In the midst of Montana, where bluegrass, folk, and country singers reign over almost every concert venue and bar, the cowboy norms are being combatted with growling guitars, face melting riffs, and the long hair that ruled the sunset strip in the 1980s. The heart of hard rock still beats and it beats in the members of False Fiction—a young up and coming band from Belgrade, Montana. Belgrade may be at first glance a slow country town but who could have guessed that it could be the perfect place for a jump back into the ‘80s for an epic rock revival?

Lead guitarist Teagan Gates had been playing guitar for quite some time by the time he and drummer Jaiden Richards had the bright idea to start a band. Jaiden had been learning on Tegan’s Dad’s drums before upgrading to his own kit while bassist Jordan Richards learned to play bass on a guitar, eventually getting his own bass. By 2019 the band’s founders were experimenting with different genres, finally landing on the glamorous ‘80s hard rock. Thus, False Fiction was born.

Although the band’s sound is surely to bring nostalgia to Gen X and everyone who rocked the ‘80s, members of the band expressed their desire to inspire young people, classmates and peers to listen to their music. As Gates states “We could play [there] but no one under 18 could hear us,” in reference to an opportunity at Bozeman’s The Filling Station.

In order to understand how the younger generations may take to hair bands and hard rock music, you have to look back at the generation that started it all.

In the late ‘70s the look of classic rock was molded by bands like Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Aerosmith and more. Long ratty hair, opened shirts, heavy eye makeup and heels was the must have look for any band hoping to make it big. It’s this beginning that led to ‘80s rock which exaggerated the hair and clothes of classic rock to an all time high.

In 1981, Motley Crue released their debut album “Too Fast for Love.” This album is popularly credited as the start of 80s hard rock. It launched the rock sound into a first wave of hair metal, lasting from 1981-1984. Dokken, W.A.S.P, Motley Crue, Ratt, Quiet Riot, and more are all bands that can be credited as first wave glam metal bands. After interviewing False Fiction, it is apparent that a lot of their inspiration is drawn from these first wave bands, especially Ratt and Dokken, according to lead guitarist Teagan Gates.

For False Fiction, there have been bumps in the road along the way (to be expected from anyone in the industry). Especially when it comes to finding all age venues that won’t exclude who the band hopes to be new fans. The band has also been disappointed to have to turn down plenty of opportunities because of their lack of a permanent lead singer.

Maneuvering show business, especially as a young band based in a small town, comes with its struggles. And who better to walk these boys through said struggles than an ex ‘80s rocker himself? When asked about who helps out behind the scenes, the boys had one person that really stuck out: Rodg (pronounced: raw-g) Enochson. “A very close person in our lives. His backstory is that he used to be in a hair metal band back in the '80s. He’s from Montana and he moved to Los Angeles,” says Gates, “He’s kind of our mentor in a sense of being in a band and what the road is like for us and has put stuff together to help out.” The closest thing to a band manager that False Fiction has, Rodg used to open for bands like Warrant and Kix, and played venues like the Troubadour. He seems to be a leading factor in the band’s path to fame.

Jordan Richards gave some insight into the backstage reality of a new band. “When you’re in a band starting out, you don’t get roadies.” The band is very self sufficient, being in charge of moving instruments and getting gigs, their driving force is themselves. And to those wanting to get started in the music industry, they say that commitment and consistency will get you where you want to be. “Its dedication is what it is,” says Richards.

For the last couple of years, not only has False Fiction been playing covers like “Round and Round” by Ratt, but they have also been working hard on originals. They managed to write three original songs before hitting a wall. Creative ideas were lacking and the band went on a brief writing hiatus for a few months, something needed to give for them to continue moving and improving.

Change came in the form of Ethan Oddy. Originally auditioning for the band as a singer, Ethan proved himself to be a worthy rhythm guitarist though he lacked singing talent. Over just a few months Ethan made great strides in becoming a skilled guitarist helping the band through their writing hiatus. This put the band up three more original songs giving the band six songs.

False Fiction is still without a singer, which is currently the biggest issue the band faces. They booked a gig for November 11th at The Butte Depot. They are working vigorously on new singles to rival their current singles, and the band proves to be diligent in their work. After all, when members of the band graduate high school they plan to move to California, particularly the L.A. area, where rock and roll is still a monumental part of California culture, they say.

As bassist Jordan Richards states, “If you want to make it in the industry, you need originals; you will not make it in the industry with covers.” Speaking of False Fictions’ originals we had the honor of being played two of their own singles, “Don’t Need You” and “First but Not Last.” The only word that would be worthy of describing the band’s sound would have to be big. Their sound could fill an entire arena stadium. They use complex layering which either goes awful with one instrument overpowering the other or amazingly with the instruments complimenting each other and giving a desirable push and pull. I’m glad to state that False Fiction carries the later sound with an insane dynamic between rhythm guitarist Ethan Oddy and lead guitarist Teagan Gates. All members of the band show up with their capacity for tricky rhythms and ability to shred. Not only does this band have a great sound, they have meaning behind their songs. For example, the band revealed that their song “Don’t Need You’” is about not needing a significant other in your life. A feeling described by False fiction as when someone would just get on your nerves to the point where you would realize that you didn’t need them anymore. Truly the melody within this song reflects the emotions one might feel when going through this themselves.

As stated previously False Fiction says their biggest flaw is their lack of a singer; so what are they looking for? In order to do the band justice they want a singer that knows the music and loves it just as much as they do. When brought up, they gave us the principle idea that to be in a band you can’t just want to be in a band, you have to actually want to perform and be a functioning member of the band. You have to love what you do, whether it be belting out twisted lyrics, shredding on a guitar, or banging on a drum kit. In order to fill the gaps in False Fiction, they truly need someone to match their big sound and energy. The band has been through three singers so far, from people with lack of commitment to different genre singers, they have seen it all and still pursue a new singer. When this band does get a singer, they’ll finally be able to release their singles and enter a new level of rock and roll.

Overall, False Fiction proves themselves to be on the rise with their distinctive sound, nostalgic '80s aesthetic rocking, leather pants and ripped t-shirts, and overall great band chemistry. We see a tightly knit band with the way they grow together through their trials and tribulations. The band has seen it all, whether it be lacking a frontman or troubles with age restricting venues they still pursue the rockstar life. Already the band has made great progress with their singles and we truly hope to see them go far! From their expertise in their own music and the industry, we leave you with solid advice to any aspiring rock star from Teagen Gates, “Shred ‘til you’re dead.”