Fight Fair

Wind the clock back several decades and imagine a California summer of a much simpler time. Even if you weren’t around in those years, it probably isn’t all that tough to picture. In fact, you’ve probably seen it before on television or in the movies—whether it’s Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello injecting a dose of fun in the sun as part of their “Beach Party” collection of films, or perhaps on television in the ‘60s surfer girl comedic hit series “Gidget.” And chances are, you’re probably familiar with the music of the era, too: the upbeat, heavily melodic and beautifully harmonic, carefree compositions from hit-making artists like Jan and Dean or The Beach Boys. Sure, that sort of stuff was prevalent during another generation. But, where did all those good times, positive vibes and simple enjoyment of a youthful life go? And how come they just don’t seem to exist today? Nearly a half-century later, San Diego-based beach surf-rockers Fight Fair hope that they’ll have answers in their battle to reintroduce the best of the beach: the playfulness, the parties, the people and, most of all, the pop-laced singalongs. And they’ve managed to encapsulate their fight to party in a eleven-track offering, aptly dubbed California Kicks. And who better to reignite this unique affinity of classic surf rock hit makers with the edge of today’s contemporary rock scene than this beach-based five some, who’ve deftly merged both yesterday and today, melding the band’s current punk influences with the records and lifestyle of the surf community from the summers of the ‘60s. They’re armed with beach blankets, surfboards, sunglasses and convertibles—and they’re ready to kick off a day under the sun from their grounded pop sensibilities. The first hints of this groundbreaking style can be heard in Fight Fair’s EP release, Settle the Score, which was re-released via Triple Crown after signing to the label in July 2008. Although admittedly more of a traditional pop-punk release, from which Fight Fair finds their more current roots, the EP also found the band starting to spread its musical wings for a shift into its own via a couple tracks. “We were just starting to explore the sound that we went for on the full-length, which is this new sort-of punk sound that we started creating, this new style, this new vibe that we wanted to do for our new record,” says Alex Bigman, Fight Fair’s vocalist. “We first found our sound when we were writing our EP. We have a song called "Pop Rocks" where we figured out exactly what we wanted our sound to be. We had our fast pop-punk influences, like Lifetime, and even hint of metal on the EP. But the songs that stood out on our EP were the more fun songs, like "Brain Freeze", which talks about hanging out on the beach with a chorus of just wanting to have fun. We had that sound and we really wanted to explore that on a whole new level, with The Beach Boys harmonies and even ‘70s power-pop like the Undertones or The Boys.” Retooling their musical efforts for California Kicks wasn’t as difficult as it might seem, as Bigman notes that the band hails from a diverse musical background, and wanted to show such variation with this latest release, rather than simply conform to the norms of what’s currently popular. “We’re kind of tired of the generic pop rock that’s coming out right now,” he says. “We wanted to take music back to its roots and do something that’s classic but original for the modern times right now. But also mix it with a kind of aggressive early punk style—it’s like mixing the Ramones with like The Beach Boys, you know? We just wanted to do our own style and really make something cool that people could relate to at the beach during the summer." And the beach is where the band’s roots have been firmly planted—and it’s readily apparent throughout the tracklisting of California Kicks. “We wanted to explore the entire California vibe because there is no place we'd rather be then at the beach or chilling playing music with our best friends.” Bigman notes. “We started looking for influences on the new record, which I think come from classic bands—just the old, classic pop and rock ‘n’ roll. We wanted to make a sound that brought that early influence with modern rock and modern punk, and that’s what we did.” In doing so, Fight Fair entered pre-production with producer Mike Green (Paramore, Yellowcard), who helped to fine tune the band’s songs, which were tracked with producer Brian Grider (who also produced Settle the Score) in San Diego. Green mixed the final tracks. “We loved how the EP came out so when we were scouting for producers for our full-length, it was only natural for us to go back to Brian” says Bigman. “We spent five weeks in San Diego at his studio just every day, eight hours a day, working on the record. We slept at the studio, it was a pretty crazy time, but we came out with the gnarliest product in the end.” Some of California Kicks’ many standouts include “California Girls” of which Bigman says is directly about its namesake and features a classic surf breakdown with a call-and-response between vocals. “California Girls is about how much we love the girls and the surfing in California” he says. “We’ve been playing it live for the past six months and we’ve got an awesome crowd response, it's been unreal.” “SexyFancyMoney.” changes gears a little, injecting a dance atmosphere in the midst of the power-pop, sporting guest female vocals. “It’s like a Black Eyed Peas meets the Ramones,” says Bigman. “We’ve also thrown a little hip-hop in a couple of the songs on the record which is sick ” And “Livin’ for the Summer” is a summer ballad that Bigman says just might be his personal favorite on the entire album. All in all, California Kicks really exemplifies the affable personalities of the members of Fight Fair. “We’re pretty laid back guys,” says Bigman. “We’re all from California and I wouldn’t say we’re super serious—we have fun, we go to the beach, we go surfing, we go to nightclubs with our friends. But we do take our music seriously. We wanted to make a record that makes people happy instead of being bummed out.” And it won’t be a bummer summer as California Kicks is scheduled for release to coincide with Fight Fair’s appearance on the entire Vans Warped Tour this year. And, if timing is everything, it’ll be the perfect fun-in-the-sun anthem for its audience—young and old, longtime fans and newcomers alike—even if they’re not based in the Golden State. “People are already calling us a surf-core band, when no one had even heard our brand new surf songs yet,” says Bigman. “I think our previous fans will be really stoked on what we’re doing with this new record, and hopefully it’ll catch on. Maybe we’ll be starting a whole new genre with what we’re doing right now. We’re doing something new, you know?” Fight Fair IS: Alex Bigman - Vocals Josh Reef - Drums Evan Henkel - Guitar Kyle Wanninger - Guitar Chris Begley - Bass pre-order the new album here! http://merchdirect.com/TripleCrownRecords/CDs/California_Kicks_CD_Tank_Top_Combo?productid=12235 http://www.myspace.com/fightfair