The Ultimate Freshmakers

 

 

Manhattan's own Ultimate Fakebook has garnered a reputation as one of the best live acts in the area, and its recent accomplishment mirrors that.

 

In February, UFB was part of a contest sponsored by Mentos to win a spot performing at the Ogden Theatre in Denver to a worldwide audience via the World Wide Web.

 

People could log onto the Mentos Web site and vote for four out of eight bands to play the show.

 

The band came in second, behind Austin, Texas, ska-punk band the Impossibles, and Colorado-area bands Zuba and Chief Broom.

 

"Two weeks before the contest was over, we were in first, so we kinda let up a little bit, which we probably shouldn't have done. We figured at that point, all we needed to do was be in first, second, third or fourth," drummer Eric Melin said.

 

"We didn't pester people as much as we used to," he said.

 

Melin said the band is excited to play in Denver.

 

"It's going to be awesome, because we've got friends that live in Colorado," he said.

 

Not only will Ultimate Fakebook play in front of hundreds of people who might know nothing about the band, but also potentially millions of people will watch the show live on the Web.

 

"I'm not going to be that nervous, unless there's like cameras swinging around and big (lighting and camera) rigs in my face, which I don't think they're gonna have," Melin said.

 

Melin said he had experience with that sort of thing, when his former band, Truck Stop Love, played a Tom Petty tribute concert at the House of Blues that was broadcast on "ABC In Concert."

 

"I've had that happen once before, and it was very disconcerting. I almost pissed my pants before we went on stage.

 

"But this, I'm not gonna be too nervous about it, I don't think, because I don't have a computer, so I don't really understand the whole thing. I can't really grasp the concept of it," he said.

 

Melin also said he doesn't really know what happens after the band plays the show, but he is now a Mentos eater for life.

 

"I'll eat Mentos, especially is they give us money.

 

"They can use our song in ads, anything. I don't care."

 

 

Ultimate Fakebook has been nominated for five Klammies, not to be confused with the Grammies.

 

The Klammies are awards sponsored by Kansas City alternative weekly paper, Pitch Weekly, and they honor the Kansas City and Lawrence music scenes.

 

Fakebook is nominated for band of the year, best alternative band, album of the year and song of the year, and vocalist Bill McShane is up for best male vocalist.

 

Drummer Eric Melin said it is an honor to be nominated, but some people might question why UFB is nominated so many times.

 

"I feel like a lot of people are going to think, 'Who the hell are these guys? Where did they come from? Why did they get nominated?' not knowing that I've been doing this for almost 10 years, and Bill and Nick have been doing it for about six or seven. I think everybody's wondering why we didn't get nominated for best new band," he said.

 

Nominations were made by Kansas City press, radio stations and booking agents.

 

Melin said the album of the year nomination means the most to him and the band.

 

"We worked really, really hard to make it so there wasn't one crappy song on the record," he said.

 

He said UFB's chances aren't too good.

 

"I don't think we're going to win any of them. I think if we win one, it might be for maybe song of the year, because the other people in that category, minus Sufferbus, didn't have very memorable songs on the radio," Melin said.

 

"Ours got played every five minutes, to the point where people were telling me that they were calling up telling them to take it off the air and put a new one on," he said.

 

People can vote by picking up a copy of Pitch Weekly and voting with the ballot inside.

 

Ballots must be sent to the Pitch Weekly offices and must be received by 5 p.m. March 27.

 

The only place to pick up Pitch Weekly in Manhattan is at Streetside Records, so it is difficult for people to vote, Melin said.

 

"I think the people in Manhattan are gonna be kinda screwed on it, because the Pitch doesn't distribute to Manhattan anymore.

 

"They only distribute to Streetside by way of this guy who picks it up Thursday in Kansas City and drives it to Manhattan and drops it off on Saturday at Streetside," Melin said.

 

He said bands in Lawrence or Kansas City have it easy when it comes to the voting.

 

"The Pitch is everywhere. You can go into any record store, bookstore, bar and see a Pitch, take it home and send it in for your favorite band. And, chances are, if you're not from Kansas City or Lawrence, it's not Ultimate Fakebook, so we're screwed."