Falsies bring 'absurdist rock' to town

The Falsies, a group that considers its music to be absurdist rock and its lyrics, catchy non-sequiturs, will be performing at Alley Katz in downtown Richmond, Va., on Nov. 9. Their album, "The Real Fake Things" has recently been released and they will be debuting such songs as "Fuck," "Ten Ton Cheese" and "Irate Sally."

Comprising two guys and two girls, The Falsies hail from Charlottesville, Va. With a sound critics compare to the B-52s and They Might be Giants, these rockers get their inspiration from Van Halen and David Lee Roth, ACDC and Kiss.

"Anybody that writes a good, catchy, weird song is somebody that we admire," said Lance Brenner, the group's drummer and songwriter.

The group has been together for just more than two years. Brenner, 37, and Peter Markush, 41, the lead vocalist and keyboard player, met through band connections and decided they wanted to start their own band. They knew they wanted to have girls in the band, and Markush said, "I know some girls."

That was when they found Carter Lewis, 23, and Morgan Moran, 27. Lewis plays the guitar while Moran plays the bass. Brenner said both Lewis and Moran were neophytes, so he and Markush taught them how to play.

Lewis had studied music at Sarah Lawrence College and Moran had played with her mother, but the musicians were primarily self-taught. They either didn't know how to play or they were playing an instrument that they had never played before; hence the name, The Falsies.

The Falsies play at small- to medium-sized clubs around Virginia, and they rehearse twice a week. They hope that 1,000 people will come to Alley Katz and that they will become rich and famous.

Charlotte Farewell, a senior from Princeton, N.J., said she frequented Alley Katz and enjoyed the venue's line-up of jam bands. She likes its small size and its crowd that ranges in age and style. The only negative, she said, is that there is only one bar and it can get "really slammed," making the band's hoped-for attendance of 1,000 fans a little tricky.

It takes an open mind to appreciate this tongue-in-cheek, self-aware music. If you are looking for trained vocalists, keep searching — you won't find those here. Repetitive bass licks and chanting, almost haunting, vocals ensue throughout the songs. Then, all of a sudden, the tone changes and the songs become happy and carnival-esque. A pupu platter of sounds is brought to this table, especially in the song "Get Your Concepts off my Raw Fish."

Imagine a man in a chicken-suit playing the drums and a transvestite running across the stage. This is what you get when you watch The Falsies. They try to give the message: "to quit being such a tight ass," Moran said.

"To enjoy life," added Lewis.

"To enjoy the strangeness of life," Brenner said. "I think that's what makes it really fun."

The Falsies said even though their careers are just getting off the ground, they have already had their "quintessential rock and roll experience."

In September, at the Charlottesville First Original Music Festival, The Falsies performed and drew a large crowd. Brenner recounted that they had had a "great, great time," and "lots of cool things happened," including "ladies showing their breasts."

The band said they have been riding high since that show, but that they do hope to tour eventually and expose themselves to more people. They also hope to have a giant pool of Jell-O at one of their shows with 50,000 people in it.

The intentional mayhem of The Falsies's performances sheds light on the fun that they want to have with their audiences. Their lyrics startle and shock. The pulsing rhythms and captivating concerts push the limits, but without apology. This is the way they roll, or the way they rock, rather. And...

"We're just getting started," Brenner said.