Fall From Grace Survive Industry Wreckage

06/24/09 1:47pm

by Keith Carman (CHARTattack)

Sometimes jokes have really good punch lines.

"I thought it was a joke so I threw [them] an MP3 for a laugh," says Fall From Grace guitarist/singer Tryg Littlefield about joining — and winning — the Bodog Music Battle Of The Bands a couple of years back. "The next thing we knew, we were on the show. I always said I hate reality TV but then I was in it. I couldn't believe we won at that."

Things looked great for the Seattle-based alternative rock quartet rounded out by guitarist Brian Olson, bassist Ken Olson and drummer Kenny Bates back then: they won Fuse TV's highly-publicized reality show and had a one million dollar recording contract with Bodog Music in their hands. That left plenty of money to record their third full-length effort, Sifting Through The Wreckage, and hopefully grab a seat amongst the upper-echelon of current pop stars.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.

"When we won that contract, we were welcomed into the music world, but a lot of things changed," Littlefield continues. "The Internet, lack of CD sales and stuff. We worked on the album for six months, but due to corporate restructuring we were left without anything by the time the masters were handed to us. It was frustrating, but someone was there to pick up the pieces and help us out."

He's speaking, of course, about Toronto-based Bunk Rock Entertainment (familiar to us for repping Sum 41, Treble Charger, No Warning, The New Cities and One Second 2 Late), the label backing Sifting Through The Wreckage. Bunk Rock stepped up and offered the band some assistance during their darkest hour, and Littlefield sees them as Fall From Grace's... well... saving grace.

"Finally, after a year and a half of having this album, things are coming together. The label was just destroyed but Bunk Rock was there for us. We work hard and try to not let it make you skeptical. We're so lucky to ride the wave we are. I always connote the entertainment industry with surfing. You have to catch those waves. You swim out and hope for it. If you miss it, well..."

Such is the reason behind Fall From Grace's amicable-yet-guarded approach to the music industry. After being set up for such a high and coming crashing down, they're now on top of everything.

"Learn the business aspect first," Littlefield advises all potential stars. "Take it from Korn: if you don't learn the ropes, you'll get screwed. Look at TLC: they got screwed and they were huge. Not that everyone will do it, but you can be screwed if you're not careful.

"Still, for us, enough to get by is enough to live our dream. We're not paying the bills, but we've moved out of the house and into the van."

Fall From Grace will play these dates:

June 24 Calgary, AB @ The Warehouse w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
June 25 Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
June 28 Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
June 29 Seattle, WA @ Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
June 30 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
July 2 Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
July 3 West Hollywood, CA @ Roxy Theater w/CKY, Hail The Villain and Desperate Union
July 21 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 22 Farmington, NM @ Gator Bar And Grill w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 24 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 25 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 26 Houston, TX @ The Meridian w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 28 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ The Culture Room w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 29 Orlando, FL @ The Social w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 30 St. Petersburg, FL @ Janus Landing w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
July 31 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft At Center Stage w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 1 Sauget, IL @ Pop's w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 2 Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 3 St. Paul, MN @ Station 4 w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 5 Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 6 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's Downunder w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 7 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 8 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 9 Buffalo, NY @ Xtreme Wheels w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 10 Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 11 Norfolk, VA @ The NorVA w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 13 New York, NY @ The Blender Theatre at Gramercy Park w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 14 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG
Aug. 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Theater Of The Living Arts w/CKY, Graveyard and ASG