Fact Not Fiction
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Fact Not Fiction

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"Past and Present Review of Conversations with Eyes Closed"

This is cool and laid-back indie-rock that is grounded and totally down to earth. Perhaps even too down to earth sometimes, as you sometimes keep waiting for the guys to push the pedel to the floor and rock out with maximum energy, which is somethng that never happens. But that is my only complaint, as this CD delivers in every other way and I like what I am hearing. My favorite song is "The Astronaut", which has a massive chorus and sounds like a secular Deliriou5. All in all, a good effort from Fact Not Fiction. - PAPM - Past and Present Magazine (UK)


"The Blue Print - Fact Not Fiction Interview / Cd Review"

The Blue Print - Fact Not Fiction Interview / Cd Review

Have you ever had the desire to chase a dream? Fact Not Fiction did. Now, they are making their dreams come true. Fact Not Fiction is a fairly fresh band coming out of Hartwell, GA. Although new, they have already captured the hearts of some and the attention of many local music lovers. FNF originally started in January and has been expanding since then. Zeke Sayer, leader of the band, founded the group after an unfortunate heartache. Sayer comments, After getting out of such a long relationship that resulted in mostly pain, a lot of songs started coming to me. I then decided to put the band together. The band has had its ups and downs of course, but it always seems to come out on top.

Fact Not Fiction band members include Zeke Sayer, Jon Bryant, Justin Vickery, and Adam Grant. Zeke, mentioned earlier as the leader, has always been a Hart County native. He takes the stage as lead vocalist, guitarist, and pianist. He also receives the credit for writing the majority of the lyrics and music that many fans have fallen in love with. Zekes greatest musical influences are the Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, and Snow Patrol. He has been involved in the music world for about ten years and hopes to continue with great success. Jon Bryant is a name some of you might be familiar with. He is a senior here at ECCHS and is also a very important member of Fact Not Fiction. Jon plays guitar and also sings backup vocals. Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and Brand New have been the most influential on his music style. Bryant has been playing for about 7 ½ years, five of which he was active in some sort of band. Justin Vickery of Hartwell is the third member of this thriving band. He is the bass player for Fact Not Fiction. His musical taste differs somewhat from the rest of the band, and his greatest influences fall along the lines of bands like Blink 182, The Killers, and Jet. Vickery is the newest of all the FNF members to the music scene, having only been playing bass guitar for about 2 years. This, however, does not mean that he lacks in talent whatsoever. Drummer Adam Grant is the final essential member of Fact Not Fiction. He resides in Hartwell as well. He has been playing drums for 7 years. The Beatles and Led Zeppelin have been strong influences on his style. Adam told us, Ive always enjoyed drumming and Ive never been in a band like FNF. Recording and playing with these guys is pretty cool to me.

One reason a lot of people can appreciate FNFs music is because of its reality. Each song has a deeper meaning. Behind the mellow, smooth vocals of Zeke Sayer lies a hidden message for each listener to grasp. Sayer commented, Most of the lyrics come from real life experiences. I have even taken words directly from an argument I was having with someone else and used them as lyrics. Other times, words just come to me. The music is also there to accompany the great lyrics and vocals. A common saying is that Its all about the music. For Fact Not Fiction, this is no exception. With the two amazing guitarists, one talented bassist, and an awesome drummer, this band is sure to appeal to your ears whether its your style of music or not. With so much talent flowing off the stage, it is hard to not appreciate the band and the time and effort they put into it all. Each band member contributes greatly to seeing that FNF is successful. Throughout the entire recording process, they spent countless hours in and outside of the studio practicing with and without the band. Although Zeke may be more of the writer, each member has also had his opportunity to shine. Justin Vickery, for example, wrote and played an excellent bass solo in The Astronaut. Also, Jon can always be heard playing his creative guitar rifts whenever he is on stage. Adam, the drummer, is given his opportunity to freestyle and shine quite often. These guys come through on every occasion.

Fact Not Fiction has just produced its first album, entitled Conversations with Eyes Closed. The band entered Zekes recording studio about six months ago to begin working on this release. This album consists of 11 original songs, both written and recorded by Fact Not Fiction. Two of the greatest cuts on the album are Homecoming and In My Car. Both of these are fan favorites. In My Car is definitely one of the more well-known songs the band has. It is one of the more recently written and recorded songs for the album. In My Car was written one night while Zeke was just relaxing in his studio. The previous night, he had experienced a somewhat romantic and sweet time at the lake. The entire song is about the night along with the emotions he felt at the time. Zeke said, It is everything that I wanted to say, but couldnt. Therefore, I used the music to speak for me.

