Fake Fest: Tribute bands rock out as Van Halen, KISS, Sublime, Beastie Boys and more
Squint, and you might think they’re the real thing. The real Nirvana. The real Beastie Boys. The real Bon Jovi.
They’re not, though. They’re tribute acts.
But for many Southwest Florida rock fans, that’s good enough.
Local concert promoter Nice Guys Production learned that while booking bands during the pandemic. Most straight bands weren’t touring, at first. But the tributes? They were ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
So were audiences.
And they still are.
“The crowd loves it,” says Tracy Traub, co-owner of Nice Guys (not affiliated with Cape Coral’s Nice Guys Pizza). “They really get into it.”
That’s when they got the idea: Why not an entire festival packed with tribute bands?
So Nice Guys is doing just that with this weekend’s Fake Fest. Seven tribute bands will take the outdoor stage Saturday, Jan. 14. at Fort Myers’ Alliance for the Arts.
The touring tributes recreate the look, sound and even stage moves of some of the world’s biggest bands: KISS, Sublime, Guns N' Roses, Van Halen, Beastie Boys, Nirvana and Bon Jovi.
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Nice Guys co-owner Eddie Latour hopes for a huge turnout. Rock ‘n’ roll is one of Southwest Florida’s favorite genres, he says, and he already knows people love tribute shows.
“I’m giving them what they want,” Latour says.
Here’s a closer look at some of the bands playing at Saturday’s Fake Fest:
NIRVANNA (NIRVANA TRIBUTE)
Why Nirvana?
“Nirvana is our fave band,” says bass player and band founder Ryan Salamone (also known as Ryno Sally Sal). “We love the screams. The emotion and the energy these songs create is like no other.
“Kurt (Cobain of Nirvana) was a special guy, no doubt about it. To pay homage to him is an honor.”
How and why did you end up being a tribute band?
“I had a friend that looked and played just like Kurt Cobain and (I) convinced him to get a set together,” Salamone says. “We played in a battle of the bands for our first show and won $200. From there, it was off to the races!”
How do you bring the band to life onstage?
“We try to do it as exact as we possibly can,” Salamone says. “The acting. The clothes. The vibe. The talking between songs. The fans deserve the best replication that we can deliver.
“We focus on every last detail for the fans. We play the same equipment and even destroy the stage just like Nirvana did at the end of the set. For that, we push the drum set off the riser and we even had fake guitar and bass cabs (speaker cabinets) made so we could just trash them and slam them.”
What tricks do you have to impersonate the band?
“Kurt Cobain had many nuances in his vocal delivery that we focus hard on,” Salamone says. “Also, I am the bass player and imitate (Nirvana member) Krist Novoselic. He was the talker of the band and had a lot of funny one-liners and goofy quotes. I say them all.”
Learn more about Nirvanna: facebook.com/nirvannatributeband or on YouTube @Tributetonirvana
BADFISH (SUBLIME TRIBUTE)
Why Sublime?
“Sublime's music was basically the soundtrack to our high school and college years,” says drummer Scott Begin. “The music Bradley Nowell and Sublime created has gone on to influence countless other bands, and their influence is still apparent to this day with the popularity of the current rock/reggae scene in the U.S.”
How did you end up becoming a tribute band?
“(Bassist) Joel Hanks and I met in college in 2000 and decided to start a musical project,” Begin says. “The idea of doing a Sublime tribute show had been floating around for a while. We set a date and learned a bunch of their songs, recruited some other fellow musicians and played our first show in April 2001. …
“The show was such a success that we decided to keep performing, eventually branching out beyond New England and becoming a national touring band.”
How do you bring the band to life onstage? Do you use special gear or wear costumes or wigs?
“Nothing special,” Begin says. “We come as we are and don't focus on the visual component of Sublime. They didn't have much of a look, and they let the music do the talking. So we just try to do the same.
“Of course, there are guitar sounds and drum sounds that we aim to replicate in some fashion, but we've always made it our goal to embody the vibe of a fun Sublime show above getting too picky about the look of it all.”
Learn more about Badfish: badfish.com, facebook.com/badfishsublimetribute
SLIPPERY WHEN WET (BON JOVI TRIBUTE)
Why Bon Jovi?
“Bon Jovi is one the greatest rock acts, greatest live acts — globally,” says singer Jason Morey.
How did you end up being a tribute band?
“I was getting a fair amount of people telling me I looked like JBJ,” Morey says. “I grew up on Bon Jovi music, and the few Bon Jovi songs that we were playing in an ‘80s band I was doing went over well each show.”
How do you bring the band to life onstage? Do you use special gear or wear costumes or wigs?
“Definitely no wigs,” Morey says. “We do exact live arrangements from their tours, as well as custom clothing that mimics what the band wore.”
Learn more about Slippery When Wet: Slipperywhenwetband.com, facebook.com/slipperywhenwetband
KISS Alive: The Tribute (KISS TRIBUTE)
Why KISS?
“Everyone that's ever been in the band naturally has a huge love of KISS,” says John Carlazzo, who portrays singer/rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley in KISS Alive: The Tribute. “The over-the-top-ness of their show combined with so many great tunes is what we all love about the band.”
How did you end up being a tribute band?
“It all started when I answered a Craigslist ad looking for a Paul Stanley for a non-makeup, non-costumed KISS tribute,” Carlazzo says. “After that original lineup (Parasite) decided to put on the greasepaint and spandex, we decided to switch to our current name of KISS Alive: The Tribute.”
How do you bring the band to life onstage?
“Since so much of a KISS show is visual, we strive to bring as many of those elements to our show, as well,” Carlazzo says. “Our budgets are vastly different, obviously, but each of us individually — and the band as a whole — has spent substantial sums of money for correct costumes, instruments, equipment and toys to deliver an authentic KISS experience.
“The only ‘tricks’ (to recreating the band’s personalities onstage) are our love of KISS since we were all kids. I'm sure I can speak for the entire band when I say we each have listened to those albums and watched those videos countless times. That's where you hear the vocal patterns, catchphrases, stage banter. They get embedded in your brain.”
Learn more about KISS Alive: The Tribute: KISSAlivetheTribute.com, facebook.com/KATTBANDROCKS or instagram.com/kiss.alive.tribute.band
If you go
What: Fake Fest
When: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14.
Where: Alliance for the Arts, 10091 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers
Tickets: $25-$50
More: The fest also includes a craft beer festival, food trucks and vendors.
Info: niceguysproduction.com/fort-myers-fake-fest-2023
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers tribute band festival: Fake Fest includes Van Halen, KISS
