Classic Faults History
by Charles Gibson
Classic Faults has existed in many forms since its inception in 1999. The earliest line-up was with Charles on vocals, Dave on guitar, Ryan Smith on bass, & Mark on drums. We went through many name changes; everything from Grimp to Subject to Change. The music we played at that time was mostly primitive punk, with only hints of the melodic style that would develop later. Very few recordings from that era exist. Some songs that are no longer played include "Bagpipe" (A parody of Weezer's "Hash Pipe"), "Pretty", "Take Another Pill", & "Two Right Shoes (Nothing Left)". Songs that we do continue to play from that era (as encores only!) are "Compulsive Necrophiliac" & "Cookies Galore!". Ryan departed the band in 2001 due to musical differences, leading to the dissolution of Subject to Change.
The band had a length of downtime after our breakup; Mark went to college to learn how to be an Audio Engineer. Dave went to college to become a Math Teacher. Charles kept on doing whatever it is he does. During this time, Mark met Chad Bonine, who was studying to become a Music Producer. This eventually led to the arrangement of Chad moving in, and the birth of Rattus Rattus Audio on Hamline Ave. The studio has been our home for many years; it's where we both practice and record. What can we say; we just love the atmosphere there!
Mark, David, & Charles wanted to continue making music, so they began searching for a bassist & a second guitarist. This search led to Patrick, a co-worker of Mark's. His skill made him an easy choice for lead guitar. With the new guitarist, we began writing new, more mature material, such as "What You Want it to Be" & "Siren of the Damned". The only piece we were missing was someone to play bass. So, naturally, we asked Matt, Another one of Mark's co-workers, to join our band playing keyboards. It's what anyone would do, right?
After a brief stint on keyboards (with Charles on bass!), Matt said the experience just wasn't working out for him. This led to a hasty rearrangement of Matt on bass & Charles back to just vocals. Everyone was much happier with this setup. This was the period where "New You", "Broken Bottles", & "Cliché" were written. This was also the time when we finally decided on a name for ourselves: Classic Faults. Just for curiosity's sake, other names considered were: Anti-Citizen One, the Nothing, One Brick Shy, & Standard Set. After the name fiasco, Patrick decided to drop out of the band in pursuit of other goals.
Now, we had a name & some songs; but we were missing a lead guitarist. After putting some calls around to friends & family, it was decided that we would remain as a four-piece for now, and continue writing new material. Also, we dropped some songs at this point: "Cliché" & "Broken Bottles" would be stricken from our set list. During this period (Late 2004- August 2005), we wrote several new songs; always seeking a more mature "groovin" sound. Titles written during this era include "Bullfighter", "Juliet", "Bittersweet", & of course "On My Way".
In August of 2005, Classic Faults decided that we should really look into correcting that "no lead guitarist" situation. Mark and Chad knew Jeff from college, and he was living in the area again, so they gave him a tour of the studio and our material. Jeff joined Classic Faults as our new lead guitarist, and his skill enhances our sound. Songs that we've written with Jeff include the "Pill", "Her Disease", & "No Explanation", as well as enhancing the solos on our other songs.
October 2005 saw the release of the debut album from Classic Faults: "Luxury Rentals". This ten-track CD was released at our Halloween party, & so far has received rave reviews from all of our fans. Highlights of the CD include "Pill", "No Explanation", "Her Disease", & "On My Way".