Fact Not Fiction debuted their album on September 9, 2006, at the Recreation Department in Hartwell, Georgia. Before the show, Justin seemed very excited and ful - The Blue Print News


"Just the Facts....with Fact Not Fiction"



CF: well guys, we're going to get right down to the most important subject of this interview, the new album. How would you describe your new release?

Zeke: Well, we're coming off the release of our last album, Conversations with Eyes Closed, with A Corporate Calling. Really, the name says it all. A Corporate Calling basically means a calling to bigger things and i think we've grown as a band, both physically and mentally in the music and the way we're producing it to get a better sound. A Corporate Calling is our sophomore release and we're trying to show what we can do now and how diverse we've become. A lot of our fans like the 60's sounds and we've really tried to mold some of the 60's feeling into some of our more modern day writing.

CF: So you're really trying to find your individual sound with this album. Which one of you writes most of your material?

Zeke: Jon and I mostly. Usually the way it works is I'll write a song and play it for the band and that's when Jon starts adding in his ideas. Sometimes the rest of the band will join in too. Lately Jon's come up with some stuff and I've built around that.

CF: So it really takes a group effort then?

Zeke: Definitely

CF: So how is the fan base going? I've heard that you have a pretty big one for a local band.

Jon: well, correct me if Im wrong, but I believe that currently we're known across the U.S. and in parts of the UK and it's still growing rapidly.

Zeke: Growing Daily

CF: Awesome, so I knew you had sent a few copies of the last album over to the UK. Are you planning to do that with "A Corporate Calling" as well?

Zeke: We've actually already sent a few copies of it over seas in hopes of getting reviews and maybe published.

CF: You got pretty good results when you sent "Conversations with Eyes Closed" over there, right?

Zeke: Yeah, actually for some reason foreign countries tend to like the indie rock sound more than the U.S. does.

Jon: I guess it's because with Indie Rock especially, it's really their brand of music, ya know.

CF: Well, Fact Not Fiction has been around for a couple of years now. You've gained and you've lost people along the way, but how do you feel about where you are now? Are you where you want to be? Or is there more coming?

Zeke: Right now, i don't feel like we've even reached the first step yet. I feel like there is a LOT more to go.

Jon: But i feel we're on the right track and heading where we need to go.

Zeke: Especially with the new album. I really feel like it's going to push us in the right direction.

CF: So you feel like this album will really be the key that will open people to Fact Not Fiction?

Zeke: Yeah, I really think that anyone who didn't like Conversations with Eyes Closed, will like at least one song on the new album.



Fact Not Fiction's new album "A Corporate Calling" is out now. It can be purchased from the band and also on iTunes. Visit FNF @ www.factnotfictiononline.com Fan Note: FNF will be playing at 9:30 at the Relay for Life this Friday, August 17th at the middle school. - The Community Forum (article 2)


"Conversations with Eyes Closed : record review"

March 2007 - Flagpole Magazine


Conversations With Eyes Closed is the first album from Fact Not Fiction; a relatively new indie-rock band from Hartwell, GA. Formed in January of 2006, Fact Not Fiction is a band whose music encompasses both actuality and invention. Most of the songs were written from true-life experiences focusing on heartache, harsh real-world realities and recollections of breezy summer days.Recorded in a '60s-era trailer over the course of six months, the album allows its lo-fi sound to permeate all corners.

The sound emitting from Conversations With Eyes Closed is completely laid-back, subtle and haunting with a few trance-like synth numbers thrown into the mix. Immediately, comparisons to Pavement and Death Cab for Cutie spring to mind. Lead singer Zeke Sayer has the ability to weave a story into a song, and not once does it come off as anything less than genuine and emotive.One of best tracks on the album, "In My Car" builds with a slow, simmering intensity that yields to its own dissolution right before the end.

Another treat is the acoustic track "Psycho," a sweet-sounding lullaby with a hidden agenda. Conversations With Eyes Closed is one of those albums that can easily play in the stereo; with 11 solid tracks of feel-good and feel-bad melodies, there's no need to fast forward.




Charley Lee

www.flagpole.com - Flagpole Magazine


"GetUnderground.com's quote on the band's new record."


"Harrowingly sad and gluttonously uplifting depression makes for damn good art."


- Getunderground.com - Getunderground.com


"The Overcast Reviews: A Corporate Calling"


FNF's sophomore release chooses time travel as its hideaway of choice. A Corporate Calling sneaks their airy, eerie sound into retro territory with a few new risks, founded on the strengths of their last album.

