – bass, backing vocals
External links
[edit]- Official website
- MySpace
- Album art and portraits of the band Archived May 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Burning Stars interview with Tryg Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Interview with Tryg Littlefield & Fall from Grace song lyrics