Fake Magic have more than a few tricks up their sleeve on their sophomore release N.A. — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
Despite their band name, there’s nothing but authentic sonic alchemy pouring out of Toronto rockers Greg Markham and Bryan Paccagnella on the 10-track, half-hour offering. “Call it dork rock, indie rock, alt rock …” they say. “Call it Steven. Call it a cab. Take it down to Weird Street. It’s a good time.”
And a trip. While lead single Father is about the day-to-day lives of the Heaven’s Gate cult, followup single Always Nice takes a road trip across North America. “It’s an exploration of the unique places and the ‘animals’ of the continent,” Paccagnella offers. “The album art is based on an original photo Greg took while on tour with Whosarmy; the album is meant to evoke an upside-down slide in a slideshow.”
Markham adds: “The initial recording was done in my apartment downtown Toronto at Bathurst and Bloor,” Markham shares. “We incorporated elements of the apartment and street into the songs, like the sounds of fans, car alarms, and sirens. Bryan also uses a DIY piezoelectric kazoo on a couple of tracks to ‘fake’ guitar parts.”
Speaking of fake, what about that band name? “You have to embrace the gifts the universe can dump on you when you just ‘go for it,’” they say of the moniker’s inspiration. “It also comically implies that, if real magic exists, we’re not it.”
Their nearly life-long personal and working partnership suggests otherwise. Pals since Grade 2, the pair have attended the same grade school, high school, and college together. Markham recalls: “We shared an obsession with Weird Al’s album Bad Hair Day, and all the music videos from that release.” Markham went on to play with Whosarmy, The Mohrs (now Jackie) and Keegan Powell. Paccagnella spent years as a writer and comedian, and was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award with his troupe Plum Thunder and their parody of Pet Shop Boys’ West End Girls.
Mixed by Simon Larochette and mastered by Grey Market, N.A. follows 2019’s debut EP Hi-Fi. Check out the album below, watch the videos for Father and Always Nice above, and find Fake Magic on their website, Twitter and Instagram.