Moving backward is a forward push for the band. It fits their rough (although technically improved) production quality and their basic sound. Which is to say, although Fact Not Fiction doesn't ever do anything revolutionary or complex, they are the masters of pop atmosphere. The band knows well what sounds fit together and what kind of moods they convey without trying to be too many things at once. For instance, the standout "Tree Carvings" is written about the death of a local teen. Though structurally very simplistic, the song wraps you up in its eerie ambiance, Sayer's voice weaving in and out of Grant's kinetic drum loop at a near-whisper, guitar and bass simmering over just slightly.

Of course, not far down the disc are more lighthearted, almost goofy songs like "Electric City," which wins points for its head-bobbing piano line and use of the phrase "picture show." Sure, the Death Cab influence is clear once again, but FNF stretches well beyond it. The band reaches rockabilly in "Powder Bag" and blasts what frontman Zeke Sayer calls "the craziest experimenting we've ever done" in "Here At Hartmin," a track that will suck you into the guitar trance like words never existed. Actually, lyrics are much more sparse--and perhaps less inspired--throughout the album, but they act as another piece in that holistic effect.

Overall, A Corporate Calling is five leaps ahead of where this band left us in their last album. There isn't a dividing line between strong songs and weaker tracks, somber and fantastical, acoustic and electric. Rather, Fact Not Fiction tries a few different things in each song, and tries a few different styles of songs in one diverse album. Dabbing that all under an old pop tint, this album assures that taking a few steps back will push this band far forward. - The Overcast


"FNF Song, "Electric City", now Anderson, SC's City Song"

June 2007 - The Anderson Journal

by Amy Mitchell



YOUNG SONGWRITER: Zeke Sayer was born in Anderson but has lived all his life just across the Savanna River in Hartwell, GA. He and a bandmate wrote Anderson's new theme song in May. I've noticed a trend lately - theme songs and their unlikely producers. The Irony of a French-Canadian being tapped to sing Hillary Clinton's campaign theme song was lost to no one. And Now we have a Hartwell-Elberton songwriting team crooning about Anderson. What's next? Cindy Wilson inviting Joey Preston for tea? A Gamecock swag shop in Tillman Hall? Cats marrying dogs? Those were my initial thoughts, and then I listened to the "Electric City" song written by Zeke Sayer and Jon Bryant.

From the piano intro to the simple drums, doubled vocals and clear mix, the influence of their favorite band, The Beatles, is apparent in this happy little song. It's a good song, too. A really good one. The kind you remember.I recommend you listen to a snippet of it at Sayer's Myspace page - www.myspace.com/zekesayer2.

Now I recommend you listen to a snippet of the city of Atlanta's theme song by Dallas Austin, which you can hear at http://atlanta.metblog.com after a search for "new theme song". Let's just say this R&B piece isn't exactly catchy. Yes, Anderson, we've beat Atlanta at something. Sayer and Bryant form the core of the band, Fact Not Fiction.

When I reached Sayer on the phone, he told me the "Electric City" song would be on the band's second album, "A Corporate Calling". Their first album, "Conversations with Eyes Closed" came out last year. He also told me he'd just graduated from Hart County high School, Both he and Bryant are 18. The youngest member of the band is 16. Keep an eye on these kids.The theme song was an unexpected bonus for an ongoing campaign to create a brand around downtown Anderson.

The city has hired a marketing consultant and has come up with it's own logo (which you can see at www.downtownanderson.com). Sayer said he'd written "Electric City" for a film project by Anderson's Dead Horse Productions."I guess that Anderson liked the song more than we expected," he said. Bryant had laid down some piano tracks, and sayer wrote the rest of "Electric City" in 2 hours. He had to make a deadline for the film company the next day. "I was so busy with other things in the band," he said. A true pro. Sayer and his band record their songs in a 40-year-old remodeled mobile home in Hartwell. It's not a high-tech operation. "We put all our instruments in one room and mic everything and go with it," Sayer said.

In an era when half of pop music is produced by musicians sitting down on different days and sometimes different continents to record their tracks, it's refreshing to hear a young band is actually playing as a band. - The Anderson Journal


"New Teen Band on the Rise"

August 2007 - The Athens Banner Herald

- By Elaine Warren-Aliff



Cute guys who can play music too? The independent band Fact Not Fiction (FNF) shows the description is, well fact, not fiction. The band includes Zeke Sayer, Jon Bryant, Adam Grant, and Tyler Glenn. The guys are hilarious, talented, and describe themselves as "just people doing what they love." FNF, based in Elberton, is creating waves in the local music scene.

