BALL BUSTER MUSIC PRESENTS:
Voice Of The Underground!
November/December 2010
INTRODUCING FORGOTTON FABLE
by Paul Autry
Forgotten Fable. Maybe you've heard about them. Maybe you haven't. I can
tell you one thing for sure, once you hear what they have to offer, you
won't forget about them. I was able to talk with vocalist Andrew Taylor
on the phone for a few minutes and I found out that we have a little something
in common. We don't like talkin' on the phone all that much. Although,
he is one step ahead of me when it comes to technology. He's into texting...and
I'm not. I found this out when I called him and I got an answering machine
and I heard...UGH...a Lady Gaga song. When I asked him about it, he said,
"It's kind of an inside joke. I don't really like talkin' on the
phone too much. Me and the guys were out running around one day and we
were flippin' through the radio channels and that song came on and I was
like, this is the song that was made for me because I hate talkin' on
the phone. The guys started makin' fun of me. So, I just put it on as
my ringtone."
I quickly learned that Andrew is no stranger to the music scene. He toured
internationally and he has sold more than 50,000 record with his former
band, Prone, which was a christian band. Being curious, I asked if there
was a big difference going from a christian band to a hard rock, groove
metal band. After a short pause, Andrew said, "Freedom. The freedom
to be able to express yourself the way you want. To say the things that
you wanna say. That's a big difference." He continued, "Stress.
There's a little more stress. A lot of the shows we would play, people
would come out and you would expect a certain atmosphere attitude from
christian music. It was very stressful because I would have girls send
me stuff in the mail or come up to me after a show and hand me their bra
and it's very uncomfortable when you're surrounded in a christian band.
It's like, do you not know what my band represents? That was a little
stressful and there was a lot of temptation. And some of the bigger bands
that we toured with that claimed to be christian are smokin' weed and
drinkin' and you're left there lookin' at yourself going, well, do I do
that or am I actually going to represent what I claim to be? It was A
LOT of stress with that and, with this band, there's none of that."
I really didn't want to get into the subject of religion...although I
was curious to find out if his beliefs have changed from band to band.
They haven't. I also found out that we had something else in common...a
belief that what we actually believe in should be a personal experience,
which is true. We didn't talk in depth on the subject. But, if we did
and we laid it all out for the world to see, what would happen? Some people
might agree with us. Some people might not. Some people might go off in
a totally different direction. It's a subject that could cause a thousand
discussions. But, in the end, it's all very simple. A personal belief
is just that...it's personal.
Now, from everything I've read about this band, the term I've seen the
most when describing their lyrical content is "moral." "We
actually get in more trouble with my lyrics than bands that cuss and swear.
My stuff is kind of dark. I sing about rape, drug addiction, sexual addiction,
suicide and stuff like that. I really don't believe in swearing in music.
I think, if you're a good lyricist, you can always find a better word
to use." Andrew continued, "As far as music goes, I've always
found that the better the band, the better the lyrics. the better the
content. Lyrically, I sing about life and I sing a lot about my life,
personally. I know the emotions and feelings that go behind something
like this and I express them. That's why a lot of people are connecting
with the music because I'm speaking from experience." Basically,
what he's saying is that Forgotten Fable is an honest band and Andrew
made a point that I totally agree with. He said, "People can always
tell if the writer is speaking about something they've seen or gone through.
Everyone knows. Lyrically, I don't like to make stuff up. If I haven't
experienced it, I don't think I should be talkin' about it." While
the subject matter may be considered dark, Forgotten Fable doesn't leave
you in the dark. They sing about the light at the end of the tunnel. There's
always a brighter side. It's music that people can identify with and music
that people will pay attention to...and they are paying attention. A quick
look at some of Forgotten Fabel's most recent accomplishments will prove
that.
They were hand picked for the "Not Just Country" tv show on
Fox.
Number 1 metal artist in Nashville.
Number 10 artist in Nashvill across all genres.
Number 13 artist on Global Metal Charts.
Most requested unsigned band on Nashville's 102.9 FM The Buzz - Everything
That Rocks.
102.9 FM The Buzz’s Band Battle Winner for October & November
2009.
Labeled “Nashville’s next big thing” by Strum Magazine
NashvilleRock's January 2010 Featured Band of The Month
And the list goes on and on and on. So, why doesn't everyone know who
this band is? Well, it's because they're slowly building a solid fanbase.
The people who are paying attention to what Forgotten Fable has to offer...they
don't become "causal" fans (so to speak), they become loyal
fans. They're looking to build not only a solid fanbase, but, a strong
one as well. That's where Forgotten Fable is looking to go, as Andrew
stated, "Where I can identify with people and people can identify
with me."
"It's like this quick fix thing that everyone seems to be doing.
Nobody really takes the time to make something substantial. You can see
that by all these bands that come out every year. There's like ten to
fifteen acts that come out every year that only make one album and they
have a song...and that's it." That's not where Forgotten Fable wants
to be. They look to make every song on the album count. There's always
gonna be a "fly by night band out there. But, you won't be able to
count Forgotten Fable among them because they're in it for the long haul.
The buzz started with a few tunes being circulated online and, from everything
I've read, it's like, they're about to hit it big. I mentioned this during
our conversation.
"It's a frustrating time for us right now because we've only been
a band for a year and a half. It started off with a MySpace page and a
couple of songs and we just started getitng people like crazy. We started
playing out and we were getting more and more people. Now, we have a fan
club in almost every state in America. We have one in Finland, Switzerland,
Japan...and it's kind of frustrating because we're at that point...we're
a nobody local band. We're not signed. We're doing this for the love and
joy of performing. At the same time, we're getting a lot of exposure.
We're winning awards. We're getting the chance to play with some big bands.
But, at the end of the day, we still have to go back to our day jobs.
People look at us and it's like, it must be so great to make it and I'm
like...what are we making? We're not making anything. It's surreal. We've
got so many fans and so many people sending us messages and now, it's
like, we have to work twice as hard because we have all these fans and
we have this reputation...and, if we don't...we're just gonna get stale.
We're still working hard." And that hard work does show in their
music. Give it a listen and you can hear it for yourself.
This is one band that I suggest you keep your eye on because they're going
to be around for a long time and you won't want to miss any of it. When
I asked Andrew for his final comments, he had this to say, "I would
like to see people listen to the album and let them know that they're
not alone. There is something better. It's not always death and darkness."
I totally agree.
http://www.forgottenfable.com
http://www.facebook.com/forgotten.fable
http://www.myspace.com/forgottenfableband
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