Each member of FNF has a distinct role in the group. Bass player Tyler Glenn, although the newest member of the band, is still the backbone of the group. Adam Grant is laid back, but he takes his role as a drummer seriously. He succeeds in getting all the girls' attention with the clash of his cymbals. Lead singer Zeke Sayer, known for his original voice and large hair, has been making music since age eleven. Guitarist Jon Bryant displays his electric collection of musical talent in their new album 'A Corporate Calling.' Bryant's creativity also shines through in his performances. In the song, 'Stars and UFOs,' he plays the guitar with, of all things, a drumstick. "I chose the drumstick, because it gets a really cool sound," says Bryant. "I have even attempted to play with my teeth, but unfortunately that was unsuccessful."

Although FNF is a regular performer at the downtown Athens club Tasty World, Sayer says, "It's so hard to break into the Athens scene, so I'm just happy that people know our name." The band is proud to represent the independent genre, however they do hope to sign with a record label soon.Despite the fact the band has only been together a little over a year, they have made a name for themselves. FNF's name originates from a line in Death Cab for Cutie's song 'A Lack of Color.' In fact, the band was highly inspired by Death Cab for Cutie, as well as the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix.

FNF enjoys experimenting with various song styles. Their songs scream of teen love and heartbreak. FNF's first album titled Conversations with Eyes Closed, is catchy and can be tear-provoking at times. 'In My Car' is a fan favorite and is reminiscent of the R.E.M. song 'Night Swimming.'"The Astronaut" is my personal favorite from Conversations. It features a mix of stunningly beautiful lyrics and powerful melodic lines. FNF's sophomore effort, A Corporate Call will be released later this summer. "It's going to be in a totally different direction than the first album," says Bryant. "Fans can expect a more upbeat feel with captivating lyrics that everyone can relate to."

According to the band, the stories behind the songs range from a high school party at the lake, to climbing a fire tower, to putting someone in his or her place. "This album will cover everything we need to say and more," says Sayer. "We believe we are the band that fans can listen to when driving through the country with friends, or even in the lowest time of your life. All of our fans have always seemed to find themselves in our music."For more information on Fact Not Fiction, check out the official web site at www.factnotfictiononline.com. - The Athens Banner Herald


Discography

The Fact Not Fiction EP - Jan. 2006

"Conversations with Eyes Closed" - Sept. 2006

"A Corporate Calling" - July 2007

Related Projects -

Nonsense and the Night Life (Wacko Mazoe) - 2006-2008

Three By Shoal Creek (Byron Adams) -2007

Stay In Touch (Tool Box Hero) - 2006-2007

Photos

Bio

Fact Not Fiction has never been satisfied with life exactly as it appears. Coming from a small town in Georgia known better for its UFO sightings than for its music scene, it's natural for their songs to exude an escapist quality. Zeke Sayer’s light vocals lift away from simple acoustic strums with an eerie haze, bringing to mind the likes of Elliott Smith or Iron & Wine. Poppier tracks cleverly build catchy melodies in the vein of The Beatles and Snow Patrol. Their latest release displays new experimentation that shows, despite its retro sound, that this is the kind of band that can only move forward.

The band began after vocalist/guitarist Zeke Sayer left his high school. “I did a lot of things that made me wide up in trouble, and one of those situations caused me to leave school,” he admits. ”But I believe that everything happens for a reason, and while I was in school, I had no direction in life. It took losing something for me to have a wake up call and realize I'd better do something with my life. So I started the band.”

Sayer found his passion not only in playing the music, but in production. After finding the right line-up, he produced the band’s debut "Conversations With Eyes Closed" album in a renovated mobile home. Some of the music from this album has even appeared on the soundtrack for indie film The Philosopher.

In 2007, Fact Not Fiction began recording their second album, A Corporate Calling, with Jon Bryant on guitar, Justin Vickery on bass, and Adam Grant on drums. Unfortunately, time constraints led Vickery to leave the band before the album was finished, and Tyler Glenn took over for the rest of recording. The album leaves behind the more somber and somnambulant mood of their first, with the rockabilly-esque “Powder Bag” to saccharine love tale “The Ballad of Jack and Amy.” Before the album’s official release, “Electric City,” was already chosen to be the official city song of Anderson, SC.

In addition to playing shows from rural Hartwell, GA to indie oasis Athens, GA to a festival in front of hundreds in Anderson, SC, Fact Not Fiction has assembled a solid online fan base. Critical acclaim and fans have all spoken: Fact Not Fiction is a must-listen band for this year and the next.

--Pauline Diaz, 2007